64 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



school training is bound to be of benefit to any type 

 of horse,* with the possible exception of the race-horse 

 intended for great speed. But for the hunter the 

 decrease of speed caused by school work is so slight 

 as to be immaterial; hounds, even in a drag, never run 

 fast enough to make a thoroughbred horse extend 

 himself to his full limit. 



A good, flat-footed walk is essential in a hunter if 

 one wishes to have any comfort in hacking home after 

 a long day's run. Many a time I have blessed the 

 walk of a gray mare of mine who, when the day's 

 hunting was over and we turned homeward, would 

 strike a walk so smooth and easy as to enable me to 

 reach home sooner, and with less exertion, than any 

 other member of the hunt. Moreover, the freedom of 

 action which a good walk indicates (one in which the 

 hind foot covers the print made by the fore, by at 

 least 6 or 7 inches), is very essential in enabling a 

 horse to jump with safety. 



Although a good walk and a fine low canter are 

 more essential in the hunter than a superior trot, 

 nevertheless, there are certain qualities in the trot 

 which are desirable, if for no other reason than that 

 they indicate complete freedom of motion. For in- 

 stance, a hunter should trot lightly and easily, flexing 

 his hocks and bringing them under his body with 

 energy instead of dragging them along behind him. 

 He should bend his knees easily, step lightly, and raise 

 his feet high enough to avoid tripping, but even the 

 low, straight-kneed " daisy-cutting" action possessed 

 by so many "Touchstone" descendants is preferable 

 in a hunter to excessive knee action. 



* The French rather than the German methods of high school should 

 be used. The latter are not "legere" enough, and are apt to teach a 

 horse to be rigid and stiff. 



