202 JUMPING. 



backward movements of the body during the leap, the arms 

 should preserve the greatest possible elasticity, so that the 

 tension of the reins may be in no way increased, and that the 

 horse may jump freely. If the reins are too short, we should 

 let them slip through the fingers, and should take them up 

 again as soon as the animal lands. 



I am naturally led to say a word about steeplechases and 

 hurdle races. The ignorance on the part of jockeys about 

 the paces of horses is inconceivable. Very few of them can 

 tell with which leg a horse is leading in the gallop. Baron 

 Finot, who is a master, astonished me one day by saying : 

 "Jockeys ride by instinct, and do not take the trouble to 

 think." 



In hurdle racing a horse clears the hurdles, thanks to his 

 enormous momentum, and the harder he pulls the better 

 pleased is his jockey. In France, steeplechases are ridden at 

 the same speed as hurdle races, which at first sight appears 

 dangerous. I have spoken to many jockeys on this subject, 

 and they have all told me that the faster the speed the less 

 danger there is for them. This seems a paradox, but it is 

 really true. Their reason is that if a horse which is going at 

 a moderate speed strikes a fence and comes down, the horse 

 will nearly always fall on the jockey, in which case the result 

 will be very serious, if not actually fatal. But if a similar fall 

 occurs when the horse is at full speed, the jockey is thrown a 

 few yards to the front, and generally escapes being hurt. In 

 such a case the jockey rolls like a ball, huddles himself up, 

 takes care not to stretch out an arm or leg, and thus nearly 

 always gets off with only a few bruises. 



In England, a steeplechase jockey slackens his pace when he 

 gets near a fence, and thus husbands the horse's strength, and 

 allows him to more accurately measure his distance. Horse 

 and man thus act in harmony. 



The French system is more break-neck, and requires less 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



