BREEDING OF HUNTERS. 259 



town; Mr. J. Weir, of Tullaghan ; Mr. Duke, of 

 Sligo; Mr. Pollock, ofMeath; and Mr. J. Connelly, 

 of Celbridge. The largest fairs for hunters are Bal- 

 linasloe, on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of October ; the 

 Great Minister Fairs, which are held at Limerick in 

 April and October ; and the Cahiramee Fair, on the 

 llth and 12th of July. Young horses and colts are 

 principally shown at Mullingar, where three out of 

 the four fairs (April 6th, July 4th, and August 22nd) 

 are entirely devoted to them ; whereas that on Nov. 

 llth, is more especially for made hunters. To these 

 we may add Spancelhill (June 24th), Ballintubber 

 (August 25th), Boyle (July 25th), and Hospital 

 (July 9th), where nothing but quite youngsters are 

 shown. 



These aspirants are put into a jumping tutor's 

 hands at two years old, and first taught to leap by 

 being driven over all sorts of fences, for three or four 

 weeks. They are often fitted with a snaffle and sur- 

 cingle during these gymnastics, and one man leads 

 while another follows them with a whip over these 

 fences, which consist principally of high rotten banks ; 

 and the result of the system is, that they cannot pitch 

 on their heads, but learn to drop lightly on their 

 haunches. Having been thus initiated, the future 

 hunter is turned out till he is four years old. All his 

 by no means forgotten lessons are then renewed ; a 

 boy is put on to his back, and when he has been 

 made perfectly handy and quiet, he sees hounds at 

 intervals, and in the fulness of time is shipped off 

 with his fellows to England. During the summer 

 months Irish bred animals, in very ragged condition, 

 and of all heights, from ten to sixteen hands, are to 

 be found in the Leicester market ; and it was here 

 that Mr. Pratt, of Shankton, picked up Shankton 

 for 12 10s., at three years old. On the whole the 

 Irish breed of hunters was never better than it is at 

 present ; and to judge from the number of good sires 



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