lo HARK FORRARD! 



fence. Taking the (lounging) rein himself, he led 

 each horse in turn up to the first fence, which 

 was nothing more than a very strong plain 

 hurdle laid flat on the ground. If the youngster 

 popped over it, all right. It was raised about a 

 foot from the ground, and so on, gradually 

 raised till that part of the education was con- 

 sidered complete. Supports on the landing 

 side prevented the hurdle from being knocked 

 down, however hard it was hit, as Reginald's 

 motto was to make a horse dread to take the 

 smallest liberty with any fence whatever. Some 

 of them were evidently natural jumpers, and 

 popped over as if they had been at it all their 

 lives. One or two, however, showed a lot of 

 temper, and the whips were brought into play 

 pretty freely. After the hurdle there was an 

 open ditch about six feet wide ; next was a low 

 thorn fence without any ditch, not more than 

 three feet high, but with a solid oak rail on the 

 landing side quite close to the fence and 

 almost flush with the top of it. Two or three 

 tried to take a liberty with this, and were 



