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CHAPTER VI. 



Hunters — Author's horse Leviathan — Quality— -Carriage of hunter 

 — Points — Boring horses — Ewe-neck — Forehand — Barrel — Width 

 of chest — Forearm — Fore-leg— Pastern — Foot — Compactness of 

 body — Loin — Temper — Rest required after a hard day — Stimu- 

 lants for an exhausted horse — The Meath ' Ratoath ' harriers — 

 Bloodhound Rubens — Value of the bloodhound cross — Musical 

 hounds and cold-scenting countries — Error of breeding hounds for 

 pace — Nose v. pace — Eight and fifteen years after a stag — Over- 

 anxiety of young masters of hounds — Cold scent. 



Putting racehorses aside, hunters are the most 

 valuable of all horses. In my opinion, a hunter should 

 not be under fifteen or over sixteen hands, though I 

 once possessed a horse which I called Leviathan — and 

 a very well-known horse he was, too, with the Meath, 

 Ward, and Kildare hounds — which was over seventeen 

 hands, and yet was as light a fencer as any pony could 

 have been, and a most perfect hunter, and he never 

 once put me down. I sold him to my brother, who 

 rode fifteen stone seven, and he carried him equally 

 well and safely for years. So that there is, in the 

 height of a horse, as in other things, no rule without 

 its exception. The horse I speak of was up to seven- 

 teen stone, and very nearly clean bred. I maintain 

 that a hunter should be at least three-quarters bred, 

 and, indeed, I may say I prefer their being seven- 

 eighths for any country, whether bank or flying. The 



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