238 THE CONDITION OF HUNTERS 



I never suffer mine to do so in the fields in the 

 hunting months. 



I was much pleased with an observation made 

 to me by Mr Wilde, veterinary surgeon, of Oxford, 

 when shewing me his conveniences for summering his 

 hunters, of which he has a considerable number, for 

 the use, not of the reading, but of the sporting part 

 of the University. " That quantity of grass," said 

 he, " (from loolbs. to i5olbs. in weight) which a horse 

 eats per day, when left to his own discretion, distends 

 his bowels, and consequently weakens the powers of 

 his digestion to such a degree, that, when he comes 

 all at once to live on hard food, danger from in- 

 flammatory complaints must always attend him. 

 As to the evils from grazing to hunters' legs and 

 feet, those," continued he, " are innumerable. Rest, 

 and not galloping about, kicking and stamping, is 

 what hunters' legs require." 



Although summering hunters in the stable has 

 become pretty general in some counties, yet I have 

 reason to believe that I go one step farther than most 

 others do, in giving them but a small quantity of 

 green meat. The advantage, however, of stinting 

 them in this article of food in the summer is very 

 evident in the winter ; and I lately proved it in one 

 instance, by a comparison with a horse out of a stable 

 long celebrated for condition — namely, that of Sir 

 Henry Peyton. We had run a fox very sharply with 

 Sir Thomas Mostyn's hounds for twenty-five minutes, 

 and came to an awkward check owing to a change 

 of scent. Observing Sir Henry's horse smoking very 



