Hurdle Racing 2 3 1 



as he likes, at first ; jumping it at full speed 

 will very soon follow when once the young- 

 ster's natural nervousness shall have worn 

 off. If the beo'inner shows a disinclination 

 to jump, a good plan is to ride him by 

 himself over a farm, taking him over very 

 low places, gaps in hedges, small grips, &c., 

 until something like confidence comes to him, 

 then bring him back to your gorse fence 

 again. When he has surmounted this two 

 or three times in safety (and be careful not 

 to make his lessons too Iouq; for fear of dis- 

 gusting him with the whole business), he 

 may be taken at a low hurdle, with the lead, 

 again, of a good reliable jumper. If his 

 progress is still satisfactory, increase the 

 pace a bit, and let him come fairly up to 

 his fence at galloping pace. But you cannot 

 be too patient with him ; if he is nervous or 

 even perverse, you must be good-humoured 

 with him ; it is not a bit of use meeting ill- 

 temper with ill-temper ; you only make 

 things worse. As Charles Mathews said of 

 " Honesty " being " the l)est policy," so can 



