20 COVERT-SIDE SKETCHES. 



soundness as an heirloom in the family — in fact, "an instrument 

 of gaming." For a number of years racing had been a sort of 

 foster-mother to the chase, inasmuch as it was the foundation 

 from which the best hunters were drawn, not only in respect to 

 sires, of which I shall give instances later on, but also that 

 many horses too slow for the course were made hunters of, 

 and, when carefully schooled, very superior hunters they became. 

 I remember a sportsman of the old school, one very near 

 and dear to me, saying that in his earlier days most of his 

 hunters were selected from such horses as the trainers found 

 a little too slow to keep in training, but that of late years, 

 id est, since about 1830 or so, he had not been able to 

 buy them. In early years also, hunter breeders had the chance 

 of really good horses to which their half-bred mares were sent, 

 as many noblemen and gentlemen who had what in old- 

 fashioned phraseology were called " Capital horses," allowed the 

 use of them to their tenants either free or at a nominal figure, 

 and their neighbours could command them at a far less fee than 

 would secure a subscription to an unsound weed in the present 

 day. They kept them to get good wear-and-tear horses which 

 could run at their county meetings, and win the King's 

 hundred, run for in two-mile heats, long since I can recollect. 

 Now this class of horse is out of date ; no man who breeds for 

 racing cares to patronize him. It may be surmised that under 

 these circumstances he would, when found, drop into his proper 

 position as a country sire, and, in some few instances, I admit 

 he does. There are men like Col. Barlow of Hasketon, or Mr. 

 Alfred Walker of Kugby, who, having a character for possessing 

 horses of this description, secure them when they see them ; 

 and to one is due the sire of Lowlander (Dalesman), and the 

 other that of Pathfinder, a Grand National winner, being pre- 

 served to us. Lord Spencer, Lord Middleton, Mr. Henry Chaplin, 

 the late Hon. George Fitzwilliam, and Lord FitzwiUiam also, have 

 generally bought a horse for this purpose when he has earned a 

 name j but these are exceptions which go to prove the rule — in 



