This sport, known to 'Nimrod's' generation as hog-hunting, was dangerous however undertaken owing to the strength and courage of the quarry; it was made more so by intense competition among the riders to get first blood. This meant crossing rough country at a gallop. The excitement of such 'hunting-matches' made steeplechases unnecessary until the 1860s. The History of Horse Racing by Roger Longrigg, page 264.