THE HUNTER 57 



you must, perforce, choose the latter. It is infinitely 

 better to own a Ford that runs than a six-thousand- 

 dollar car that breaks down ! 



In judging a hunter, look first at his head for signs 

 of brains. As Whyte Melville said: "People talk 

 about size and shape, shoulders, quarters, blood, bone, 

 and muscle, but for my part give me a hunter with 

 brains. He has to take care of the bigger fool of the 

 two and look out for both." 



A head of medium length, wide between the eyes 

 and across the forehead is the type desired, while in a 

 horse with unusual intelligence we sometimes find a 

 prominence in the upper part of the forehead. Much 

 of the character of the horse can, after some practice, 

 be learned by studying his countenance. The eyes 

 should be mild and generous looking. Small, pig-eyes 

 are more to be avoided in a hunter than a hack. A 

 Roman-nosed hunter is apt to be a handful. 



The hunter should have a deep jowl, with a good 

 open throat, and his neck should be long, well shaped, 

 and come out of his body properly. Horses with ewe 

 necks, swan necks, and short thick necks are, for 

 reasons already specified in Chapter II, to be avoided. 

 On the other hand, the hunter's neck, even more than 

 the hack's, must be strong and well muscled up, for if 

 too pliable it will bend over readily, and in endeavoring 

 to avoid a collision or an unforeseen hole the horse is 

 apt to answer with his head alone, bending his neck 

 around while his body continues straight on. 



A fairly small nicely placed ear is an addition to 

 looks, and more or less essential in a horse intended 

 for show purposes, but the hot-tempered, rabbit-eared 

 horse is less desirable than the more generous mule 

 or lop-eared animal. 



