THE HUNTER. 3 



hands on the reins to turn him from side to side ; and the rider 

 has the pleasant prospect, in the event of a mistake at a fence, 

 of his horse not being able to recover himself, the almost 

 inevitable " spill " being the result. Besides, his mount re- 

 quiring all his attention, he is quite unable to enjoy the hunt- 

 ing j that is to say, he is unable to watch the working of the 

 hounds, and his day's hunting (so-called) is really nothing more 

 than a modified steeple-chase, with none of its accompanying 

 pleasures. 



As has been said, a perfect hunter is a perfect horse ; and 

 he may be of various degrees of breeding quite thorough- 

 bred, nearly so, or half-bred. It is difficult to obtain a 

 thorough-bred competent to carry more than twelve stone ; but 

 under that weight, in counties where pace counts for much, and 

 the fences are not too close as in Northamptonshire and 

 Leicestershire there can be no doubt that, if he possesses the 

 other necessary qualities, and price is not an obstacle, a 

 thorough-bred is the best. Breeding in the hunter is very 

 necessary, and, provided the country is open, there can scarcely 

 be too much of it ; but over twelve or fourteen stone, and 

 especially in a close or cramped country, a three-parts or half- 

 bred horse is to be preferred, as he can be obtained larger and 

 stronger, and better adapted for difficult and frequent jumping 

 than the thorough-bred. His less excitable temperament con- 

 duces to this end ; while the thorough-bred, unless exceptionally 

 formed, is not good for going over rough ground and high 

 obstacles, his breeding and training through many generations 

 being with the view to high speed on level ground. 



The various definitions of a hunter all tend to show that 

 he is not an easy horse to find, if he is to possess all that is 

 considered necessary to establish his claim. One of these 

 descriptions gives him the outline and shape of a cob, the 

 spirit and blood or breeding of a race horse, the size and scope 

 of a carriage horse, and the manners and action of a park hack. 

 B 2 



