378 DOING AWAY OLD PREJUDICES. 



be inferred that he cannot or does not often jump 

 quite as high, (though not at Avails) ; he jumps very 

 often a height for which he gets no credit, and in 

 taking a fence with a rail or a plashed hedge on the 

 top of it (and that sometimes with a rise to it), I am 

 quite satisfied our horses often take six feet when Ave 

 are not aware of it : a Avail or a paling of six feet is 

 an awful thing to face ; now a sloping bank Avith a 

 fence on its top of the same height Avould not look 

 as high by a foot at least, and such in grazing coun- 

 tries our horses frequently get o\^er. 



We must certainly alloAV that our neighbours, the 

 Irish, Avere in a general Avay very far before us in 

 finding out the capabilities of horses as to jumping, 

 and but for the introduction of steeple chases Ave 

 should probably have still remained in the second 

 place, but that is all done aAvay with now. Time 

 Avas also when the Irish thought us far behind them 

 as horsemen : take the average of the tAvo nations as 

 riders, it is quite fair, and but just, to alloAV that 

 formerly the Irish Avere by far the boldest riders ; 

 their country obliged them to be so ; but now every 

 unprejudiced Irishman Avill allow we have as bold 

 riders here, Avhcn boldness becomes necessary, as they 

 have on the other side of the Channel. 



There is still one feature in the Irish horse that, 

 speaking in a general Avay, Ave do not see in English 

 ones ; the Irish horses all leap, from the hunter to 

 the common car-horse. I Avill now refer to some 

 letters I sent home many years ago from Ireland, 

 Avherein I gave the impressions made on me at that 

 time. I was then, as it Avill be seen, much more 

 convinced of the superior qualifications of every Irish 

 horse as a leaper than I am now, though I still give 



