RIDING RECOLLECTIONS 



bank to bank, without a moment's hesitation. It 

 is equally possible he may stop short on the bank, 

 with lowered head and crouching quarters as if 

 prepared to drink, or dive, or decline. He will 

 do none of these. Sit still, give him his head, 

 keep close in to your saddle, not moving so much 

 as an eyelash, and it is more than probable that 

 he will jump the stream standing, and reach the 

 other side, with a scramble and a flounder at the 

 worst ! 



If he should drop his hind legs, shoot yourself 

 off over his shoulders in an instant, with a fast 

 hold of the bridle, at which tug hard, even though 

 you may not have regained your legs. A very 

 slight help now will enable him to extricate him- 

 self, but if he is allowed to subside into the gulf, 

 it may take a team of cart horses to drag him 

 out. 



When in the saddle again give him a timely 

 pull ; after the struggle you will be delighted with 

 each other, and have every prospect of going on 

 triumphantly to the end. 



I have here endeavoured to describe the different 

 methods of coercion by which two opposite natures 

 may be induced to exert themselves on our behalf 

 in the chase. Every horse inclines, more or less, 

 to one or other extreme I have cited as an 

 example. A perfect hunter has preserved the 

 good qualities of each without the faults, but how 



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