Stable Management. 57 



have had considerable experience ; for, as the hunter, to 

 carry a man well and safely to hounds, must be very fit, it 

 follows that the groom must understand not only how to 

 prepare him, but when he is fit. 



The preparation required for a hunter is such as to 

 enable him to carry a certain weight through deep ground 

 for some hours, often at a great pace ; hence his wind must 

 be clear, his flesh hard and firm, he must be full of power 

 and muscle to perform the severe and long-continued exer- 

 tion so often required of him. 



No groom can, without considerable experience, do this, 

 as he must understand how to feed and treat the various 

 habits and constitutions of the different horses that come 

 under his charge, the quantity of corn, &c., and the amount 

 of work best suited for each horse, and how to treat the 

 various accidents, blows, strains, thorns, cuts, &c., to which 

 all hunters are liable. 



A hunting groom cannot properly attend to more than 

 three hunters without help. In studs of five or six he should 

 have two helpers under him, and in large studs one man 

 to every three hunters ; his own time will be fully taken 

 up in a general superintendence of the helpers, attending 

 to the horses that are ill or have met with accidents, &c., 

 and perhaps riding second horses for his master when 

 hunting. 



A good hunting groom is a very valuable servant, so 

 much depending upon him as to the safety, comfort, and 

 style in which a man is carried to hounds. He cannot, of 

 course, make a good or fast horse out of a bad or slow 

 one, but by proper care, attention, and exercise he can 

 very much improve him, and a fair moderate horse fit to 

 go will generally beat a really good one only half prepared. 



His average wages, including extras, will amount to 

 from 30J. to 35^. per week; but in his case, as in that of 

 any first-rate trustworthy servant, a few additional pounds 

 a year is money very well and economically laid out. 



Another class of groom is one that is rarely expected 

 either to ride or drive. His duties are to feed, dress, and 

 attend to the horses generally, and clean a chaise and 

 harness, &c. He should be active, respectful, and obliging; 



