194 TALES AND TRAITS OF SPORTING LIFE. 



previous produce, liowevei-, had been anjtLing- but supe- 

 rior, and; as a chance for embuing them with a httle more 

 stoutness and substance, she was put one season to a good- 

 looking* three-parts-bred stallion that was travelling in the 

 district, the result being unquestionably the veriest weed 

 of the whole family. As for the Yeoman himself, light 

 wiry horse as he was, nothing but his pure lineage could 

 have carried him through dirt and imder weight in the 

 ■^vay it did. 



We must, then, insist on ^' a thorough-bred stallion to 

 g-et hunters and hacks" as the main principle to go on. 

 Such an animal, as I have already intimated, need by no 

 manner of means have been a famous racehorse — a fact 

 that of itself would go to place him beyond our limit, at 

 the same time that it is anything- but an indispensable 

 item in his qualifications. The chief things we have here 

 to look for are true symmetry, good action, a staying 

 pedigree, and freedom from hereditary taint ; a deep 

 frame, a round barrel, on a short wiry leg ; a sensible 

 rather than a " pretty" head, a well-laid shoulder, a good 

 back, and plenty of bone. Never mind if his powerful 

 quarters do droop a bit, so that they, run down into big- 

 clean hocks and thighs ; and do not care to dwell too 

 much over an accidental blemish, or even a fired fore-leg, 

 so that the leg itself is of the right shape and calibre. 

 Above all, do not mistake mere beef for power ; and in 

 the thorough-bred horse, over all others, go for wire, 

 muscle, and breeding, in preference to what may look like 

 more substantial qualities. In this respect some of the 

 authorities of the show-yard, who are called upon to de- 

 cide over sheep, pigs, chaif-cutters, and hunter-stalHons, 

 still require a little tutoring. In the '^ what to avoid" we 

 must guard against soft flashy strains of blood that are 



