S8 THE CONDITION OF HUNTERS 



may be supplied with the other : and we may just 

 as reasonably expect crops to arise out of the ground 

 without awaiting the ordeals of nature, as to see a 

 horse in condition without a long continuance of good 

 food and strong work. In administering work to 

 the race-horse consists the chief art of training ; and 

 it is a matter of no less importance with a hunter in 

 the stable of a man who wishes to distinguish himself 

 in the field, and not to run the risk of killing his horse 

 every time he goes out. 



As far as regards the last mentioned circumstance, 

 the chief consideration with me has always been — 

 not how long or how severe the day's sport may have 

 been, but how my horse has been prepared for it ; and 

 it is a consolation to hard riders to observe, that, in 

 my experience in the field, out of the great number 

 of horses which I have seen tired, or what is called 

 " dead beat," with hounds, I have never once known 

 death to be the consequence, unless it were to those 

 who were short of work, and not sufficiently prepared. 

 Were I to enumerate all the instances with which I 

 am acquainted of horses being lost from this cause, 

 it would be tiresome and unprofitable to the reader ; 

 but this much I will venture to assert — that it is not 

 in the power of the best run a fox can show to cause 

 the death of a good hunter, in good condition, and 

 fairly ridden, provided he have been out with hounds 

 and seen a run within the five or six preceding days, 

 and had a good sweat with a good brushing gallop 

 after it on the day before, with proper attention as to 

 food, etc. in the stable. A horse may be so tired as 



