HUNTERS 



It is a practical exposition, in verse, by one of 

 the most practical hunting men, as well as that of 

 a literary genius, that this country feels proud of 

 having possessed. To begin at the beginning, 

 most men will admit that the ideal hunter is one 

 that is born a hunter, not made, but a natural 

 inheritance, the outcome of selection. Geo- 

 graphical conditions, naturally, have an important 

 bearing as to the suitability of a hunter ; thus, 

 for instance, in; a grass country, with little or no 

 arable land, the thoroughbred may be accounted 

 as the best for such purposes, provided that 

 the horsemanship is equal to the occasion. In 

 counties where the land is of a converse descrip- 

 tion, a stouter built type of hunter is better 

 adapted for the work, as every practical horseman 

 is aware. Hunters, like every other variety of 

 horse, are of variable temperament, but the 

 possession of what may be termed a sweet 

 temper, is one of the most valuable acquisitions 

 that it can possess. Vice may be inherited, or 

 acquired, frequently the latter as the outcome of 

 bad treatment, and no animal makes a better 

 attempt to repay, although such payment may be 

 deferred, than the horse. Quiet in the stable, 



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