Steeplechase Riding 203 



has been won that way, when all seemed 

 smooth sailing for the rogue. 



Horses are wonderfully quick to find out 

 how far they can take liberties with their 

 fences, and so are some of their riders ! One 

 man, who rides almost as many ^dnners 

 between the flags nowadays as anybody, said 

 to me a few weeks back, when we were dis- 

 cussing; the relative merits of the Sando'^Ti 

 and Kempton obstacles, " Sandown looks the 

 worst of the two, but you can brush throusfh 

 the tops of the fences there. You can't do 

 that at Kempton." 



Now, although a horse can't be too good 

 a jumper to win steeplechases, he may be 

 too hig a jumper to do so. Young or inex- 

 perienced animals usually jump a great deal 

 bigger at their fences than they need, and 

 this is a fault — one on the right side, be it 

 always remembered — that practice alone will 

 cure. " It's all right when they rise high 

 enough ; never mind the rest," said Gatland 

 to me, speaking of the schooling of young 

 horses to jump, and no one can teach the 



