82 HUNTING 



though a bad horse may be made a good hunter. We 

 use the terms " good horse " and " bad horse " in refer- 

 ence to the shape and breeding of the horse, since it 

 may be objected that a good hunter cannot be a bad 

 horse. Our object in making these remarks is to warn 

 the novice never to purchase a horse, however good 

 his appearance may be, unless he has been ridden to 

 hounds and has the character of being a good hunter. 

 He can not make him one, since he probably has had 

 no experience, but he may spoil the horse, and break 

 his own neck in the attempt. 



Gallons of ink must have been expended over advice 

 to novices how to buy a hunter. Our own advice 

 is brief and simple : " Make up your mind ivJwJ you want 

 and the price that you are willing to pay for it, and see 

 that you get it" In horse-dealing, as in any other 

 business, a man should remember that it is the duty 

 of the vendor to sell what he has, and the duty of the 

 purchaser to buy what he wants. These sentences 

 may sound like copy-book maxims, yet men are 

 tempted, and daily yield to the temptation of buying 

 horses which they do not require. " He was so good- 

 looking, and the price was so small," is the usual 

 explanation, an explanation which is a good defence 

 for a horse-dealer, but an indictment for lunacy in 

 regard to a gentleman who wishes to buy a hunter 

 for his own riding. 



The first two items, which a man must consider in 

 the choice of a hunter, are his weight and the length of 

 his purse. A man who rides 14 stone (riding weight 

 includes weight of saddle and bridle; the difference 

 between riding weight and walking weight may be 



