'HANDS' AND OTHER METHODS 127 



Taking an ordinary day's hunting, with only one 

 horse out, a horse does best if he is not out of his 

 stable for more than six hours. That is to say, 

 if he leaves at 10 a.m. he should be back again 

 at 4 p.m. If this is done systematically, then 

 that horse should be able to hunt two days a week 

 regularly with a rider of ordinary weight. He 

 will keep hard and fit, and lameness, apart from 

 accidents and constitutional diseases or ailments, 

 will be rare. 



It is well known that horses do not sprain them- 

 selves when they are fresh, it is only when they 

 are tired. So that if we never ride a tired 

 horse, we should seldom, if ever, get sprains. 

 Personally, I do not understand why we should 

 w^ant to ride a horse when he is tired. It should 

 be no pleasure, and it is dangerous. Hunt servants 

 have no choice in the matter, but I speak of the 

 free members of a hunt. They can come home 

 when they wish, and it is unreasonable for them 

 to continue with hounds when there should be 

 little pleasure in doing so. So that, as far as pos- 

 sible, their aim should be not to have their horses 

 out for more than six hours at a time. If they 

 carry this maxim into effect, then, as I have said, 

 they could reasonably expect to hunt their 

 horses two days a wxek. Let us suppose they 

 hunt one horse on this system on Mondays and 

 Thursdays. 



Now, supposing on a certain Monday they have 

 kept that horse out seven hours instead of six. 

 Then he is not fit to hunt again until Friday. If 



