158 A SHORT TRIAL. 



I am sorry to say that I fear we have not quite as 

 much head as our ancesters in our system. I hate 

 slow hunting, never liked hare-hunting ; like hounds 

 to go, and keep going ; but I really do think three- 

 quarters' speed fast enough for a hunter ; that is, pro- 

 vided he is fast : if he is not, however good he might 

 be in every other qualification, I would never ride him 

 twice. I might be asked, why, if I think hounds may 

 be bred too fast, do I make speed so much a sine qua 

 non in a hunter ? I will answer this by an observa- 

 tion on a different subject. Whenever I want a 

 buggy-horse, I always try him, and my trial gives far 

 less trouble than most people's, but it is one I never 

 found fail. I first put my horse in a moderate trot 

 say eight miles an hour at the bottom of a moderate 

 hill ; if he willingly keeps the same pace up to the top, 

 I have seldom found him a bad mettled one : if, on 

 the contrary, he begins lagging, hitching in his pace, 

 or shuffling, I have had trial enough : depend on it he 

 is a rogue or a very weak horse. So much for game- 

 ness : for this, though no great trial, it may be said, 

 is a pretty fair criterion to judge by. Now for pace, 

 I always try a horse one mile : if he cannot do that 

 with the most perfect ease a few seconds under four 

 minutes, I never buy him as a regular buggy-horse 

 for the road ; a horse merely to drive in London 

 streets, is another thing. Here showy action only 

 is wanted. Now I do not want to drive twenty miles 

 faster than other people, but I will have fast ones, for 

 two reasons ; I do like now and then, if I find some 

 one on the road driving at me because he thinks he 

 has a goer, to take the conceit out of him. Half a 

 mile does this, and gets rid of him : he then leaves 

 you to enjoy your own dust, if there is any, without 



