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CHAPTER IV. 



JUMPING. 



It is generally said that to make a horse jump, the hands 

 should hs raised the moment he comes to the fence ; but in 

 acting thus his natural powers are hampered and he is 

 prevented from jumping freely. 



In order to jump, he should have his head and neck 

 perfectly free, because if they are raised by the hands their 

 freedom and spring will be spoiled, and the weight will be 

 thrown on the hind quarters. Consequently, if he has a light 

 mouth he will pull up in front of the fence, and if he has a 

 hard mouth he will get the better of his rider, in which case 

 he can only make a half-rear, and consequently his fore legs 

 will clear the obstacle and his hind legs will catch in it. 

 Hence, while driving him forward with the legs, we pull him 

 back with the reins. The forehand can get the better of the 

 curb, but only by an effort which will considerably tire the 

 horse. 



There is a general theory for making horses jump, but we 



can quickly see that, in practice, each horse has his own 



particular way of leaping. In my opinion, the best way to 



teach a horse to jump is at first to place a log of wood on the 



ground, and lead him over it at the walk. When he obeys, 



he should be patted on the neck and have some carrots, so as 



to gain his confidence. This will be an affair of only two or 



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