RIDING TO HOUNDS 41 



he pleases, though he is not likely to get one passed absolutely 

 sound if he does it will probably turn out a hopeless cripple ; 

 but he can without much difficulty find out which have been 

 the owner's favourites, and in what repute they are locally held ; 

 a judicious tip may extract the secret of any serious crab (the 

 yard-men always know if such exists), and when satisfied that 

 he has seen the stamp of horse he requires, and that the 

 -character from the last place is unimpeachable, let him boldly 

 take his stand under Mr. TattersalPs eye, and nod till he 

 reaches the end of his tether or till the hammer falls to his bid. 



Are good hunters scarcer now than formerly ? It is the 

 fashion to say that they are ; yet Mr. R. Chapman of Chelten- 

 ham, no mean authority, declares that the supply of first class 

 horses is very much the same as ever, though the difficulty of 

 procuring them is augmented by the ever increasing number 

 of men who hunt, and who mean being well and comfortably 

 carried if money will do it for them. This influx of good buyers 

 notwithstanding, top price remains pretty much what it was fifty 

 years ago. Five hundred was then, as it is now, considered to 

 represent the value of the highest order of merit, though seven 

 hundred is given in exceptional cases. 



Do men ride as hard now as they did in days of old ? Our 

 own opinion is that they do, and that being on the whole 

 better mounted, there is in every hunt a larger average of riders 

 who will not be denied than there was five-and-twenty or 

 thirty years ago ; but here again Mr. Chapman, whose hunting 

 career has extended over a still longer period, may well be 

 quoted. He says the young ones don't last at it as long as 

 they used. A very few years generally sees them out as first- 

 rate horsemen ; after that time they decline having anything to 

 <lo with an animal that requires any riding however good he 

 may be ; they want a comfortable rather than a brilliant mount. 



A final word on horse furniture for the benefit of beginners 

 only. Ride in any saddle that suits you, and that fits your horse ; 

 to the first of these conditions you will naturally pay attention, 

 ,the latter you will do well not to assume will be cared for by your 



