There are a few hints to which pupils

There are a few hints to which pupils

There are a few hints to which pupils

There are a few hints to which pupils in the art of hunting may do well to attend.

Don’t go into the field until you can sit a horse over any reasonable fence. But practice at real fences, for at the leaping-bar only the rudiments of fencing are to be learned by either man or horse. The hunting-field is not the place for practising the rudiments of the art. Buy a perfect hunter; no matter how blemished or how ugly, so that he has legs, eyes, and wind to carry him and his rider across the country. It is essential that one of the two should perfectly understand the business in hand. Have nothing to say to a puller, a rusher, or a kicker, even if you fancy you are competent; a colt should only be ridden by a man who is paid to risk his bones. An amateur endangers himself, his neighbours, and the pack, by attempting rough-riding. The best plan for a man of moderate means those who can afford to spend hundreds on experiments can pick and choose in the best stables is to hire a hack hunter; and, if he suits, buy him, to teach you how to go.