306 ON STEEPLE-CHASING. 



somersault over a gate into the last field 

 but one, and actually landing on his feet, 

 beat by a short head an honourable member 

 of the House of Commons, who had mean- 

 while been engaged in extricating his horse 

 from the last ditch, in which he was reposing 

 to recover his wind — -was really sensational. 



The great objection to these races is 

 that the course selected being invariably 

 a severe one, and horses frequently inade- 

 quately trained for such an ordeal, they 

 often suffer considerable distress, and not 

 infrequently break their backs or necks 

 through sheer inability, when blown, to rise 

 at their fences. The percentage of falls on 

 the number of horses which take part in 

 these races is enormously high ; and owners 

 should see to it that their horses are pro- 

 perly prepared before being allowed to 

 start in them, lest they incur the charge 

 of cruelty to animals, which every true 

 sportsman is careful to avoid. 



