TURNING HUNTERS OUT TO GRASS 47 



which a friend of mine furnished me with the other 

 day, so much to the point that I hope I shall be 

 pardoned for introducing it here. I only lament 

 that I have not the pleasure of knowing the lady in 

 question, that I might have an opportunity of con- 

 versing further with her on a subject on which her 

 ideas were so congenial with my own. My friend 

 was walking in the streets of London, when his eye 

 was attracted by a remarkably fine pair of long- 

 tailed coach-horses, which, by the arms on the panel 

 of the carriage, appeared to be the property of a rich 

 old maid. On complimenting the coachman on their 

 comely appearance, he remarked that " they were 

 very well for their age — one of them being twenty- 

 six, and the other twenty-three years old." " I 

 suppose," said my friend, " they have been much 

 indulged." " Not they indeed, Sir," said Coachee ; 

 " they work as hard as anybody's horses on these 

 London stones, and my mistress goes all over England 

 with them to the watering-places in the summer ; 

 and as for grass, they have never tasted it since we 

 have had them, for she says she is sure it would give 

 them the belly-ache." The old lady, it seems, acted 

 on the good old principle of letting well alone ! 



Before I enter upon the system which I have pursued 

 and which I so strongly recommend, I will make a 

 few remarks on what is called the Old Plan — that is, 

 giving a hunter three months' run at grass, and taking 

 him up the end of July or beginning of August — 

 accompanied with some observations on what I con- 

 ceive to be the best and safest method of treating 



