48 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



really safe and good liack was invaluable to men 

 who, from motives of business or pleasure, wished 

 to get over the country with expedition ; and this 

 fully justified them in valuing such a horse as a 

 greater treasure than a good hunter. I remember, 

 as a boy, a friend of my father^ s had a horse he 

 always rode as a hack in summer, and as cover 

 hack in winter. This horse looked a hunter all 

 over. Some one asked why he never hunted this 

 horse : " No,^^ said he, " he is too valuable as a 

 hack to risk him with hounds.^' Now-a-days such 

 horses are quite at a discount ; for anything that 

 is good looking, safe on a smooth road, pleasant 

 to ride, and has that kind of knee-up action that 

 would some years since have caused his immediate 

 rejection, is quite good enough for a hack. A 

 pleasant ridiug horse is now, and possibly ever 

 will be, wanted; but a thorough game hack is 

 uncalled for ; for who that had sixty miles to go 

 would ride that distance on a high road, when he 

 can now go quicker and far pleasanter in a light 

 trap, and four times as fast by a railroad? and 

 even that I hold pleasanter than riding a distance 

 on a high road. I have heard old men mention 

 many persons they knew who, a century back, 

 would give their hundred for a good hack, when 

 fifty was thought a strongish price for a hunter. 



These two horses have, therefore, quite changed 

 places since the days I refer to. To be in all 



