252 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



ordinary day may appear to be an almost brilliant per- 

 former, but who is never by any chance in the van if 

 the pace is really fast. 



Again, the horse which lacks breeding has very often 

 a heavy and straight shoulder and, as a natural conse- 

 quence of this formation, rough, uneasy action. Possi- 

 bly he lifts his legs too high in trotting and strikes the 

 ground too hard in his gallop. He will, moreover, very 

 often pull hard in the early part of a run, and want kicking 

 along after the first ten minutes. He is, in fact, quite 

 out of place in the hunting field, but for all that he is 

 very much in evidence, because in these days, when so 

 many people hunt, a fair number of them must be 

 without much knowledge of horses, and therefore likely 

 to be imposed upon. 



A hunter with a very big head should always be 

 avoided, as should a horse with a straight shoulder. A 

 long back generally indicates weakness in a gelding, 

 but not always in a mare, and a curly tail or curly hair 

 about the fetlocks shows that plebeian blood is not far 

 removed. Then a horse who shows the white of his 

 eye is often dangerous, and nearly always sulky tem- 

 pered,' while a horse which is low in the withers and 

 short in the neck is generally uncomfortable to ride. 

 Obvious defects need hardly be pointed out, but a 

 horse which is back at his knees will seldom stand 

 much work, while a horse which is a little over at the 

 knees may go on for several seasons. A horse to avoid 

 is the animal which carries his hocks too far behind 

 him or has them too close together or too far apart, 

 and horses which are very light of bone cannot carry 

 weight, and seldom last long. 



On the other hand, the perfect hunter as regards 

 work is to be found in many shapes and forms, and is 



