66 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



should lose them, if you want to get the full enjoy- 

 ment of hunting and not run the risk of having a tired, 

 underbred beast lie down on you, your hunter must 

 be well bred. Once you have ridden a well-bred one 

 you will never feel at home or enjoy a ride on a common 

 one. 



But by " well-bred" I do not necessarily mean clean- 

 bred. For the average rider the three-quarter or half- 

 bred horse is undoubtedly the best all-round useful 

 hunter. He has most of the good qualities of the 

 thoroughbred, but the dash of "cold" blood renders 

 him less hot-headed and more reliable than his full- 

 blooded brother, who, owing to the fact that he is 

 usually an ex-race-horse, is apt to be hot-headed in 

 company. The thoroughbred is typically a " horse- 

 man's horse" and often gives even the best of these a 

 strenuous ride. As Whyte Melville says: " Although 

 undoubtedly the best, I cannot affirm that they (the 

 thoroughbreds) are always the pleasantest hunters." 



If, however, you are so fortunate as to be able 

 to obtain a well-mannered, temperate thoroughbred 

 hunter, you possess the acme of equine perfection. 

 The recognized aristocrat among horses, in speed he 

 has no rivals, and he has always by far the best of it 

 in a fast run or in a drag over a flying country. 

 Moreover, bred for generations for racing purposes, 

 in which soundness and great courage are the main 

 requisites, he has, in his struggles for victory, acquired 

 "staying" powers which no other horse in the world 

 possesses. The old adages, "It's blood that tells" and 

 "A thoroughbred never stops," have their origin in the 

 common every-day experiences of those who know and 

 love the breed. Time and again the thoroughbred has 

 proved not only that he is able to cany more weight 



