138 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



would race down steep hill-sides without a 

 stumble, or gallop up them without ever a sob ; 

 and yet proved perfectly useless on a change 

 of residence into a lowland country, for nothing 

 would induce the horse to jump a fence except 

 at a stand ; and at last it was obliged to be sold 

 out of the stud in consequence. It was one of 

 the frequent instances of qualities not proving 

 hereditary, for the dam had been an excellent 

 hunter, while the sire was Due de Beaufort, a 

 winner, amongst other races, of the Sefton 

 Steeplechase at Liverpool. 



Another instance of a horse proving brilliant 

 in one country, though useless in another, is that 

 of Lackland, by King John out of Gaiety by 

 Touchstone, bred by the late Mr. Blenkiron at 

 the Middle Park stud. He won ten races on the 

 flat in England, one of them being the Londes- 

 borough Plate at York, in which the second was 

 Major Stapylton's famous horse Syrian, who 

 subsequently ran second for the Cambridgeshire. 

 After winning the Welter Plate at Pontefract, it 

 was endeavoured to teach him to jump, but he 

 had no liking for the job, and it was with the 

 greatest difficulty he could be induced to get some- 

 how over even a sheep-hurdle. He was so good- 

 tempered over his difficulties, too, that he would 

 have made an excellent hunter if only he had 

 had a natural gift of jumping. I then took him 

 to Gibraltar, and as hunting was in full swing 

 when we arrived, I rode him out to see the 

 hounds at San Roque, not having any other 

 animal to ride. It so happened we had a fast 

 gallop, right up to the very foot of the " Queen 

 of Spain's chair," and Lackland kept close to the 

 hounds all the way, without making any mistake, 



