186 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



respects more accomplished, as a hunter, than the generality 

 of those of the present day. When in his best form, he was 

 a truly-shaped and powerful animal, possessing prodigious 

 strength, with a fine commanding frame, considerable length 

 of neck, a slight curve in his crest, which was always high 

 and firm, and the head beautifully put on. Possessing these 

 advantages, in addition to the very great pains taken with 

 his mouth in the bitting, and an excellent education in the 

 school or at the bar, he was what is termed a complete 

 snaffle-bridle horse, and a standing as well as a flying leaper. 

 Held well in hand — his rider standing up in the stirrups, 

 holding him fast by the head, making the best of, and being 

 able, from the comparatively slow rate at which hounds 

 then travelled, to pick or choose his ground — such a horse 

 would continue a chase of some hours' duration at the pace 

 he was called upon to go, taking his fences well and safely 

 to the last ; and he would frequently command the then 

 large sum of one hundred guineas. But all these accomplish- 

 ments would never have enabled a horse of this description 

 to carry the modern sportsman, who rides well up to hounds 

 on a good scenting day, ov^er one of our best hunting 

 countries. His strength would be exhausted before he had 

 gone ten minutes, by the increased pace at which he would 

 now be called upon to travel, but to which his breeding 

 would be quite unequal, and his true symmetry, his perfect 

 fencing, his fine mouth, and all his other points would prove 

 of very little avail. If ridden close to the hounds, he would 

 be powerless and dangerous before he had gone across 

 half-a-dozen Leicestershire enclosures. 



The increased pace of hounds, and that of the horses 

 that follow them, have an intimate connection with each 

 other, if not with the march of intellect. Were not the 

 hounds of our day to go so fast as they do they would not 

 be able to keep clear of the crowd of riders who are now 

 mounted on horses nearly equal to the racing pace. On the 

 other hand, as the speed of hounds has so much increased, 

 unless their followers ride speedy, and, for the most part, 

 thoroughbred horses, they cannot see out a run of any 

 continuance if the scent lies well." 



Colonel Cook, in his " Observations on Hunting," fully 

 endorses this view. " Many fox hunters," he says, " prefer 

 thoroughbred horses, others cocktails ; I alv/ays gave the 

 preference to th« former, if it was possible to get them. 



