THE CRITICS OF 179 



his life. Nobody will deny that he rode well through- 

 out. 



Is it conceivable that a man like Dick Christian 

 could exist under the conditions of modern fox- 

 hunting ? I know several gentlemen who hunt three 

 or four days a week on an income of ;^2oo, but would 

 be angry if they were classed as professional riders. 

 They are on terms of social equality with their 

 employers, and are as much at home in the boudoir as 

 they are in the saddle-room. They are men who work 

 as hard as any groom in order that they may enjoy 

 their sport. But they do not profess to earn a living 

 out of sport. It was Dick Christian's profession to 

 earn his livelihood out of the hunting-field. He rode 

 in many steeplechases, but he was never a cross- 

 country jockey, as we understand the phrase. He 

 bought and sold many horses, but he never was a 

 professional dealer. He was paid for giving opinions 

 upon the merits or demerits of many horses, but he 

 was never a veterinary surgeon. He was " hail fellow 

 well met " with everybody, from George IV. to an 

 earthstopper ; and he could hardly write his own 

 name. His life presents a striking example of the 

 change which has taken place in our social and 

 sporting customs since the beginning of the century. 

 We have now our professional cross-country riders, 

 our veterinary surgeons, and our dealers, on whose 

 integrity we can rely, and the exigencies of the times 

 do not require a combination of the three professions. 

 There are gentlemen-riders who will school our horses, 

 in the same way as there are men who will shoot our 



