RIDING RECOLLECTIONS 



necked fox broke covert, pointing for a beautiful 

 grass country, and the hounds came pouring out 

 with a burning scent, not five hundred yards from 

 his brush. I remounted pretty quick, but my 

 thoroughbred one — in racing language "a good 

 beginner" — was quicker yet, and my feet were 

 hardly in the stirrups, ere he had settled to his 

 stride, and was flying along in rather too close 

 proximity to the pack. Happily, there was 

 plenty of room, and the hounds ran unusually 

 hard, for my horse fairly broke away with me in 

 the first field, and although he allowed me by 

 main force to steady him a little at his fences, 

 during ten minutes at least I know who was not 

 master! He calmed, however, before the end of 

 the burst, which was a very brilliant gallop, over 

 a practicable country, and when I sent him home 

 at two o'clock, I felt satisfied I had a game, good 

 horse, that would soon make a capital hunter. 



Now I am persuaded our timely escapade was 

 of the utmost service. It gave him confidence in 

 his rider's hand ; which with this light Pelham 

 bridle he found could inflict on him no pain, and 

 only directed him the way he delighted to go. 

 On his next appearance in the hunting-field, he 

 was not afraid to submit to a little more restraint, 

 and so by degrees, though I am bound to admit 

 the process took more than one season, he became 

 a steady, temperate conveyance, answering the 



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