236 FOX-HUNTING IN THE SHIRES 



accidents, to bring you safely to the end. " How 

 do you ride over such big places at your age ? " was 

 asked of a gallant old farmer who bred and rode for 

 sale. " Well, sir, nowadays when I comes to a very 

 big place I shuts my eyes, trusts a little in Providence, 

 and leaves a deal to the horse." And this is what 

 the rider of such a horse must do, at all events as to 

 the latter part of the advice. 



It is from horses of this class that we often have 

 our worst falls. They are easy and pleasant to ride 

 when everything goes right, and a bold man who 

 will sit still may often distinguish himself in a burst, 

 which fills the rider with a misplaced confidence. 

 But the downfall, when it does come, is generally 

 a bad one, and sooner or later is bound to happen. 

 Therefore I suggest that it is well to consider and 

 to train the minds as well as the bodies of our horses. 

 In Leicestershire a horse must be fit, or he is practi- 

 cally useless. He has to gallop up and down steep 

 hills and to jump forty or fifty more or less stiff 

 fences, and all this at a pace which is often not very 

 much slower than is required of a chaser. But we 

 also want the horse to have his wits about him. 

 Every one who has ridden to hounds for any length 

 of time must, I think, realise with increasing cer- 

 tainty how little the rider can do to help his horse. 



To sit still and leave his head free is the secret of 

 few falls, and those few comparatively harmless. 

 Of these the following is an example direct from 

 the practice of one of the greatest huntsmen of our 

 day. " Afterwards Lord Willoughby left his horses' 

 heads much more alone and went much slower at 

 his fences. This was, no doubt, the secret and the 

 reason why he had so few falls and so few bad ones. 

 He rode chiefly by balance, but at the same time 



