Hurdle Racing 233 



to his hurdles, be over and away again as 

 quick as a rabbit. If he "pitches" over, 

 and lands with a jerk, he must inevitably 

 lose ground, as he takes all the "way" off 

 himself, and has to be set going afresh. A 

 horse that jumps too big, again, is sure to 

 " get left " at hurdle racing, as he takes too 

 much out of himself at his fences : this, 

 however, is a fault that most horses soon 

 cure themselves of. In fact, as soon as a 

 horse gets at all beat, whether racing or 

 otherwise, he will, in most cases, be more 

 inclined to run into the opposite extreme 

 and "chance" his fences. 



Although to ride in a hurdle race looks 

 at the first blush a less risky thing than 

 steering a horse over the fences, I am not 

 at all sure that it is not, in fact, more 

 dangerous ; and I can call to mind several 

 very bad accidents that have hajDpened by 

 collision, horses jumping into their hurdles, 

 others jumping upon a fallen rider, &c. 

 Notably Robert I'Anson's fall on Lord Clive 

 (Sir George Chetwynd's) at Brighton ; J. 



