324 HUNTING PRELIMINARIES. 



putting himself into the hands of Mr. Hames of Leicester, 

 or Mr. Beeby of Melton Movvbray. The rate of hiring 

 is much lower in many provincial districts, and so is the quality 

 of the animals. It is as a rule best to hire from a dealer who 

 lias a large choice of animals, so that if any particular hireling 

 doss not suit or goes wrong, the customer can get him 

 changed. Even when a hireling is fit to hunt, which is not 

 always the case, he generally has a store of unpleasant 

 surprises which he has learnt from previous riders. Con- 

 sidering the rarity of good horsemen, and the ease with 

 which an animal's mouth and temper can be spoiled by a 

 bad rider, we may safely conclude that a thoroughly con- 

 fidential hireling is very seldom found, and that, when he 

 is encountered, he usually leaves public for private service. 

 The less ambitious a man is, the more likely is a hireling 

 to suit him. 



In purchasing, the personal equation has to be studied. Some 

 folk, myself among the number, like to buy a horse when he 

 is young and unspoiled, and teach him what is good for him ; 

 but in such a case we should, previous to bringing him into 

 the hunting field, make him obedient to hand and leg, intel- 

 ligent when opening gates, and clever over fences ; for manners 

 and ability to jump are the first essentials in a hunter. Even 

 then, he will need at least a complete season for acquiring 

 experience, without which no horse can be a safe conveyance 

 across a country. A man who would knowingly take a 

 kicker, with or without a red bow on his tail, among other 

 horses, could not be a gentleman ; for he would be devoid of 

 consideration for others. The sin, which unfortunately is not 

 an indictable crime, of riding kickers, is the cause, during 

 every season, of serious accidents to riders, horses and hounds. 

 Putting a danger signal on the animal's tail is no palliation 

 of the offence ; because it is often impossible to get out of the 

 way of such a labelled beast in a crowd at the covert side, 



