ble for many bad
accidents in hunting. I was out one day with the Belvoir on a young mare
who put her foot into one while going at a smart pace over ridge and
furrow. She wrenched off a fore shoe and pecked so badly that I thought
she must fall, but I had the sense to lean back and leave her mouth
alone, and she appeared to save herself with a spare leg at the last
moment, recovering her balance by the aid of the ridge which she had
breasted. Minus a fore shoe, I had to take her home at a walk, and I
smiled to myself when I saw her make a vicious stamp at a rabbit who was
in the act of disappearing into another hole.

A lady should send her horse at a good pace at a brook (Fig. 133), but
not at top speed, as he will not be able to collect himself to take off
at a long jump if he is sent at it at full gallop. We may see in jumping
competitions, especially at the Agricultural Hall, that a clever horse
can clear a fair expanse of water when allowed a run of only a few
lengths. The water jump at the Richmond Show is placed in such a
position that a horse cannot be given a long run at it, and yet many
horses clear it easily. It measures, I believe, about 14 feet, and is so
narrow that a horse I once rode over it showed his sense by clearing the
width instead of the length, and landing near the stand. I do not think
that out hunting it is usual to expect a horse to negotiate a water jump
of say over 12 feet in width. Some horses, like some men, possess a
special aptitude for jumping width, although they would doubtless be
poor performers at height, the style of jumping being entirely
different. The hunter who is equally proficient at both styles of
fencing, is as rare as he is valuable. Captain Elmhirst records an
instance of "a whole Leicestershire field pounded by 12 feet of water,"
and how the difficulty was at last overcome by a shallow spot being
discovered, a rail broken down and the field "slink pitifully
through.... How we hug ourselves as we gallop under a railway arch, to
find we have bridged a bit of water that would frighten no one outside
the vaunted Midlands." I believe the reason why the majority of hunting
people dislike water is that they do not care to ride fast at it, for
fear of being crumpled in a fall. I do not agree with the statement that
a hard funker rushes at his fences. Ignorance and enthusiasm may lead
people into doing that, but funk oftener than not either pilots them
away from fences entirely,