CHAPTER V

HUNTING

So many books have been written on “Hunting” and the subject so exhaustively treated, that I shall only attempt to discuss under this head a few points of particular interest to women.

When a woman hunts she enters a masculine field of sport, and in the hunting-field she is meeting men on their own ground and on even terms. In the hunting-field, therefore, a woman must expect to take her chances with the men, and she is not entitled to that courtesy and deference which she may expect on other occasions.

For example, if a woman loses her hat or stirrup, she should not expect any man to pick it up for her or to pay her the slightest attention. Again, if a woman and a man are both going at the same fence, she should not expect him to pull up and allow her to go over first or to treat her otherwise than as he would another man. It is not field etiquette. So, if a woman has a tumble and is not disabled, she need not expect the men to give up the hunt to help her into the saddle. They are not supposed to do anything of the kind. It follows, therefore, that if, for example, a woman and a man are going at the same panel and the man has the right of way, the woman should yield to him and follow him over.

The following are points of hunting etiquette which must always be borne in mind; indeed, I may almost say that they are rules which must be strictly observed:

Two riders should never go at the same panel at the same time. While it is quite right for two or more riders to go at the same fence at the same time, it is not only against etiquette, but quite dangerous, for two to go at the same panel. So in going at a single panel--where, for example, there are trees or wire on both sides, or for any other reason there is only one panel in the fence which can be jumped, or where it is what is termed in hunting a “trappy place,” so that the field have to go over it one after the other--if your horse refuses you should not put him at it again, but turn him away from the panel and then take your turn as soon as you have a chance to swing in; otherwise you not only violate hunting etiquette, but you are in great danger of causing an accident to the rider who is immediately behind you. Moreover, the whole field should not be held up while your horse is trying it again.

At a check all the field should, if near the hounds, stand still and keep quiet, for noise and motion disturb the hounds when they are in the act of picking up the scent.

The type of hunter suitable for a woman is described in Chapter X--“The Saddle Horse.” No woman should go into the hunting-field at all unless she is a thoroughly experienced rider and has complete confidence in herself. Even then she should not attempt to ride a green hunter until she has had years of hunting experience. She should ride a qualified hunter and, however experienced she may be, she should bear in mind that, in all probability, the horse knows how to take the jumps better than she does. The maxim, “Let your mount have his head while you keep your own,” will carry a woman safely and surely to the finish.

As a general rule, unless a woman knows her mount thoroughly and has ridden him many times, she should not attempt to help him over his jumps. Every horse has an individual style of jumping, and it is nearly always best to develop his own natural style and not to attempt to make him jump in a way that is unnatural to him.

There are three quite different ways in which horses jump: one by rushing, one by taking the jump in the stride, and the other by popping over. One cannot say that any one of these styles is best, for it all depends on the individual horse. Some horses do best in one way, others in another; and a horse who naturally rushes his jumps can hardly ever be trained to pop over them quietly, and the horse who has jumped in his own natural style for years can jump far more safely in that style, even if it be rushing, than if his rider attempts to make him jump in any other style.

For a woman the best style of jumping is that of the hunter who swings along and takes his jumps in a steady stride, and who is neither too fast nor too slow; who is up with the hounds, yet not on them.

What I am about to say with regard to the seat and hands in jumping applies to hunting in this country, not in England, for there the horses are very differently trained; but in any case a woman should always find out how a horse has been trained before attempting to jump him.

When in the field the best position in which to hold the reins is to take them in both hands, the near snaffle and the near curb in the left hand in their usual position, and the off curb and off snaffle in the right hand in their usual position, the snaffle and curb in each hand being separated by the little finger. The ends of the reins come through the right hand between the thumb and forefinger and the ends are gathered in a loop which passes between the second and third fingers of each hand. While it is not necessary to hold the reins in this position all the time in the field, it is the best position to hold them in when jumping. When the reins are held in this position the elbows should be in their usual place, unless you are riding a horse who needs to be given his head a little more, in which case they must be a little to the front. Before coming to a jump the arms should not be stiff and the hands should not be held as far apart as the loop in the reins will allow.

The position of the body and legs is the same as I have described in