HO VELS— HUNTER 



temperature of from 50 to 60 degrees, or a little over, being 

 amply sufficient. If properly ventilated, there should be 

 no difficulty in keeping a stable at this heat, but in cold 

 weather the horses may be given extra clothing. (See 

 Clothing, Cold, Stables, Ventilation?) 



Hovels are the sheds erected in meadows for the 

 shelter of horses which are turned out. These should be 

 fitted with a manger and rack for hay on the same level. 

 It is not necessary to have doors to hovels ; on the contrary, 

 they are not only useless, but apt to cause injuries if they 

 swing backwards and forwards. The doorways should also 

 be large and the posts rounded, as sharp corners may cause 

 trouble. Attention should be paid to the state of the ground 

 of the hovel, as the condition into which it is sometimes 

 allowed to get is bad enough to cause disease amongst the 

 horses. 



Hub. — See Nave. 



Humerus. — The shorter of the bones of the shoulder. 

 (See Bones, Shoulders^ 



Humours. — See Surfeit. 



Hunter. — The hunter is, or in the opinion of most of his 

 breeders should be, as near a weight-carrying thoroughbred 

 as possible, but as such horses are difficult to find, it is the 

 custom to attempt to produce them by crossing blood-horses 

 with half-bred hunter-mares. As the latter are year by year 

 approaching the thoroughbred more closely owing to the 

 practice of breeding from thoroughbred stallions, it must 

 necessarily follow that the day must eventually arrive when 

 the stock will be practically clean bred, though, of course, 

 not eligible for entry in the General Stud Book. It is, 

 therefore, to be expected that they will display the com- 

 parative lightness of bone which is associated with the 



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