Steeplechase Riding 213 



was placed there. Many men, both now and 

 for years past, have declined to risk valuable 

 young horses over the " regulation ditch," 

 and thus the sport has suffered, and will 

 continue to suffer, simply because the autho- 

 rities are so supine or so obstinate that they 

 will go on in their own way, regardless of the 

 best interests of steeplechasing. What was 

 the thino' invented for? "To check the 

 pace," is the reply. "Has it done so?" 

 Every one knows that 'chases are run to-day 

 faster than they ever were before. 



John Jones, whilst taking me through 

 his stables one day some seven years ago, 

 said, " Oh, the open ditch is nothing very 

 dangerous, if you properly teach a horse to 

 do it." That is just the point : "If you 

 teach a horse to do it." But a steeplechase 

 is not a circus. You don't want a " trick 

 horse ; " you want a hunter, and, in my 

 humble opinion, every steeplechase course 

 should contain only hunting jum|)s, such as 

 require no previous curriculum of the training 

 stable to enable the candidate to do in safety. 



