102 HUNTING THE FOX 



the breeding of hunters will soon be in a very 

 precarious state unless it is organized and stimu- 

 lated in every possible way, and that unless hunting 

 people are prepared to reckon the support of 

 breeding as part of the necessary expenses of Fox- 

 hunting, we are within measurable distance of 

 having to hunt on foot. But the financing of a 

 single-day show is not in truth a very formidable 

 operation. The main expense of a two-day show 

 is the vast amount of woodwork used for stables, 

 shelters, and offices. This very heavj'^ item does not 

 occur in the expenses of a one-day show, which can 

 be run on an income which is small compared with 

 its good results. 



The next question that arises is how to breed 

 the hunter. The ideal hunter is without doubt 

 the thoroughbred horse up to fourteen or fifteen 

 stone. There are not very many of these animals 

 in existence, but, however difficult to breed, theirs 

 is the type at which we should aim. We already 

 have the thoroughbred sires. There is some 

 difference of opinion as to the selection of mares. 

 One school of thought inclines to the opinion that 

 thoroughbred mares, and most hunter mares, 

 have not the requisite calibre to breed a foal big 

 enough to carry weight in the hunting-field through 

 deep ground and over fences, and that the best 

 chance is to mate a thoroughbred sire with a cart 

 or van mare. It is true that every now and then 



