BONE YEllSUS BLOOD. 141 



does not affect any horse, except a race-horse, so 

 mucli as may be nsually conceived it would. You 

 have found the truth of this to-day, but remember 

 this country, or at least the part we are in, rides 

 sound and light, the fences are not large, and 

 even where they are, they can safely be jumped 

 on and off. If I could insure a whole run to be 

 over such a country, riding as I do, light, I do 

 not believe any hounds could get aAvay from me 

 on the pony : but do not deceive yourself in favour 

 of under-sized horses, good as they may be ; for, as 

 Somerville says of small hounds, so may be said 

 of very small horses, ^the puny breed in every 

 furrow swims ; ' and where large leaps have to be 

 covered at once, we must, as a general rule, have 

 size to do it. 



" Some years since, I went to hunt for a few 

 days with a friend, who had another staying with 

 him for the same purpose. This last-mentioned per- 

 sonage was about ten stone in his hunting saddle, 

 and about five feet four in height ; he had a 

 couple of thick-set, strong, good-looking horses 

 down there, and having no turf ideas about him, 

 talked a great deal of ' having something under 

 one ; ^ ' blood was all very well, but bone carried 

 the blood.' Agreed that my tw^o horses were very 

 handsome, looked like galloping; allowed, on 

 my begging him to span their legs, that they 

 quite surprised him as to size and firmness of feel. 



