THE HORSE 215 



best hunters I have ever seen have been by half- 

 bred stallions out of thoroughbred mares. 



In a country that is chiefly arable, and where 

 there are many banks to scramble up, a horse 

 that is only three-parts thoroughbred is perhaps 

 the most comfortable mount, but for Leicester- 

 shire I should always prefer one clean bred, 

 providing he had the substance to carry my 

 weight. A thoroughbred horse up to weight is 

 very difficult to find, and when found it usually 

 requires a well-filled purse to buy. Lord Lons- 

 dale when hunting the Quorn rode a splendid 

 class of horse, and I believe nearly everything 

 in his stable had a birthright in the stud-book. 

 I would not, however, advise a beginner or a 

 moderate rider to buy that class, even if his 

 means would allow him to do it. A thorough- 

 bred horse has generally very high-strung nerves, 

 and the excitement of hunting may lead him to 

 do something rash, unless there is a good man 

 in the saddle. The bad rider will find that the 

 cock-tail will get him into fewer difficulties, and 

 will be safer, if not quite so brilliant as the other. 



