THE LADY'S HORSE. 13 



masculine owners of small studs. In short, a lady's hunter 

 for a flying country ought always to be a 13st. horse. 



The lady's hunter must be, as a hunter, perfection, 

 just as the hack must be the best of that description of 

 animal ; but the former must be both. It is not pleasant 

 for a man, much less for a lady herself rather tired to 

 ride a stumbling brute home after hunting ; still more is 

 it out of the question to allow a lady to appear with 

 hounds on a horse that refuses, hits timber, kicks at 

 other horses or hounds, or indeed performs any of the 

 antics which so frequently excite the wrath of a master 

 and the derision of a field. He should be bought as a 

 perfect hunter, with, if possible, a good character of two 

 seasons ; a horse under six years old has seldom de- 

 veloped talent or experience enough to justify his being 

 intrusted with so precious a burden as a lady. For it 

 should never be forgotten that a lady is on no account 

 to have a fall. Putting out of the question the danger 

 of her being hurt which is at least twenty times as 

 great as in the case of a man ladies' nerves do not, 

 as a general rule, bear shakings and even harmless 

 tumblings with the sangfroid of a boy or man. And I 

 do not wonder at it. At the same time I do not for a 

 moment mean to flatter my sex by even insinuating that 

 all men disregard falls. I have far too pleasant recol- 

 lections of the good society in which I have so often, on 

 a good scenting day, assisted to block up bridle-gates, 

 thunder down roads, smash locks of gates, uproot twist 

 and bounds, and generally to utilise " Shuffler's Bottom," 

 to malign them in any such way. All honour to the 

 noble army of shirkers ! Still no one can deny or be 

 surprised that a casualty, such as a heavy fall or two, 

 goes a long way towards reducing any lady's ambition to 



