They graduated under predecessors remarkable for sound judgment, to 

 which they gave effect with energy and foresight, grappling as well as they 

 could with every difficulty that lay in their way. With that example before 

 them, and being now possessed of the experience which the others had 

 to acquire, our present rulers are in a better way to bring about reform 

 than were those who went before them. They, however, have been 

 brought up in the old school, and no matter how practical men may be, 

 after being engaged at the same business for a certain time they are prone 

 to get into the one groove and can only see out of their own glasses. 

 Nowadays that won't do. Men, while preserving intact their righteous 

 principles, must go with the times, and to keep their place they must 

 import new blood. 



I think, therefore, that both our Turf and Steeplechase Clubs would 

 do well to admit as members, representatives from the training and 

 riding fraternity. 



I have thus given an account of how steeplechasing was conducted 

 long ago, and how it now goes on. My own opinions I have also 

 stated plainly, and now I put together in a nutshell what I think ought 

 to be done, with the courage of their convictions, by both the English 

 and Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committees. Of course, a great 

 many good judges will disagree with me, and I admit that some of 

 my proposals are fraught with difficulty and may perhaps be now 

 impracticable, but I flatter myself that others of them are reasonable 

 and should be adopted, even though apparently difficult to tackle. 



If, however, our authorities are to take action and perhaps have to 

 adopt drastic measures, they will have to be si ipported by the general 

 public, for there is no doubt that great opposition will at first be given 

 by parties who think alone of their own interest and care naught for 

 sport. After a time that would all subside, and the fine sport of 

 steeplechasing might possibly regain the position it held in olden time. 



Make the fences stiff but safe. Have no steeplechase under two and 

 a half miles. Encourage three and four miles by making the longer 

 the race the bigger the stake. Have no flat or hurdle races for hunters. 

 Have hunters' steeplechases for hunter's only. Encourage point-to- 

 point steeplechases over a perfectly natural country for regular chasers 

 as well as hunters. Don't allow any horse to start for a hunters' steeple- 

 chase until he is five years old. Give liberal allowance to home-trained 

 horses. Reduce the present number of meetings. Allow no addition 

 to "gate money" meetings, and, whenever the chance comes, shut up 

 those existing. Encourage natural and oppose artificial courses. 

 Last, but not least, bring influence upon employers to veto betting 

 among those they employ. 



I now leave this section of my chapter and proceed to others more 

 pleasant to deal with. 



A horse of average size will clear, in his stride at full gallop, about 

 twenty-two feet, but put before him fifteen feet of water, level with the 

 banks, without a guard, and then see how difficult it will be to 



