306 HUNTING PRELIMINARIES. 



for the more a horse sees of hunting, the steadier he becomes; 

 provided, of course, that he is ridden by a capable man. As 

 a rule, dealers are the best persons to purchase from ; for they 

 keep the required article, and one can often arrange with them 

 to get a trial, say, for a month, for a certain sum, in the event 

 of the animal not proving suitable. There is not much chance 

 of purchasing at an auction what one requires, except at the 

 end of the season. One may buy a promising youngster from 

 a farmer ; but very seldom a " made " hunter. As I have 

 discussed the subjects of conformation, breaking, and sound- 

 ness in, respectively, Points of the Horse, Illustrated Horse- 

 Breaking, and Veterinary Notes for Horse-Owners, I need not 

 refer to them here. 



The number of horses a man will require, will greatly 

 depend on the number of days a week he intends to hunt, and 

 on the length of time he wishes to stop out on each occasion. 

 The old computation of three days a fortnight may be taken 

 as a fair average, which allows for illness and accident. In 

 Leicestershire, which is well supplied with bridle-paths and gates 

 that will open, a second horse is required to relieve the first one 

 at " the change of horses," which is generally made at about 

 half-past one or two. When Lord Lonsdale hunted the Quorn, 

 he had an excellent rule, that second horsemen were not to jump 

 fences, but were to stick to the roads and bridle-paths. By it, 

 horseflesh as well as farmers' crops and fences were spared as 

 far as practicable. If a man in Leicestershire takes out only 

 one horse, the animal, in the large majority of cases, will have 

 had quite enough work by two o'clock ; and no sportsman 

 would care to hunt on a tired horse. When using a second 

 horse, one should take particular care that the second horse- 

 man saves him as much as possible. A second horse is not 

 required in countries devoid of facilities for crossing them 

 without jumping, or out stag-hunting ; because a stag in most 

 cases runs to a " point," in which case, the second horse would 



