361 



TRAINING HUNTERS. 



THE idea of training hunters, that is bringing them 

 into something like the state of the race-horse in 

 moderate work, would a century since have been 

 considered so unnecessary, so absurd, and in fact so 

 monstrous, that any one writing on such a subject 

 would only have been considered as somewhat less 

 insane than he who would put such a system in 

 practice, and, in good truth, our worthy ancestors 

 would have had some reason on their side in forming 

 such an opinion. 



There are comparatively but few things which 

 we do that are absolutely absurd in themselves, 

 what renders them so is either their being in some 

 way prejudicial, unnecessary, or inefficient to their 

 intended purpose. 



We should hold it as ridiculous, and worse than 

 time and labour thrown away, if we were now to 

 give a cart-horse a two-mile canter every morning, 

 and it would be so, because the purposes to which he 

 is applied are of a description that render such 

 exercise uncalled for, although a little acceleration of 

 the general motions of this unwieldy gentleman 

 would, if accompanied by proper treatment in other 

 respects, not only be highly advantageous to him but 

 much more so to his master ; still, in a general way, 

 the idea of urging Smiler beyond a walk would be 

 held as preposterous : he therefore still continues the 

 " even tenour of his way." 



