160 CONFESSIONS OP A HORSE DEALEE. 



the export of horses, while in most other continental 

 nations it is strictly prohibited : it is certainly one way 

 of diminishing our own strength to increase that of 

 others, who may, eventually, fight us on the backs of 

 our own bred horses ; indeed, the French cavalry are 

 now as well mounted as our own, for in every large 

 horse fair may be seen agents of the French government 

 buying up the very horses we so much require for our- 

 selves, both for troopers and for general purposes, 



I am glad to see those true specimens of Englishmen, 

 members of hunts and masters of hounds, are getting 

 more alive to the necessity of improving the breed of 

 horses by encouraging contests among their own lona 

 fide hunters : they are the class of men who could, by 

 . setting about it in earnest, give a great impetus to the 

 breeding of horses with that requisite combination of 

 blood and bone to carry the weight and go the pace. 

 The other suggestion which I would submit to the notice 

 of government, is the grant of an annual sum to the 

 turf in. the shape of plates say 500 to 1,000 guineas 

 each, to be run for, not only at the existing meetings, 

 but in all the breeding districts in the United Kingdom. 

 The horses to be the lonafide property of breeders, and 

 not to run at less than five years old, carrying ten to 

 twelve stone, a distance of three or four miles, and not 

 less than twenty horses to start for the money. 



This would be a powerful inducement to farmers, 

 breeders, and the proprietors of racing studs to produce 

 good hunters and saddle horse?, as in the event of one 



