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winter, but the huntsman has also to think of building 

 up muscle on the young entry, many of which may 

 have been reduced to shadows by distemper. A late 

 epidemic of this dread disease will often very seriously 

 handicap a kennel in getting ready for an early 

 autumn campaign against the cubs. A hard morning's 

 cub -hunting is a severe strain on the constitutions of 

 young hounds that have not recovered their strength 

 and which enter quickly. Some take to hunting 

 sooner than others, and it is the huntsman's business 

 to see that these keen youngsters do not overtax their 

 powers. 



When regular horse exercise begins, it is better to 

 take the pack at a slower pace for a longer period 

 than to hurry them over the same distance for a 

 shorter time. This is where the huntsman and the 

 stud-groom often come to loggerheads. The hound 

 has, and only wants, his one meal a day, whereas the 

 horse with his small stomach requires feeding every 

 four hours, and is all the better if the interval is less. 

 The stud-groom is responsible for the well-being of his 

 charges, and naturally grumbles when they are kept 

 from their mangers for six or seven hours in a day. 

 The horses which are meant to carry the hunt servants 

 in the season may do hound exercise once a week, but 

 the master should provide half a dozen ponies solely 

 for this hard work. 



The late George Gillson, when huntsman to the 

 Cottesmore, and a first-class kennelman, had an ex- 

 cellent plan which others might well adopt. Starting 

 out early with the pack, he would get back to kennels 

 about eight o'clock, then, when he and his men had 

 breakfasted, they would set off again for a further 

 round on a fresh lot of horses. In this way, hounds 



