98 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



exertion tliat may be called beyond tlie strength 

 of the animal may last for a brief period^ and even 

 then excites our surprise and admiration^ he can- 

 not go on with it. You say your mare, small as 

 she is, has won under eleven stone ; but you must 

 know how she came in before you can at all de- 

 cide as to the effect weight has on her. We will 

 say a man accepts in a handicap at a given weight 

 for a certain distance ; he probably knows that his 

 horse can just last this distance, but at the same 

 time knows that under the specified weight all 

 the steel, whipcord, or any other cruelty could not 

 get the animal along another half-mile in a gallop. 

 If he can last the prescribed distance about as 

 well as the rest, and, from being severely punished, 

 can just win, his end is answered; the distress 

 of the horse, though he knows him to be as good 

 as gold, weighs little with the majority of the 

 owners of steeple-chase horses, unless the life of 

 the animal is in danger; nor is that considered 

 much if it happens with a horse of little value, 

 and the take up is a good one. Now-a-days we 

 see horses entered at twenty pounds ; so such a 

 horse need not expect much mercy : if he did he 

 would be deceived, for he would be cut into 

 mince-meat if it could make him win, and it 

 answered the interest of the owner that it should 

 be done : at least it is so with many owners of 

 such horses. 



