IMPORTANCE OF A FINE HAND. 281 



his master ? The question appears to be easily an- 

 swered, namely, — the chances are equal, with equal 

 instruction and experience. But such has not been 

 found to be the case ; and althouo^h amono-st the 

 various huntsmen, whippers-in, and what are known 

 by the appellation of second-horse-men, namely, 

 those grooms who ride horses with hounds, to sup- 

 ply the place of those their masters ride, when they 

 become fatigued, a most humane, as well as econo- 

 mical plan with all who have a stud of hunters, 

 some super-excellent horsemen may be found, the 

 generality of servants are deficient in that first 

 essential to good horsemanship, a fine or sensitive 

 hand. Nor is this a matter of surprise. The ner- 

 vous influence, proceeding from the organs of touch, 

 may be said chiefly to constitute what is termed the 

 " hand" of the horseman ; and that influence may 

 easily be supposed to be greater in a person whose 

 situation in life has not subjected him to rough 

 and laborious employments which must necessarily 

 tend to deaden it. Until of late years the seat of 

 servants was unfavourable to a good hand on their 

 horse, as they, with very few exceptions, rode with 

 too short stirrups, and, consequently, by being not 

 well placed in their seats, wxre perpetually inter- 

 fering with their horses'* mouths, from their un- 

 steadiness. So fully aware of these objections was 

 the late Mr. Childe of Kinlett Hall, Shropshire, 

 that, during the period of his keeping fox-hounds, 

 he had onlv one servant in his lar^^e establishment 

 that he ever suffered to mount the horses he him- 



