4 HORSES AND HOUNDS. 



made out, may be worth about tliirty-five pounds. Tlie horse, 

 at the lowest, will be worth sixty ; and may realize nearly, if 

 not quite, three figures if purchased by a gentleman. This may 

 be said to be '*' doing a horse" only in a very rough manner, after 

 all. It may be so — but non cuivis homini contingit adire 

 Corinthum.. Farmers, in a general way, cannot be expected to 

 do more, and few, perhaps, will do as much. Let them, how- 

 ever, try this plan first, and if it succeeds, of which, I think, 

 there is scarcely a question, they v/ill then go a little further. 

 I now turn to gentlemen breeders, still keeping on the side of 

 economy. In a future chapter, I purpose instituting a compari- 

 son between pasturing cattle and horses in the usual way, and 

 the improved system of stall-feeding upon artificial grasses, 

 Lucerne, vetches, &c. 



It is very desirable for every master of foxhounds to keep a 

 certain number of good brood mares, from which he may derive 

 a succession of young horses, to fill up the vacancies which will 

 occur in his establishment. Without incurring any very great 

 expense, such as purchasing high-priced thorough-bred mares, 

 wjiich, if of any notoriety as successful racers, will alwaj^s com- 

 mand a high figure, there are many to be met with of perhaps 

 equally good pedigree, whose speed has not been sufficient to 

 place theui in a high position as racers, but winch will, not- 

 withstanding, serve the purpose of brood mares_ equally well, 

 and ]n'oduce good hunters. The successful breeding of horses, 

 as well as of hounds and all other animals, requires no small share 

 of judgment as well as a thorough knowledge of all those points 

 which, when combined, constitute what is commonly called 

 symmetry. In breeding horses, there are also many other con- 

 siderations to be attended to, besides shape and make. Both 

 sire and dam should be of good constitutions, and free from any 

 natural defect, in wind, limb, or vision ; accidental defects are 

 of little consequence, — the loss of an eye, for instance, where 

 there is no constitutional weakness or deformity in that organ. 

 Broken knees, and other injuries to the limbs and feet, from 

 accidental causes, are of little import in brood mares. Spavins 

 and curbs are, however, highly objectionable; being generally 

 the result of weakness in the hock joint. Even ring bones and 

 sand cracks should be avoided. 



I once had a very fine brood mare with a sand crack, which 

 I thought little of, and put her to a first-rate stallion ; the pro- 

 duce was a remarkably fine colt, which, at four years old, 

 became a splendid horse, and was in every respect calculated 

 to make a first-rate hunter, but when broken in he became quite 

 lame from the same cause, and was obliged to be consigned to 



