RIDING OVER THE SHIRES 205 



nerve and he meant to go into every field with his 

 hounds. Now, resolution goes far in riding to hounds, 

 for a man and horse can generally go where the man 

 really wills. Moreover, a man of resolute character 

 will cross a country with more glory and more safety 

 than the faint-hearted would imagine to be possible. 

 Constant practice and his perfect condition had some- 

 thing to do with Mr. Assheton Smith's success, of 

 which he himself always said the chief secret was 

 that he could make his horses gallop. 



An even better horseman was Mr. Greene of RoUe- 

 ston, who shares with Lord Stamford and the present 

 master of the Quorn the distinction of being the 

 only Leicestershire squires who have ever held that 

 office. The other aspirants to fine horsemanship at 

 the time used to study Mr. Greene. It is said that 

 he used his legs to convey his meaning to his horse 

 far more than he did his bridle. This is undoubtedly 

 one secret of successful riding. Like Mr. Assheton 

 Smith, he liked to ride at his fences somewhat aslant. 

 But he came to them with bounding strokes to the 

 last, when he slackened his rein and allowed his horse 

 to exert its full power, the fling almost invariably 

 bringing him safely into the next field. 



Indeed, I believe that this letting the rein slacken 

 as the horse takes off to be one of the secrets of safety. 

 Let the horse, as he stretches over a big place, run 

 the reins through your fingers so that there is no 

 restraint on him ; yet do it in such a way that you 

 can hold him together directly he gets into his stride. 

 A horse is far less likely to fall on landing if he has 

 his head free than if he is held up. Yet it must be 

 borne in mind that most, or at all events many, 

 horses need to be held together with firm grip in 

 going up to a fence or they will take off anyhow. 



