THOROUGH-BRED HORSES. I/ 1 



power and stride of so large an animal made light of 

 ordinary obstacles, and I do' not believe, though it may 

 sound an extravagant assertion, there was a fence in the 

 whole of Leicestershire that could have stopped Vingt- 

 et-un and his rider, on a good scenting day some few 

 years ago. Such men and such horses ought never to 

 grow old. 



Mr. William Cooke, too, owned a celebrated hunter 

 called Advance, of stainless pedigree, as was December, 

 so named from being foaled on the last day of that 

 month, a premature arrival that lost him his year for 

 racing purposes by twenty-four hours, and transferred 

 the colt to the hunting-stables. Mr. Cooke rode nothing 

 but this class, nor indeed could any animal less speedy 

 than a race-horse, sustain the pace he liked to go. 



Whitenose, a beautiful animal that the late Sir 

 Richard Sutton affirmed was not only the best hunter 

 he ever owned, but that he ever saw or heard of, and 

 on whose back he is painted in Sir F. Grant's spirited 

 picture of the Cottesrnore Meet, was also quite thorough- 

 bred. When Sir Richard hunted the Burton country, 

 Whitenose carried him through a run so severe in pace 

 and of such long duration, that not another horse got 

 to the end, galloping, his master assured me, steadily on 

 without a falter, to the last. By the way, he was then 



