BREAKING THE HUNTER. 87 



him from side to side, and the rider has the 

 pleasant prospect in the event of a mistake at a 

 fence, of his horse not being able to recover 

 himself, the almost inevitable ' spill ' being the 

 result. Besides, his mount requiring all his 

 attention, he is thus unable to enjoy the hunting, 

 that is to say, he is unable to watch the 

 working of the hounds, and thus his day's 

 hunting (so called) is nothing more than a 

 modified steejolechase with none of its accom- 

 panying pleasures. 



To have a good hunter the best way is to 

 break him in yourself, provided you are compe- 

 tent to do so, having a good seat, good hands, 

 patience, pluck, and above all a liking for the 

 work. 



I will suppose you have a three-year-old, 

 broken to road w^ork, and that you wish to 

 break him to hounds. The best way to do so 

 will be to ride him to the meets as often as 

 possible, and when he has got accustomed to 

 the excitement of bein^f amonD:st a crowd of 

 horsemen in gay-coloured coats, the foot-people 



