68 THE CONDITION OF HUNTERS 



man to hounds ; he required but little work, for if not 

 above himself he was soon beaten. To sum up all, 

 when his condition was good he was good. If not fit 

 to go, he would not — he could not go ; for he was by 

 nature a very middhng horse. 



I think I have in this instance clearly shown the 

 good effect of condition, or the power of art over 

 nature. With respect to the horse in question it is 

 certain that in a natural state he was a bad horse. 

 In an artificial state — that is, in good condition, from 

 a long succession of hard meat and strong work — his 

 natural defects were removed, and he became a good 

 horse ; for at times he was a brilliant hunter, and 

 certainly one of the most gentlemanlike horses that 

 was ever ridden over a country. I shall mention one 

 other circumstance respecting him, and then dismiss 

 the subject. 



On going one day into my stable I observed my 

 groom in the act of giving him a dose of physic, and 

 was proceeding to turn his head around again to the 

 manger, but not seeing the ball go down his gullet, 

 I desired him to let him remain where he was. In 

 about five minutes he brought the ball back again 

 through his left nostril into my hand. This being 

 something new to me I was alarmed, and sent for a 

 neighbouring veterinary surgeon 



I think I need add no more to prove the value I 

 set upon the condition of a hunter — being no less in 

 many instances than that of the horse himself. For 

 example, how many horses have I seen that I should 

 have been glad to have purchased at much more than 



