ROARING. 45 



conscious of its existence. In every instance, roaring de- 

 tracts from the speed and duration of the animaFs paces, and 

 consequently depreciates him. Sometimes it renders the horse 

 incapable of performing any (fast ?) work at all. A horse is 

 most unquestionably returnable for it, alias unsound." 



Roarers, though unsound, still serviceable. — We 

 are not to imagine, that, because a horse is a roarer, he is 

 altogether useless. There are numerous instances of roarers 

 doing harness work very well, and some of their doing their 

 duty even as hunters with little annoyance to their riders or 

 distress to themselves. Indeed, to repeat what I said 

 before, and I have heard the remark more than once from 

 those who have hunted roarers, " the faster they go the less 

 noise they make." A great deal, however, will depend on 

 their condition. When that is hard and good, it is quite 

 surprising what a difference it makes in their noise. Roarers 

 are most of all objectionable as /a^/ harness-horses. Coach- 

 proprietors are so fully impressed with their incapabilities for 

 the purposes they require — quick and laborious draft — that, 

 in a general way, they refuse to purchase them at any price. 

 The following reminiscences from Nimrod are at once so 

 characteristic and rich in truth and humour, that I cannot 

 forbear inserting them here. " I never purchased but two 

 roarers, and they cured me of going to that market again. 

 One nearly broke my neck at a fence, having entirely lost 

 all his powers in the space of five fields ; the other I chris- 

 tened ' the BuU,^ for he could have been heard half-a-mile 

 off if he got into deep ground. Notwithstanding this, I 

 have seen two brilliant hunters that were roarers." 



Mares seldom become roarers, at least, in comparison 

 with horses. This is a fact, I believe, too notorious among 

 men of horse experience to admit of doubt; though it is one 

 for which it appears difficult, if not impossible, to assign 

 any satisfactory reason. However, as I am informed, so 

 stands the fact. 



Roaring in man. — Of this, one instance only has come 

 to my knowledge. I was out shooting one day with two 

 friends, one of whom was quite a lad ; when, as I was 



