THE HUNTER AND HIS EDUCATION 



lecting and refusing every day good and cheap 

 hunters (and hacks) because of this erroneous 

 idea of what constitutes weight-carrying ability. 



When all is argued, the inevitable facts remain, 

 that action is what carries weight ; that wind 

 is strength ; that rather drooping quarters, and 

 hocks a little " set in," and those hocks well 

 flexed in action, insure ability at the jumping 

 game; that while a fine, deep, sloping shoulder 

 is beautiful, it is by no means absolutely essen- 

 tial, not a few excellent performers being exactly 

 differently constructed ; that the short-backed, 

 close-coupled, close-ribbed horse not infrequently 

 has no " liberty " to him ; that some of the best 

 weight-carriers are slack of loin, long of back, and 

 light of rib ; that horses must have length, at least 

 below — " stand over " much ground proportion- 

 ately ; and that as our thoroughbreds are gen- 

 erally ruined by over-racing at two years, we can 

 place but little dependence upon them, but must 

 turn to the trotting-bred animal for our recruits ; 

 and that these are fast enough, strong enough, 

 and more manageable for the average equestrian. 



While our racing stables afford but barren 

 fields for recruiting the ranks of our hunters, for 

 the reason that, if good, the animals of suitable 



163 



