44 UNASKED ADVICE. 



in that extended style^ a liorse at first finds great diffi- 

 culty in collecting himself for his fences. Indeed_, ex-race- 

 horses are proverbially prone to running through their 

 fenceSj but for the reason just given^ not because their 

 names are in the Stud-book. A clean-bred horse who 

 has been treated like a half-bred one^ and led a private 

 life^ will make as good and pleasant a hunter as a cock- 

 tail^ and probably a better, as liberties may be taken with 

 him in the way of pace, and days of work, with short 

 allowance of rest between, which could not be stood by 

 the lower-bred horse. 



In one respect the thoroughbred is almost invariably 

 superior to any other horse, and that is in the clearness 

 of his wind. In the power, "too, of "coming again ^^ 

 when half-beat, " none but himself can be his parallel,^^ 

 and gameness under difficulties of all kinds is one of his 

 most distinguishing characteristics. But he is so seldom 

 up to any weight, that riders who are not too heavy for 

 him are the exception even among light weights. A 

 thoroughbred well up to 12 stone over the shires is not so 

 very common, one really well up to 13 stone is very un- 

 common, and so on. Now, a horse up to less than 12 stone 

 can hardly be called a hunter at all. For a few days an 

 apparently weedy blood horse will carry a rider whose 

 weight is evidently beyond his powers, better than many 

 horses who combine more power with less breeding. But 

 he cannot go on for long doing it, and is soon worn out or 

 screwed up. When, however, a clean -bred one knows 

 his business, and is not overweighted, nothing will touch 

 him as a hunter. In fact, as it has been observed, a 

 thoroughbred hunter is " either worth his weight in silver, 

 or not worth his corn.''^ The latter class preponderate. 

 The light-weight hunter must be fast ; a good weight- 



