backward movements of the body during the leap, the arms should preserve the greatest possible elasticity, so that the tension of the reins may be in no way increased, and that the horse may jump freely. If the reins are too short, we should let them slip through the fingers, and should take them up again as soon as the animal lands.

I am naturally led to say a word about steeplechases and hurdle races. The ignorance on the part of jockeys about the paces of horses is inconceivable. Very few of them can tell with which leg a horse is leading in the gallop. Baron Finot, who is a master, astonished me one day by saying : " Jockeys ride by instinct, and do not take the trouble to think."

In hurdle racing a horse clears the hurdles, thanks to his enormous momentum, and the harder he pulls the better pleased is his jockey. In France, steeplechases are ridden at the same speed as hurdle races, which at first sight appears dangerous. I have spoken to many jockeys on this subject, and they have all told me that the faster the speed the less danger there is for them. This seems a paradox, but it is really true. Their reason is that if a horse which is going at a moderate speed strikes a fence and comes down, the horse will nearly always fall on the jockey, in which case the result will be very serious, if not actually fatal. But if a similar fall occurs when the horse is at full speed, the jockey is thrown a few yards to the front, and generally escapes being hurt. In such a case the jockey rolls like a ball, huddles himself up, takes care not to stretch out an arm or leg, and thus nearly always gets off with only a few bruises.

In England, a steeplechase jockey slackens his pace when he gets near a fence, and thus husbands the horse's strength, and allows him to more accurately measure his distance. Horse and man thus act in harmony.

The French system is more break-neck, and requires less