RACING, STEEPLE-CHASIXG^ AND HUNTING. 97 



carrying weight depends. I tliink I merely said 

 tliat I considered fifteen hands under the size I 

 should like for a hunter ; but to answer your 

 question. The hunter can with hounds carry a 

 far greater weight than the race-horse can run 

 under^ that is^ can race under ; for instance, we 

 call ten stone high weight in racing, but very 

 light as a hunting rider ; and though seven pounds 

 added to the ten stone would perhaps, in figura- 

 tive language, stop the race-horse as a racer and 

 among race-horses, he would very likely carry 

 thirteen, and beat the ordinary run of horses 

 we often see with hounds, though they only car- 

 ried the ten stone seven ; but what might prevent 

 the same horse doing anything under thirteen 

 stone or less with hounds, is this : the great speed 

 of a race-horse enables him to outpace other 

 horses, though he may be overweighted ; and his 

 blood enables him to make almost supernatural 

 exertions; but it must be borne in mind that his 

 exertions under any weight only last from two 

 to five minutes in ordinary cases, and not more 

 than nine or ten in any. The exertion of the 

 steeple-chase horse seldom exceeds fifteen, gene- 

 rally less; but we must also bear in mind the 

 hunter has to sustain his load for more hours by 

 far than the race-horse does minutes, and on an 

 average half as many hours as the steeple-chaser 

 is asked to carry his minutes; therefore, though 

 II 



