FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



spring that they give to the action, are amongst 

 the points that contribute to the staying power." 

 Now if the long, sloping pastern aids the horse 

 to so great an extent, as nature intended that it 

 should, why should the short upright pastern be 

 thought superior in the hound ? Again too, the 

 horse's feet are practically as nature ordained 

 them to be, whereas those of the hound are un- 

 naturally round and contracted ; and, if we add 

 short, upright pasterns, these tend still more to 

 cripple the action, and reduce staying power. 



On the sound grass of the Shires, the ground 

 certainly gives to the feet more than it does in 

 rough countries, but this give is not sufficient to 

 minimize jar and concussion in the case of a horse 

 or hound crossing a country at speed. It stands 

 to reason then that if a horse with properly con- 

 structed feet and long pasterns benefits by the 

 latter even on ground that gives to the tread, 

 a hound will benefit in like manner, if his feet are 

 also of natural shape, and his pasterns long and 

 oblique. On level or undulating grass land and 

 stoneless plough, the feet of the standard t3rpe of 

 hound certainly wear longer than they do in 

 rough and mountainous countries, but even on 

 the grass they do not wear as long as they should, 

 considered from a really economical point of view. 

 We have already mentioned Brocklesby Rally- 

 wood (1843), who was one of the greatest all- 

 round hounds of his day, with working ability, 

 pace, and stamina to a marked degree ; yet this 

 hound absolutely refuted the maxims of the 

 present day show judges with regard to feet and 

 legs, for he was exceedingly light boned, stood 

 back at the knee, and his feet were compact, but 

 not contracted and unnaturally round. He was 

 a hound that could have hunted and been a runner 



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