ON HUNTING. 55 



nine as any other age. The first and foremost thing is that 

 he should be sound, or at any rate hunting sound. 

 Handsome he may not be. Possibly he is not fast, nor 

 has he the best of manners. Perchance he is an unenter- 

 prising and sticky jumper ; but if he has all these qualifica- 

 tions to perfection and is not sound, what good is he ? He 

 may be in the stable half his time, attended by vets, and 

 coddled by grooms. What do his beauty, his manners, 

 his jumping powers avail then ? I wish I had the money 

 safely back in my pocket which I have frittered away by 

 not sticking to this rule and being led away by appearances, 

 brilliant performances and what not. Soundness and con- 

 stitution are the groundwork, anything else is but trimming. 

 Do not forget that there may be faults in a horse which we 

 cannot see, so it is sheer insanity to buy one with faults 

 which anyone can see with half an eye. A very slight whistle 

 will cheapen a horse from 50 per cent, to 60 per cent., and 

 will not at any rate stop him from coming out hunting in 

 his turn ; but a horse which makes a noise must have 

 blood and lots of it. 



A common horse at any time should be avoided. If 

 in addition to his want of breeding his wind is wrong, he is 

 a nuisance, because however slow hounds run, it is an effort 

 for him to keep up. He is at once pumped out if you press 

 him up hill or in deep ground, soon falls, and usually lies on 

 you. The thoroughbred, or almost thoroughbred, horse is 

 so fast that hounds ordinarily extend him only to half pace, 

 and with a light weight he will go as well at a moderate pace 

 as if he were sound. But if anything is wrong with the organs 

 of respiration, no horse will go for long at top pace. The best 

 kind of noise, if there can be any best, is that form which 

 clears up somewhat on exertion. Horses seldom, if ever, 

 improve if they have anything wrong with the wind. 

 They go from bad to worse, sometimes slowly, sometimes 

 altogether, and often become roarers after a summer's run. A 

 speck on the eye cheapens a horse very much, and if it is 

 not in the line of vision it does not prevent a horse from 

 seeing, but only a vet. can tell how much it matters or may 

 matter. A few blemishes, such as a chipped or bunged-up 

 knee, will not impair his usefulness, nor will a capped hock, 



