PEDIGREES AND PERFORMANCES. 185 



hunters ! while, on the other hand, I am afraid it is 

 a fact, that with our fathers and their friends hunters 

 brought on an average longer prices than they do now, 

 though show and harness-horses not so much. But 

 Hugo Meynell, during the whole of the Billesdon Cop- 

 low run, did not cross one railroad ! If he had, " the 

 iron would have entered into his soul." Now the 

 taking blood and pedigree is Show, by Trade, dam by 

 Railroad out of Smoke ; grandam Steam, by Boiler out 

 of Stevenson's Burst Scaldings, &c. No better blood 

 than this. They have all a turn of speed, can go long 

 lengths, and are sure to win, because they are always 

 lucky enough to get a walk over. This will do : but 

 they sometimes get a turn over : how do ye do then ? 

 If I bred horses for first-rate harness-horses, I 

 should prefer breeding from sires and dams both 

 highly bred, but neither thorough-bred. I think by 

 this better harness action is got, and action that is, 

 knee action sells horses for show purposes. For this, 

 to get a distant cross with that superlative beast of 

 beasts, the Hanoverian, is no bad thing. I hate them 

 when genuine ; hate them from head to tail ; in fact, 

 the tail is the only bearable part about them : any 

 particle of their blood does harm if we want a good 

 horse ; but they make a show, and this is what all the 

 world is aiming at, and leads to so many being shown 

 up. These horses like friends, members of par- 

 liament, and many great men make a great fuss 

 about what they intend to do, but when really called 

 upon, will, and very often can, do nothing. This is 

 why they are employed in funerals : they can just 

 manage that ; they are very well for the dead, though 

 good for nothing for the living, and when employed 

 for the former are not often, I presume, employed for 



