220 THE ARAB THE HORSE OF THE FUTURE 



Even then the evils of breeding for speed and speed 

 only were being felt. He then cites the late Hon. 

 Francis Lawley, of unrivalled personal knowledge of 

 racing for more than fifty years, who mentions many 

 crack horses of barely 1 5 hands which had won the 

 Grand National. Mr. Lawley says that few heavy 

 weights who have gone well and straight across 

 country will fail to tell you that they have been 

 better carried by a small horse than a big one. He 

 adds that the great Earl of Jersey, who was at one 

 time invincible for the Two Thousand Guineas, and 

 who won the Derby, used to sneer at a big hunter, 

 who, as he said, could not carry himself, and how- 

 could he carry a rider ? 



That preceded the cabby in Punch, who, when 

 told by his fare that he should give his beast some 

 more oats, replied: ' Sure, sir, it's as much as ever he 

 can do to carry what he's got already.' Perhaps the 

 cabby had read of the Earl of Jersey. 



Sir Walter continues that height in itself is no 

 advantage whatever, and, being too frequently due 

 to disproportionate length of limb, great height is, 

 speaking generally, a defect ; the qualities we should 

 desire in the hunter are usually found in a short- 

 legged, short-backed animal. He then again cites 

 an authority to show that large horses can only 

 be reared on very unnatural food ; that they are 

 less stout than small ones under exertion and take 

 more time to recover, and do not carry weight as well. 



He then adds his own opinion that it is to be 



