HUNTING THE FOX 33 



ability to profit by his own mistakes. There is 

 no doubt that personal experience is the best 

 teacher. But personal experience would be quick- 

 ened if it could be fortified by the experience of 

 the great Masters of the chase collected in such a 

 form as to be accessible to us all. 



Now to our Huntsman. Within reason it is 

 not essential that he should be so very young and 

 so very light. This does not mean to say that 

 he should be old and heavy. But as a general 

 rule it is not likely that a man will have absorbed 

 enough knowledge to be a successful Huntsman 

 until he is well past thirty. At this age there is 

 the best part of twenty good years in front of him 

 if only he knows how to ride, even if his horses 

 have to carry as much as a " light fourteen stone." 

 If they are asked to carry more than this, the task 

 of mounting him in some countries would become 

 formidable, possibly prohibitive. But we must 

 not forget that a hght-weight who does not know 

 how to ride will get to the bottom of his horse, 

 while a middle-weight who sits still and keeps 

 hold of his horse's head will beat him every time. 

 His very limitations will have taught the middle- 

 weight, if he has any sense, not to take liberties 

 with his horses, while the superior momentum of a 

 middle-sized horse and rider will enable them to 

 brush aside obstacles and get through the dirt 

 with less exertion than a feather-weight couple. 



D 



