MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS 195 



scarcely necessary to explain the reasons for these 

 precautions. 



The word " precautions " reminds us that in the 

 hunting-field, as in war, every reasonable precaution 

 should always be taken. Wire, stakes, bogs, holes, 

 etc., should be looked out for in the one, just as 

 counter-attacks, night attacks, surprises, etc., should 

 be provided against in the other. Such precautions 

 are not the outcome of " fussiness," or " funk," as 

 the young and hot-headed are apt to think, but the 

 necessary steps to ensure ultimate success. It must 

 not, however, be forgotten that there are times, both 

 in the Image and in the Real, when all must be 

 risked, and risked too with the utmost dash and 

 determination. 



A very useful accomplishment, both for the soldier 

 and the sportsman, is to be able just to tack on a 

 horse-shoe, and both can find opportunities of 

 attending a forge and learning to do so. To lose a 

 shoe in the middle of a day's hunting is annoying 

 enough in itself, but it is doubly so, after having 

 with difficulty found a village forge, to be told that 

 the smith is out, or gone away to dinner. It is then 

 that he who can select a fairly fitting shoe and nail 

 it on will score considerably. It is well to remem- 

 ber, however, that in a horse's foot there is very 

 little room for the nail to go wrong, and it is 

 therefore rash to venture to drive in one unless we 

 are sure of our own knowledge and ability. 



Regarding the care of the horse on active service, 

 the chief thing to be remembered is, that we should 



