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DIFFERENCES IN CROSS-COUNTRY STYLES. L M.kers-on at the jumping competitions at the Olympic Horse Show last year could not help be ing struck by the remarkable difference between the English cross country style anil the foreign style. It was at once very evident that the horses entered by the French. Italian and Belgian owners had been much more carefully trained in .jumping of every sort, particularly high jumping. These bones were for the most part Irish bred, but their training was entirely continental. Their style and the methods by which their very superior results were attaineil were stigmatized by English horsemen as "circus." but there could be no ques tion as to their success, an! this year it is lie-lived that some real attempt is being made among British army oflcm to face the competition. The difference in method of training the English and continental horses for show jumping is no greater than that between the styles of the F.nglish and continental riders. This is explained as follows bv one of the best horsemen present at last .Neats show: "In order to enable their horses to clear the ery big jumps at tin- International Horse Show the French and Belgians sat quite upright, and as the horse begins to stretch his neck as lie clears the lamp, they lei their reins slip through their lagers. so ms to let the borne reach out as far as he likes, and he lands with his bead free, the rider gathering up his reins after landing. "The Italians also give their bones their brads for landing, but they do so by leaning forward and stretching out their arms, at the same lime rising ■■lit of ||„- saddle. They claim by this method to be able to save their horse better if he makes ■ mistake on landing. "The English style is to lean back as s ..n • « the horse is over the top of the fence. Unfortunately lew let go of their horses heads on landing in,] during the jump are apt to keep a hard ptil on his mouth, which prevents his being able to get his lii-„| legs high enough to clear the fence without striking it. Anyone watching the riders iu a steeplechase will see bow tlie English riders lean l.a.k and bold on to their horses heads "
