38 HOESES AND EIDING. ■ 



OH gilt to weigh, about seventy-four to seventy-five 

 stone when in condition and not drawn too fine. 



You may also lay down a rule that the better 

 bred a horse is the better he will carry any weight 

 that he can carry ; and the less blood there is in a 

 horse's breeding the greater weight they can carry 

 at their own pace ; that is, a half-bred horse will 

 carry the most weight in proportion to his own 

 weight, and the thoroughbred horse will carry what 

 he can carry the better of the two. 



The amount of breeding required in a hunter 

 depends very much on the country he is wanted for 

 and the sort of rider he has to carry. As a rule, the 

 harder the rider, and the more open the countrj^, the 

 better bred the horse ought to be. Fences stop 

 hounds more than they do horses, and the smaller 

 the enclosures and the larger the fences, the easier 

 it is for a horse that can jump, to keep pace with the 

 hounds, and the less speedy, and therefore the less 

 well-bred, is it necessary for the hunter to be. 



Again, the deeper the ground the better bred the 

 hunter ought to be. The contrary opinion to this 

 used formerly to be held even by good judges ; but 

 experience has shown that the above rule is the 

 correct one. 



It was formerly thought that bone was wanted to 

 get through dirt, and blood to keep up with hounds 

 over grass, whereas the contrary is the case. It does 

 not at first sight appear how it is that the light- 



