BIG V. LITTLE HORSES 34I 



the Other three horses. Even Beckington, who has always 

 seemed to wonder at my hking large horses tor cross country 

 work, is coming round to my opinion and admits now that he 

 sees other countries and the horses in them, that a small horse 

 in such a country as Leicestershire, with its enormous fences, 

 is quite out of place. 



My opinion is and always has been, that the size of a horse 

 should be as much regulated by a man's style of riding as by 

 the number of stones he may happen to weigh. To a man 

 in the habit of cutting and popping about and making for 

 gaps and easy places and gateways, even in an easy country, 

 a small quiet horse is as good or better than a big one, because 

 he is more pleasant to ride, more active and will generally last 

 longer if not overweighted. But to a man who is fond, when 

 he can manage it, of keeping the line of the hounds, or a 

 parallel with it, and taking his fences pretty much as he comes 

 to them, a bio- horse is of oreat advantage in any countrv, but 

 indispensable in a country like Leicestershire. A big horse 

 will cover as much ground in two or three strides as a little 

 horse can accomplish in three or four, and the latter must jump 

 at a fence which the former would take in his stride ; while at 

 a very high or wide place, the difference in size tells still more 

 palpably. Of course in making the comparison, I assume each 

 horse to be equally well bred and similar in every respect, 

 except their difference in inches — a slow horse, however big and 

 powerful he may be, is of little use anywhere and quite 

 useless in a fast country. 



" Circe " cannot of course be answerable for her height any 

 more than her rider for his, but she displeased me by making- 

 one or two mistakes (from which, however, she recovered her- 

 self well), and in refusing some of her fences. This, however, 

 is no doubt in a great degree attributable to both mare and 

 rider being out of sorts, and neither having much confidence in 

 the other, and, therefore I have determined not to prejudge 

 her, but to reserve my opinion on all but her size until after 

 another trial. She is very fast even though out of sorts, and 

 would, I think, in condition be very lasting ; she had no 

 difficulty in keeping alongside a beautiful brown mare of Lord 

 Gardner's when we were going at about the quickest. 



I returned with the hounds by way of Rolleston, Mr. 

 Greene's place, and a very pretty one it is, of moderately 

 comfortable size, and delightfully placed, in the middle of 

 those fine grass grounds generally well timbered, in the 

 neighbourhood of gentlemen's seats. There is many a spot in 



