LANDING OVER A JUMP. 



115 



horse from a fall, if at that moment it be straightened out, and 

 not bent. 



It is evident that, for safety, the knee of the leg upon 

 which the animal lands, should be as straight as possible , for 

 if the knee *' gives," the horse will almost certainly fall. 

 Hence, we may regard the condition of being **over at the 

 knees" (p. 193) as a grave defect in the jumper, especially if 

 he be required to go fast. 



As a rule, when landing over a jump, the hind foot which 

 first comes down, has been made way for by the fore foot 

 of the same side, somewhat beyond the print of which it is 

 placed. The other hind foot and the other fore foot act in 

 a similar manner. We may see from Figs. 190 to 194, that 

 a horse "gets quickly away from a jump" by the raising 



Fig. 201. Landing over a Jump. Fig. 202. 



of the fore hand, which is accomplished by the straightening 

 out of the fore limbs. The rider should, therefore, avoid 

 throwing any undue weight on the fore hand at this moment. 

 It sometimes happens that a horse ** over-reaches " (strikes a 

 fore leg with a hind foot) when landing over a jump on 

 account of the rider being jerked on to the animal's neck ; the 

 injured fore leg having been prevented from getting out of 

 the way of its hind fellow by the surcharge of the fore hand. 

 The heavier the fore hand, other things being equal, the 

 further forward, when landing over a jump, will the hind feet 

 be carried as compared to the fore feet ; and vice versa. 

 Hence, the faster the pace, the greater will be the tendency 

 to over-reach. We see this to be especially the case in 



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