HUNTERS 85 



Dublin. After crossing the Fairyhouse race-course, the 

 gallant deer left Katoath some two miles to the right, and 

 then, swinging round by Tobergregan House, she passed 

 over Garristown Hill, and leaving Bellewstown race-course 

 to the right, was taken within two miles of Duleek. This 

 run was slightly over fourteen miles in a straight line on 

 the map, but was a twisting run, so that a good many more 

 miles were traversed. In neither run was there any check 

 to speak of, we were galloping all the way, and I assisted 

 to take the deer on both occasions. We had twenty miles to 

 ride home, but Kittiwake showed no symptoms of being 

 tired, and it was only a month afterwards that she ran 

 second at Punchestown. The next year, when she won, 

 she had been out with the Ward Hounds sixteen times that 

 season. The insistence, therefore, of the absolute necessity 

 of a hunter being highly bred, if you are to be carried up 

 to hounds on those occasions which we are always talking 

 about, and looking out for, when the run is both fast and 

 far, has surely received ample justification. In many 

 countries, however, such runs are never even dreamed of, 

 and the necessity for blood-horses is not therefore such a 

 vital requirement, and yet occasions must arise when little 

 of the run will be seen, owing to being thrown out, unless 

 a horse can rapidly make up the ground that has been 

 lost ; while few persons used to riding well-bred horses 

 feel really at home when mounted on a low-bred animal. 

 Although the value of blood is thus strongly urged, it must 

 not be forgotten, when breeding hunters, that certain lines 

 are pre-eminent for producing clever cross-country per- 

 formers, while others are just the reverse, and their stock 

 are seldom natural jumpers. Moreover, much depends upon 

 the individual sire, apart from the family to which he 

 belongs. To a few stallions is vouchsafed an especial 

 faculty for begetting natural jumpers, as is speedily noted 

 in their own neighbourhood, and to a certain extent is 

 proclaimed to the world when they gain honour also 

 between the flags. Some stallions, however, are famous 

 hunter sires, when, for some reason or other, their stock 

 do not contrive to show prominently amongst the winners 



