Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/210

198 198 HORSE [HORSEMANSHIP. that it is best not to lean forward at all, because of the difficulty, if not impossibility, of getting back in time for the reverse movement, when the rider should be pre paring to render the horse some assistance with the bridle as his feet touch the ground. Water, as was said before, stops a field more than any other kind of fence, because, so far as the rider is concerned, a strain to the horse s back or a bad over-reach is likely to result, and the contemplation of a ducking is not pleasant on a cold day. Then as to the horse, if he ever got into a brook when young, and found any difficulty in getting out again, it is ten to one against his ever taking kindly to water afterwards. When a line of willows indicates the whereabouts of a brook, the horse should be well collected, a clear place selected, so far as circumstances allow, and the pace increased, though in short strides, up to the very brink. If the hounds jump at the brook, even though they fail to clear it, the rider may take it for granted that at that place the leap is within the capacity of any ordinary hunter in his stride ; hence if, when going at three parts speed, a horse s feet come just right to take off, the mere momentum of his body would take him over a place 15 feet wide. Now jumping a fence is one thing, and riding to hounds is another ; a man may be a very good horseman, and yet ^ a ver y k a( j mail |_ o h ouo( j 8i fi^ leading hounds should be watched, and when they turn right or left the rider should turn too. Then the choice of ground is important ; ridge and furrow should be taken diagonally, or, if the field be entered towards either end, time will ultimately be saved in going round by the firmer ground at the sides. Ploughed land requires the rider s special attention ; an injudicious hurry over a couple of deep fields has settled many a good hunter for the remainder of the run. In jumping into a ploughed field the fence should be taken slowly, and the rider should lean well back in the saddle, because, lacking the elasticity of turf, a ploughed field, especially after rain or a frost, will let a horse s legs sink in deep on landing, and if he has been ridden at the fence quickly, the sudden resistance offered by the soft ground will inevitably cause a fall. When the ground is deep, therefore, the rider s judgment will be shown in avoiding, where possible, large flying fences into a ploughed field, and in choosing places that can be jumped quietly. Pace is a relative term : when the thoroughbred is but cantering, the underbred will be doing his utmost ; the horseman must therefore always have an eye to his horse, and must be careful not to press him beyond a certain pace, unless of course he means to be satisfied with a short life and a merry one. The experience of a single day s hur ting will teach the . novice that gates are far ot tener opened than jumped ; it is therefore necessary that a hunter should be handy at opening them. Many accidents have arisen from horses rushing through a gateway directly the lutch is released, or from their jumping a gate at which they have been pulled up to enable the rider to open it. The horse should be taught to obey the leg as well as the hand, and, by a slight pressure of the leg, should throw his haunches round to the left or right as occasion may require. Most writers on hunting aver that there is an art in fall ing, and the young sportsman is duly told to get clear of his horse as soon as possible. It is not to be denied that the number of accidents in the hunting field are but few considering the number of falls that take place during the hunting season, but the rarity of accidents can hardly be ascribed in all seriousness to a proficiency in the art of falling. In the first place, ditches cause many foils, by the horse dropping his hind legs into them ; that is to say, his progress is arrested while the rider continues in the course his horse would have taken had the ditch not been there. When the hind legs are dropped the rider clutches instinctively with his hands and legs, and the violence of his fall is thereby broken, while in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred the ditch prevents the horse from rolling over the recumbent sportsman. Then again as to falls at flying fences taken at a somewhat quick rate, it is lucky for hunting men that under such circumstances the rider is in the majority of instances thrown clear of his horse independently of any skill or effort of his own. It is only in what may be termed &quot; slow falls &quot; that the rider can save himself by presence of mind and activity. When a horse slips into a ditch, or drops quietly on to his knees preparatory to rolling on his side, a practised rider has time to get clear ; but in falls over timber, or over fences ridden at quickly, the freedom from accident must in sober truth be ascribed to luck rather than to good judgment. Saddles and bridles form no unimportant feature in the Saddle equestrian art, as well as in the establishment of a sports- and man. A well-made saddle and bridle make a horse look ^ n itlle worth an extra 20, while nothing contributes more to the safety and comfort of a rider than a well-made roomy saddle. The hunting man will be well advised if he patronizes only such establishments as make hunting saddles their peculiar study. Each horse should have its own saddle, and the closer it fits, provided it does not press upon the withers or touch the spine, the better ; but, as even the best saddlers are addicted to putting too little stuffing into them, the purchaser should, when ordering, stipulate for a liberal quantity. The stirrup irons should be moderately heavy, and, if they are for full grown men, of the largest size made, for the foot will be all the less likely to be caught in the event of a fall. The selection of a bridle will depend upon the horse s mouth and upon the rider s hands. For hacking purposes a double bridle is almost invariably used, the curb enabling the rider to make the horse appear to the best advantage ; and, as a general rule, a double bridle with an easy curb bit (the curb chain being protected by a leather strap) is best for hunting purposes, as with it the horse can be collected at his fences, and held together in deep ground better than with the snaffle only. Some persons use nothing but snaffles on principle, and will submit to a vast amount of discomfort rather than call in the aid of a curb ; but there are not five perfect snaffle-bridle hunters out of a hundred, and riding a horse in a snaffle is quite another thing from riding a snaffle-bridle horse. The curb, however, should be of no greater severity than is absolutely necessary ; pulling is far more often caused by the pain of a sharp bit than by anything else. Whatever bit be used, it is useless to keep up one continued drag at the horse s mouth, as it thereby becomes callous and ceases to be sensitive to any gentle indications. With a puller the bit should be kept moving in the mouth, and a change of bits is often bene ficial, each pattern acting in a different way, and taking a horse, so to speak, by surprise. The less whips and spurs are used the better ; unfinished riders will do well to leave the latter at home, for although they are very useful on the heels of a skilful person, an unintentional application of them is often attended with disastrous consequences. The qualities possessed by a good jockey, either on Train! the fiat or over a country, fully bear out what has been of said before concerning the value of early instruction in J oc e ^ riding, and the impossibility of the existence of any regular system of civilian horsemanship. After having been some time in a training stable, a lad is put on a quiet horse at exercise ; his stirrups are adjusted, and tli3 reins knotted for him at a proper length. He subsequently