THE HORSE. 85 



Again, hunters are known, and exchange hands upon 

 their merits. Who ever refused the best horse in the 

 hunt because he had windgalls, enlarged hocks, or any 

 of the thousand and one objections made to others and 

 unknown horses ? If the hunter is capable of per- 

 forming cleverly the various standard feats of the 

 hunting-field, many an imperfect piece of his symmetre 

 is overlooked. 



" Besides," remarks some one, " broken knees in the 

 hunter are not of any consequence/' From this I beg 

 to dissent. Of all horses I should least like the hunter 

 to be a tumble-down, and for this good reason : the 

 shoulders of the tumble-down are upright, so that at 

 particular leaps he cannot extend his fore-legs suf- 

 ficiently to come down on his fore-feet, and most 

 likely when he thus over-jumps himself, he comes down 

 head first. I am confident there never was an instance 

 of the rider being killed by his horse rolling heels over 

 head upon him unless that horse were upright in his 

 shoulders. Although I hate any horse approaching to 

 a tumble-down for any purpose whatever, I should 

 prefer that a hackney should fall with me on the road, 

 though he should cut himself to pieces, rather than I 

 would risk leaping with an upright-shouldered hunter. 

 In severe leaps there is more force required than in 

 ordinary riding, and therefore the obliquity is more 

 needed. But I would rather avoid both. I hate the 

 action of these horses. 





