RIDING TO HOUNDS :J69 



being strong, powerful, and graceful. " A tine man upon a fine 

 horse " has been characterized as one of the best specimens of the 

 plastic art of Him who made them ; but unless the man sits grace- 

 fully on the horse, and handles him well, that fine effect is lost. As 

 the poet says, he should be " incorporate with the brave beast," and 

 such does Lord F. appear to be. His eye to a country is remarkal:)ly 

 quick, and his knowledge of Leicestershire has given him no small 

 advantage. 



Where a strong competition exists — as in riding to hounds — it is 

 almost requiring too much of human nature to shut out all appear- 

 ance of jealousy ; and some humorous anecdotes are related of Lord 

 Forester in his hard-riding days. One is, that getting first to a gentle- 

 man's park, the pales of which were not to be leaped, he espied a small 

 bridle-gate, which he got through before the rest of the field came up, 

 and locking it after him, and putting the key into his pocket, he bade 

 farewell to his brother sportsmen, and of course had the rest of the 

 run to himself. On another occasion, he is said to have ridden at a 

 fence regardless of the good old caution of looking before we leap, 

 and to have landed in the middle of a very deep pond : on a 

 countryman, who saw him, calling out to some others who were 

 coming in the same direction to warn them of their danger, he 

 stopped him by exclaiming, " Hold your tongue — say nothing — we 

 shall have it full in a minute ! " 



As I before observed, Lord Forester always shewed a master- 

 judgment in the points of a hunter; and in consequence of his 

 residing in Shropshire — a county which has so long been celebrated 

 for its breed of horses — he has a good opportunity of mounting 

 himself well. He has always insisted on the necessity of lengthy 

 shoulders, good fetlocks, well-formed hind legs, and open feet ; and 

 knowing better than to confound strength with size, his horses 

 seldom exceeded 15 hands 2 inches. On anything relating to a 

 hunter his authority has long been considered classic, and if 

 " Forester said so," it is enough. 



There is an old adage, but a very true one, that " when a man's 

 character is established, he may say anything;" and this may in 

 some measure be applied to Lord Forester. Without any ill-natured 

 object, but merely to afford amusement, he will occasionally indulge 



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