No. 10. 



The Old Irish Hunter. 



321 



THE OLD IRISH HUNTER. 

 From Professor Low's Illustrations of the Domestic Breeds of Animals. 



This admirable portrait exhibits the exact form of one of the old family of the Hunter, now 

 nearly extinct. He is the property of D. L. Scully, Esq., of Limerick, and is amongst the 

 last living descendants of the pure line introduced by the family of O'Brien many years ago. 

 The value of this particular breed of horses can scarcely be estimated : with a strength and 

 endurance truly wonderful, they unite a suretbotedness and speed that are the theme and 

 admiration of all who have ever been so fortunate as to possess one of them. They are second 

 only to the human race in intellect, and their docility is proverbial. The peculiar form of the 

 individual here represented, fits him for a travelling companion of no mean order; his beauti- 

 fully-formed head shows lightness of temper and a half-reasoning faculty, while the neck and 

 buttock indicate the power of climbing a precipice or topping a wall with the fleetness and 

 ability of the deer. A writer observes: " I was once the owner of one of these wonderful 

 animals ; no day was too long, no road too rough, no fence too high, and no service too arduous 

 for him to perform. On my removal from the country, he fell into the hands of a hard-hearted 

 wretch, who boasted that he had never seen the horse he could not tire, but he failed in his 

 experiment upon him — the rider was found afterwards, a distance from home, with his 

 neck broke, his faithful steed, whose heart he had often tried to break, standing by his side! 

 From him, he passed into the hands of a farmer, an habitual drunkard, who rode him three 

 days in the week to hunting, and on the Saturday a distance of ten miles to market, from 

 whence he never, scarcely, returned but in a beastly state of intoxication ; his neighbours 

 calculating the labour of bringing him home from market quite equal to a severe day's hunt." 



In a highly interesting work just piiblishi'd liy Dr. Gibson, of Philadelphia, entitled "Rambles in Europe," 

 mention is made of some Irisii horses belonging to Sir P. Cranipton.of Dublin : they are pourtrayed from the life 

 by the hand of a master. He says : 



" After awhile. Sir Philip rose and said, ' Come, I never knew an American who was not fond of horses ; so 

 out and look at mine.' Accordingly, his man John was summoned, who, flinging open the stable doors, e.\hihited, 

 one by one, some of the finest cobs, colts, and bay geldings, for saddle and harne.ss, I ever beheld, always reserving 

 the best for the last Ttiey were all so alike in quality, as to render it difficult for even an e.xperienced judge to 

 point out their peculiarities: I, however, said, if allowed to choose, I should select that chesnutsorrel mare — 

 pointing out a splendid creature with a neck like a rainbow; sharp, peaked, squirrel like ears; small, delicate head 

 and muzzle, and dished face; cominir as near perfection as any thing I could well imagine. ' Ah,' said he, 'you 

 have pitched upon the best nae in the stable, althouch she is 20 years of age; for often she has carried my weight 

 over the highest walls and hedges, where many a larger animal would have broken my neck aiul its own too.' 



"The Irish horses have long been considered the finest in the kingdom, and I saw none to compare with them in 

 Europe : they bear a resemblance to the Vermont horse in style, action, and shape; but it is hardly possible noir 

 to meet with any of the old stock of Hunters ; even in Yorkshire I saw but a single specimen, 30 years old, hut 

 which felt under me like a colt, after a ride of -20 miles: but they command there as many pounds sterling as 

 American horses — except first-rate trotters— do dollars in this country." 



