HUNTER BREEDING 317 



In breeding from the thoroughbred horse there 

 is always this to be said : You are breeding from 

 a horse whose legs and muscle have been well tried, 

 and it is indisputable that the descendant of genera- 

 tions of merely showyard animals must be soft as 

 compared with the descendant of generations of 

 horses that have been trained and raced. If we 

 want an instance of this we only have to look at 

 the Hackney, who is now practically only a show 

 animal. Look at the normal Hackney as he 

 careers round the ring at the Agricultural Hall. 

 He does not go very long before he begins to tire. 

 Yet at one time the Hackney was the breed of 

 horses on which men rode long journeys. Now, 

 I think it would be quite safe to say that ten miles 

 would satisfy most of them. 



The Hackney is the worst possible sire for a 

 hunter, though there have been elaborate theories 

 promulgated in which he has had an important 

 part assigned to him. In the first place there is 

 the lack of stamina, in itself an important matter 

 enough to keep him out of court, one would think. 

 But it is only one count in the indictment against 

 the Hackney stallion. The action of his progeny 

 is rough and uneven, he shakes you terribly, and 

 when he gets a bit beaten you have to carry him, 

 which, it is needless to say, is the reverse of what 

 the process should be. I have seen plenty of horses 

 with Hackney blood in their veins jump well, i.e. 

 jump a height, but a drain of any width always 

 brought them to grief, for they are quite unable to 

 " spread " themselves. 



The Hackney " boom " has done much harm 

 to hunter breeding in Yorkshire, and the York- 

 shiremen who "make" hunters are beholden to 



