HUNTING 99 



fences, and where hounds swing' throuL^h or over 

 obstacles. I fancy a modern twenty-five minutes' 

 gallop with the Ouorn would compare favourably 

 in style and speed with a similar gallop of a century 

 ago. These remarks refer to pre-war days. 



Some very brilliant gallops were recorded during 

 the mastership of Captain F. Forester, and as he 

 hunted hounds in both England and Ireland his 

 views concerning pace are worth listening to. 

 During the period when he hunted the Limerick 

 country some very excellent runs ending with blood 

 are recorded. In his opinion, hounds do not run 

 so fast in Ireland as in England, the reason being 

 that in a banking country, with some comparatively 

 small fields, hounds cannot swing over or through 

 the obstacles as quickly as they are able to in most 

 English counties. The foxes are not so stout, and 

 do not as a rule run so straight ; consequently, 

 horses do not require to be up to the standard of 

 the Leicestershire type. A well-bred cob or pony 

 can live through a good hunt in Irish counties, but 

 would soon be out of a real fast thing in the shires. 



It may be interesting to comment on the different 

 styles adopted in riding to hounds. Some men 

 seem always to be in a hurry, doing all they can, 

 while others appear to be going well within them- 

 selves : it is ii^ood odds on the latter cjettino- to the 

 end of a smart gallop a long way in front of the 



