28o CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



to the etiquette in a country where few, if any, 

 pheasants are preserved. But whatever or wherever 

 be the country, the cub-hunting field should not be 

 the place in which to condition hunters. 



The conditioning of hunters has always been a 

 vexed question, and will remain so until owners and 

 stud grooms recognise the fact that no two horses 

 are exactly alike. One horse requires treatment 

 which might ruin the constitution of another. There- 

 fore it is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules, 

 though certain general maxims, often disregarded, 

 should be adhered to. The majority of people are 

 apt to consider that the work of a hunter is similar 

 to that of a racehorse, and train him accordingly. 

 The result is that on the first Monday in November 

 the hunter turns up at the meet, trained as fine as 

 if he were going to run in the Grand National. The 

 probability is that he will be knocked up before 

 Christmas. Other horses turn up at the opening 

 meet of the legitimate season, carrying so much 

 flesh that they cannot gallop over three fields with- 

 out its being a case of "bellows to mend." Again, 

 some horses will always look as gross as the fat 

 carriage horses of a nervous old lady, while others 

 will never carry flesh, though, as a rule, the latter 

 are the grosser feeders. But, putting aside the 

 question of food, there can be little dispute in regard 

 to exercise. The hunter does not require daily 

 gallops, like a racehorse, but he wants long, steady 

 walking and gentle trotting exercise for three hours 



