I need hardly say that the greatest care must be taken with regard to shoeing horses that have to jump. Long feet and badly-fitting shoes will soon cause lameness. Carelessness with regard to horses' feet is the origin of most lameness. If a horse is to be schooled and jumped in cold blood he must be fresh on his legs.

Fig. 19. Glenside And Shady Girl In The National

Fig. 19. Glenside And Shady Girl In The National - This picture is of interest. The far horse is Shady Girl ridden by G. Clancy. The mare overjumped herself and fell at this fence. There appears to be little doubt that the numerous falls in recent Nationals are largely due to riding with very short stirrups and not sitting back over the fences. Under these circumstances Clancy's position appears to be the correct one to adopt. But one must not be misled in believing that this position is applicable for schooling young hunters, when the rider must shift his weight as little as possible and keep light contact with his horse's mouth. G. Clancy's position on Shady Girl might be described as a determined effort to stick on if the horse should make a bad blunder. This position would be impossible, if it were not for the tremendous impetus of the horses and the fact that they are taught to take a strong hold of their bits. Mr. J. R. Anthony won on Glenside - W. A. Rouch Copyright

(1) Pain on landing is the most common cause of refusing, and not only is it brutal but useless to insist on making a horse jump under such conditions. Never school a young horse if the ground is likely to jar him on landing.

(2) Some horses refuse from having had their mouths injured by heavy hands when jumping.

(3) Some are afraid of their bits, which may be too severe.

(4) Others refuse through fear of falling or lack of courage.

In each of these cases it is necessary to regain the horse's confidence. Take the horse in hand very quietly, and let him jump over quite small obstacles till he appears to have regained his confidence. This may take several days. If necessary, let him have a lead, and always let him have a free head when in the air. Avoid wearing spurs, and let the horse undergo no physical pain.

(5) Horses will refuse if they are continually asked to jump very big obstacles, which is a considerable exertion. On the other hand, they will not become stale if the fences are of a reasonable size and everything else is well with them.

(6) There are horses that refuse from temper, generally called "nappy horses," but the temper is always due to one or other of the above causes. One must try and discover the cause, and deal with each case in the most suitable manner.

Horses that have become nappy from being ridden by bad horsemen are the most difficult to deal with. They are best in the hands of a quiet, determined horseman. It is advisable to humour such horses and get on good terms with them. Out hunting they are generally at their best if they get well away with the hounds and are kept with them. On the other hand, some may require a lead till they get warmed up. In either case it is advisable not to try them too high till the rider feels that he and his horse understand one another.

The rider by judicious riding must endeavour to make the horse feel that on no account will he get the upper hand. Thus, by starting such a horse off at an exceptionally big fence, the rider may defeat his object at the start. If the horse refuses, he cannot hold him up to the fence and make him jump it at a stand, which he could do if the fence was quite small. It should be remembered that punishment is the last resource, because if this should fail the horse starts one up in the match between man and beast. If punishment is resorted to, it is essential that the horse should be got over the fence somehow: this, of course, will not be possible if the fence is a very big one. If a horse runs out, say, left-handed at a fence, never turn him round to the left before presenting him at the fence again, but rather turn him round to the right, or rein him quietly back for two or three lengths and then push him forward. When ridden in company young horses will seldom refuse, but the riders must bear in mind that slow jumping is the basis of good jumping. Unlike a chaser, a hunter must jump with equal ease at whatever pace he happens to be ridden at a fence. The sharpening up of a horse is easily accomplished in company with others, but the best chasers have to learn to jump slowly at first. Unlike the latter, the hunter must learn to arch his back over a fence. I remember riding a young hunter several years ago who showed absolutely no aptitude for jumping in hunter form. However, he took to the other game, and since those days he has won two Grand Militaries.

Some horses are apt to jump one-sided when going fast, generally left-handed. There are several reasons for this. They may have been badly ridden, they may prefer landing on a particular leg, or they may contract the habit when taking off too close to a fence. So as to give themselves more room they jump at an angle to the fence instead of going straight. In the early stages this can be corrected by jumping them on a circle with the long reins. When ridden they must be driven well up to their bits and held straight with the reins. This fault is more troublesome in the case of a steeplechaser than a hunter. The former may be got right in the hands of a strong rider, but with a weak horseman such horses will become a source of danger to the other competitors in a race.