270 The Hunting Countries of England, 



It will be gathered from some of tlie above jottings 

 that the Duke of Beaufort's country demands a hunter 

 of more than ordinary talent, and often of great 

 endurance. He will seldom be called upon to fly a big 

 place in his stride ; but will be constantly jumping — 

 either over stonewalls_, or on-and-off banks having a 

 hedge on the top and a ditch on one side or the other. 

 A heavy man will certainly do best to ride slowly at all 

 his fences here. If a wall, this follows as a matter of 

 course : if it be a bank-and-ditch, his horse will take 

 much less out of himself if allowed to put his feet 

 among the thorns, — though few of these fences are so 

 broad that he could not readily cover them at a spring. 

 A wall is a delightful kind of jump with a horse that is 

 accustomed to it, though a very snare to a green and 

 violent beginner. It presents also a rather terrifying 

 aspect to the stranger educated only to the thin strand 

 of a blackthorn binder ; but it will not give him half 

 as many falls, and the sense of awe soon wears off on 

 acquaintance. There are not many brooks in the 

 country, though two or three exist in the new vale, 

 and there is the Brinkworth brook on the V.W.H. 

 border, and another stream running between Hilmarton 

 and Foxham, called the Cowage Brook. The horse, 

 then, for this country should be short on the leg, deep 

 in the girth — and generally given as little as possible 

 to sprawling about. He must be able to gallop 

 through dirt, up hill or down, to jump out of deep 

 gi-ound and to go on as long as he is wanted. In fact, 

 if he has to take his turn in every part of the Duke's 

 country, he must be a hunter of exceptional class and 

 strength. The farmers of the country are all naturally 



