154 THE BARB AND THE BRIDLE. 



CHAPTER XYIII. 



The Condition of Hunters. 



As the value of most of the foregomg suggestions as regards a lady- 

 riding to hounds is more or less dependent upon the form and con- 

 dition in which the horse destined to carry her in the chase is put, I 

 trust a few words upon this important subject may be acceptable. 



In the first place, then, experience proves that the getting of a 

 horse into really good condition is a work of considerable time, and 

 that when once the animal has arrived at the desired point of 

 physical health which will enable him to make the most of his 

 powers, as a rule, it is considered to the last degree undesirable that 

 anything should be done to throw him out of his form. 



Many years ago it was considered that a horse that had been 

 hunted regularly through a season should be turned out to grass 

 throughout the summer, and that if he was taken up when the crops 

 were oif the ground, there was time enough to get hun fit by No- 

 vember ; while it was considered altogether unnecessary to give him 

 more than one feed of corn a day while turned out. In numerous 

 cases I have known he had none from April to September. 



The present form of treating hunting horses is diametrically the 

 reverse of the foregoing. A horse once " wound up " (as it is 

 technically called) for hunting is generally kept up all the year 

 round ; his spring and summer training consisting of long, slow, 

 steady work, principally walking exercise. 



Now, my own opinion, based upon many years of experience and 

 close observation, does not agree with either of the foregoing practices. 



The first evidently was wrong, because a horse, even running in 

 and out throughout the entire summer, though well kept on corn, 

 will put up an amount of adipose substance, which cannot be got 



