THE BAY STOCK. 259 



the Spanish, or Barbary breeds. Such is the blood- 

 horse racer; and since cultivation is spread over 

 nearly every part of Britain, hunting is pursued 

 with increasing speed, and thorough-bred horses are 

 become necessary for the sports of the field ; * but 



The Hunter being required to carry heavy weight, 

 with varied pace, through deep ground, or across a 

 broken and stony country, demands stoutness and 

 stature as high as sixteen hands, with lofty shoul- 

 ders ; he must be habituated to going higher, leap 

 fearlessly fences and ditches, be light in hand, and 

 have sound, hard, comparatively broad feet; he 

 must possess many qualities which are not of first 

 necessity in a racer, but belong equally to the war- 

 horse, for both are the companions of their masters, 

 and on their good qualities life, safety, and success 

 are often dependent. The hunter and the charger 

 are not, however, in general thorough-bred, and the 

 same may be said of the coach-horse, but all owe 

 their beauty, power, and bottom, nearly without 

 exception, to the quantity of high-bred blood they 

 have in their pedigree. 



The Irish Blood-horse^ chiefly reared in the coun- 

 ties of Meath and Roscommon, is large, but con- 

 sidered as inferior in beauty ; and the rest are in 

 general smaller than the English. The race, though 

 rather ragged and angular, possesses immense power, 

 fire, and courage ; and there have been some, such 



* Steeple hunting, that sport alike reckless of the life of man 

 and horse, is now perhaps the main cause of breeding steeds of 

 first-rate powers, as well as first-rate speed. 



