BREEDING OF HUNTERS. 281 



posted a thousand- guinea challenge at Tattersall's 

 about the year 1813, for him and his owner (old 

 George Harriot, of Melton) to rim against any or all 

 comers over Leicestershire at sixteen stone for 1,000 

 guineas. One morning, just as the hounds found at 

 Whetstone Gorse, Sir Robert said to his owner 

 " For goodness' sake don't ride to-day, Canning's 

 brother is here to get your measure, and make the 

 match " ; but the reply was, " You are too late, the 

 horse would break my neck if I tried to stop him 

 now." So away went " the heavies/' side by side, 

 till they reached a brook, which the old horse, prick- 

 ing his ears as was his wont, took in his stride, while 

 his companion floundered, fell, and was no more seen, 

 and thus ended all hopes of the match ; but the old 

 horse went on through the fifty minutes without a 

 check, and Mr. Assheton Smith was only second up 

 that day. 



The late Lord Sefton's father, when he hunted 

 Leicestershire, had the finest stable of horses that 

 ever man possessed ; they were most of them tho- 

 rough-bred, and as strong as dray horses. He was 

 the first to introduce the second-horse system, which 

 he did in right good earnest, as he had not unfre- 

 quently four in the field ; and thus, although no horse 

 could go much longer than ten minutes under such 

 a bruiser, he was always able to ride with the light 

 weights. As an instance of the effect of weight, we 

 may mention that the late Lord Spencer had once a 

 thorough-bred horse called Brocklesby ; a finer horse 

 could not be seen, but nothing would make him jump. 

 They took him to the bar, and he would go over it 

 almost any height ; but when they weighted him with 

 twelve stone of lead, he would not even rise at it, and 

 was used as a carriage horse ever after. A jumper 

 of older standing and less eccentric mind would have 

 not taken to the collar so readily. The celebrated 

 John Warde is reported to have had a proof of this, 



