THE FOXHOUND. 193 



has played an important part on more than one great mod- 

 ern battle-field. 



Mainly contributory to the highest type of British 

 horsemanship has been the school of the hunting-field. 

 The best cavalry-horses have been bred for and fallen some- 

 what short of the requirements of the hunting-field. 



In America we have never had horses especially bred 

 for hunting, and mainly for the reason that in those parts 

 of the country where hunting was practicable the saddle- 

 horses in common use by the country gentleman were suf- 

 ficiently well-bred for hunters, and were in fact commonly 

 used in the chase. There was, indeed, that degree of 

 attachment for his "riding-horse" on the part of our 

 country gentleman which disqualified every other horse, in 

 his eye. No person other than himself was ever permitted 

 to mount his favorite, and he would not himself mount 

 any other horse except under the stress of necessity. Thus 

 it came to be that a more splendid horsemanship never 

 characterized any people than that of the Southern country 

 gentry of the United States. 



The place of the Foxhound in that civilization was not 

 a low nor unimportant one. In the school which devel- 

 oped the manly prowess and the " saving common-sense " 

 of such men as George Washington and his great lieu- 

 tenant, the dashing ' ' Light-horse Harry, ' ' the red fox 

 and red fox Hound were not insignificant educational 

 factors. 



The hero-sage of Mount Yernon maintained, to the last 

 of his life, an unexcelled pack; and he loved no diversion 

 as he did fox-hunting, in which he never lost a chance to 

 participate with his friends and neighbors, the Fairfaxes, 

 the Lees, the Chichesters, the McCartys, the Masons, and 

 others. No sport so well merits the position of a recog- 

 nized national sport, and none can ever be so greatly trib- 

 utary to manly prowess and hardihood. Superior horse- 

 manship is the most elegant and useful accomplishment 

 ever possessed by a lady or gentleman. One of the con- 

 siderations favorable to fox-hunting as the national sport 



13 



