96 THE HORSE. 
he will knock up before he reaches the end of his first journey, when 
called upon to draw his share of four tons at that pace. The Exmoor 
ponies have a strong infusion of Eastern blood in them, and the hght 
and elegant head of the Shetlander in itself would almost warrant us 
in including him in the lst. It is well known that the New Forest 
ponies in the last century were repeatedly supplied with an Eastern cross, 
and the celebrated Marske, sire of Eclipse, is said to have covered several 
of the mares of this breed, while standing at Bistern, near Ringwood, in 
Hampshire, in 1767—1768, for want of mares of a superior character. 
This chapter, therefore, will include a description of every English horse, 
but the thoroughbred and the heavy draught horses used for agricultural pur- 
poses, and the moving of heavy goods. The term “half-bred” is a misnomer, 
for it is generally applied to those horses which have a much larger propor- 
tion of Eastern blood than half, and, in many cases, they possess fully 
thirty-one parts out of thirty-two, or even more. Mr. Apperley (Nimrod) 
advocated the first cross between the cart-mare and the thoroughbred 
horse for hunting purposes, but the plan has not been found to answer, 
and is now entirely abandoned from a long experience of the want of 
symmetry in the produce, and from their deficiency in staying powers over 
a distance of ground. Even for fast road-work their legs do not stand, 
but throw out splints, side bones, or spavins, so soon and so frequently, 
that they are never chosen for the purpose by good judges on that account 
alone. 
THE HALF-BRED HUNTER. 
Tue Hunter in our fast countries, such as Leicestershire, Northamp- 
tonshire, parts of Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire, is generally selected 
(if the purse will permit it) with a pedigree entirely contained in the 
Stud-book. There are, however, few true thoroughbreds that can carry 
twelve stone across country, that is to say, as compared with the number 
of hunting men of that weight, and consequently their price is raised to a 
height that can only be reached by a long purse. A “made hunter” of 
this class is worth from 2500. to 5002. according to his “ manners ’”—for 
as many of them have been broken for the racing stable and have passed 
through that mill, they are liable to be somewhat inclined to pull, and to 
exhibit other failings incidental to that school. In cramped countries, the 
thoroughbred horse is not so well calculated as the half-bred to get over 
standing jumps, for his hind legs are not so well under him ; and from ‘he 
absence for generations of practice in any paces but those required fur 
racing, he has lost in some measure the power to put his fore and hind 
feet wherever they are wanted to be, which is so constantly in demand in 
“ provincial countries.” Where, however, pace is the chief desideratum, 
and where hounds go so fast that without that quality in the horse, also, 
his rider is soon thrown out, the thoroughbred horse alone can be sure of 
keeping a front place, and for that reason is in such great demand. He 
can undoubtedly carry any weight up to twelve stone, or even sometimes 
sixteen stone, over a wider brook or double post and rails, than the half- 
bred, but I know of no instance in which a pure thoroughbred has ever 
got over any very high jump, such as a six-foot stone wall or piece of 
timber. Chandler and Proceed, who cleared thirty-seven feet and thirty- 
nine feet respectively, were both thoroughbred, though not in the Stud- 
book, and no half-bred horse has ever come near to these performances ; 
but if a match was made to get over a high wall no one would select a 
thoroughbred horse for that purpose. Hence, the half-bred hunter has 
