FIELD TRAINING 83 



oil in each feed is an excellent thing for putting on 

 flesh and improving a horse's coat. 



Nothing has been said about " schooling " a horse 

 over fences, because a man cannot " school " a horse 

 unless he is a master, i. e. a horseman himself ; 

 besides, the young idea should start with a made 

 hunter which will teach him. When he has learnt 

 his lesson, let him, by all means, invest in a four- 

 year-old and tumble about with it. 



" Tumble about ? " No, this is scarcely correct, 

 for a good four-year-old, especially an Irish one, if 

 boldly 2Sidi judiciously ridden will not as a rule tumble 

 much. 



The subject of riding young horses is a fascinating 

 one. The awkward, baby-like movements improving 

 day by day. The little grip, snorted and looked at 

 for ten minutes yesterday, stepped lightly over to-day 

 with that delightful toss of the head afterwards ex- 

 pressive of satisfaction, or is it of contempt at the 

 obstacle ? 



We were almost off at score ! But, in the present 

 hunt, this is not legitimate game, so we must whip 

 off and refer Diana's soldier pupil, if he is bitten by 

 the thing, to the excellent chapters on it in the 

 Badminton Library's book on Riding and Polo. 



Just, however, even at the risk of being called a 

 " Blatherer," one more throw of the tongue on this 

 tempting line. 



Personal experience says that after a horse has 

 been lunged once or twice over different sorts of 

 fences, the best way to continue his schooling is to 



