354 WARWICKSHIRE HUNT. 



Mr. Robert Canning who resided at Houndshill, 

 was sent amongst us to show what that fiue animal the 

 horse can do. He measured six feet four inches, and 

 weighed seventeen stone ; and the rare faculties and powers 

 he possessed arose from a quick eye, a clear head, a fine 

 hand, extreme coolness, and undaunted resolution. A 

 gentleman, a very old Meltonian, and a very good judge, 

 came into Warwickshire for two reasons, — one to see Mr. 

 Corbet's hounds, and the other to see Mr. R, Canning 

 ride. When he got back into Leicestershire, he described 

 him as follows. — ' The morning was unfavourable, and the 

 scent so bad that we could not get on with our fox, and I 

 saw nothing remarkable in Mr. Canning. At two o'clock 

 we found a fresh one. The hounds went at their very best 

 pace, when Mr. Canning came out of the crowd like a bee 

 out of a hive, and beat every man that was out.' Mr. 

 Canning's stud was five or six. He rode Favourite for 

 eight seasons in succession. His best hunter was Knoxosley, 

 a stallion, purchased from Mr. Boycott ; with him he 

 lost his start in Leicestershire, but afterwards got a front 

 place. 



He had one Conjuror, that could leap any thing. — 

 The hoimds meeting near him one day, he went to see 

 them find, on a little four year old mare that he had bred, 

 equal to ten stone on the road, and which had never seen 

 hounds. Strange to say, he rode this little animal one half 

 hour sharp burst, with his legs almost on the ground, and 

 jumped a brook and a new oaken stile, just before the fox 

 was killed. Mr. John Lucy gave him eighty guineas for 

 her. What Warwickshire sportsman can forget his come-ttp , 

 when riding his horse over a flooded bror)k or a tremendous 

 fence. 



