THE HACKNEY HORSE. 45 



brought back to their stables of a night, an arrangement 

 which effectually secures their being tormented by flies and 

 the sun when in their paddock, and deprived of the benefit of 

 all the refreshing morning dews, which cool their feet and 

 render the grass moist and toothsome. Surely, therefore, 

 this system of summering horses requires some revision when 

 any benefit is expected to be derived by the animals from 

 their short emancipation from the drudgery of active service ; 

 and it is to be trusted that owners who desire to improve the 

 condition of their animals will devote a portion of their leisure 

 to the consideration of the requirements of the latter. 



The above few lines, however, must be regarded as being 

 rather in the nature of a parenthesis, as the question of sum- 

 mering and wintering horses is scarcely one that can properly 

 be dealt with upon its merits in this chapter. It was, never- 

 theless, introduced as being a matter which has much to do 

 with the constitution of a horse, it being certain that any 

 animal, which is either pampered when young or improperly 

 treated when old, is never likely to do itself justice at the 

 stud, even if its success in the show-yards is not seriously 

 prejudiced. A Hackney, above all horses, should be of a 

 robust and vigorous constitution, for whilst admitting that the 

 exigencies of the age, which regulate the great question of 

 supply and demand, require a somewhat lighter animal than 

 was sought for formerly, it must always be remembered that 

 a Hackney without substance and power has lost two of the 

 great properties possessed by the breed. It is almost to be 

 feared, however, that this demand for quality may influence 

 judges into paying too much attention to animals whose chief 

 merit is their style and blood-like outline, to the detriment of 

 the old-fashioned type which made the reputation of the 

 horse, and will sustain it for all time, if given due encourage- 

 ment. That some judges go for blood and others for sub- 

 stance, is rendered obvious by the presence in the same prize 

 list of animals of both the heavy and light types. Anomalies 

 of such a description are always to be deprecated as being 



