BINTS ON RIDING TO HOUNDS 61 



the signs of good hands, and indicate that the rider has 

 been marked by allowing his horse his head when 

 necessary, and having kept his hands in the right 

 .place. I never felt any ill effects from my hands 

 being so marked, but in after-life my fingers became 

 enlarged just where the saddle had rubbed them when 

 riding boring horses, and gave them a gouty appear- 

 ance, though this is, after all, but a very trivial matter, 



7. When riding at a fence, let your toes and your 

 horse's head point in the same direction, viz., straight 

 towards it. Your seat will not only be firmer, but if 

 you do come to grief, your feet are more quickly 

 slipped out of the irons, and are ready for you to alight 

 on ; and you will thereby run less risk of being dragged 

 or having your leg broken by getting under the horse. 

 The toes should never be turned out ; such a position 

 causes too great stress being placed on the stirrup- 

 Jeathers. No man, unless he is knock-kneed, and 

 therefore cannot help it, should ever ride with his toes 

 out. 



8. I always (unless when hunting hounds) prefer the 

 use of a cutting- whip or an ash-plant to that of a hunt- 

 ing-crop. There are some horses which will not bear 

 even the sight of a lash to a whip, horses which, being 

 naturally nervous, have been made more so by reason 

 of bad treatment. Such horses are often dangerous, 

 and will kick when they are down or in the stable, 

 not from vice, but through their nervousness, and 

 they never forget the whip, which has doubtless been 

 used over them during their training, which was 

 effected rather by brute force than the gentleness 

 and kindness which should have been employed. 

 Now, a stiff cutting-whip, tied on to the wrist, if 



