THE IIOKSE ON WHICH TO HUNT 17 



remain — it is more or less a matter of indifference 

 to the former what the latter is about ; the}' 

 interfere but httle with one another. A Httle horse, 

 on the contrary, requires a master hand to do him 

 justice when the going is deep and the fences tall 

 and strong. It is recognised that horses of weight 

 and substance go easier over the ground, tire less 

 in jumping, and often scatter without incon- 

 venience a fence that would (urn a lighter animal 

 on to his head ; . . . the professional thrusters who 

 have money or credit are seldom seen on little 

 animals, the dealers keep very few of them, and the 

 farmers find they don't pay. You must go through 

 quite as many places in these countries of grass as 

 you can ever jump over, and in so doing weight 

 must tell. Sixteen hands, up to weight of a man 

 in full bloom, sired by a thoroughbred, and with a 

 dam whose pedigree has scarcely a suspicion of 

 stain, such is the vehicle upon which a man of 

 means is alone content to take his chance with the 

 rest.' 



But we are not all ' men of means,' worse 

 luck! 



You will probably object that in all that I have 

 been saying I have been keeping exclusively in my 

 mind's eye the Leicestershire hunter. I grant you 

 that I have, because I believe him to be the type at 

 which one should aim, for mosi of the counties iu 



