First Whipper-in. ao7 



Stcpliensons of Hart, already alluded to as the breeders of 

 " VoitigCLir." After j>etting up into manhood he took to 

 butchering and horse dealing at Stockton. That 's his 

 pedigree ! His education in horseflesh stood him in good 

 stead, and he seemed to have a successful business from 

 the first. Being fond of foxhunting, and a good bold rider, 

 he soon got hold of some useful hunters, which included 

 amongst others a very good dun horse, which was an extra- 

 ordinary timber jumper, and a very wonderful horse o\er any 

 description of country. This horse he let out or lent on 

 trial to Sir William Eden, who took him down to Cheshire, 

 and liked him so much that he bought him, although he was, 

 as a rule, a little bit shakey after hunting ; but Stroud, who 

 was Sir William's stud groom and in my opinion a very 

 clever fellow, put him under a very severe form of blistering 

 which proved successful, and completely cured him of the 

 slight unsoundness which he seemed to have before, and he 

 carried his new master several seasons most satisfactorily. 

 I rode him one night for a bit, but was only like a postage 

 stamp on him, as he flew everything with me ; I thought 

 he looked round once or twice to see if there was anyone 

 on his back ! 



Mr. Armstrong was fond of a gallery jump at times when 

 on the show, and sometimes got a cropper through it ; I 

 remember once at White Horse Gill, near Norton, we 

 were running along the bottom, and when coming to 

 a piece of stiffish timber in a gateway (it was a 

 young ash tree), he shouts out " Go on. Jack, and knock 

 her down." 1 replied " if you are in a big hurry have a 

 go at at it yourself." 1 meant getting off and unhitching it, 

 but Armstrong never liked to be beaten, especially when 

 chaff'ed a bit, and went for it ; but there being a little 



