HORSE FOR GRASS COUNTRIES 259 



the corky way they come home after a hard day, 

 and the rapidity with which they come round again 

 after hard work. I have had two in my time, and 

 both were excellent and up to a great deal more 

 weight than they appeared to be. Half-bred Arabs 

 are a little inclined to rush at their fences if they are 

 allowed to do so ; but they are amenable to gentle 

 handling and are very clever at putting their feet 

 down. You never see them blundering into the 

 debris of a broken gate or hurdle, and they are de- 

 lightfully springy. They have, I think, a very unusual 

 amount of sense in those long, lean, intelligent heads 

 of theirs. There are, naturally, not very many of 

 them, but there is a good deal more Arab blood about 

 than is usually suspected ; and those who have known 

 the Arab at home will not fail to recognise his char- 

 acteristics when they appear. The Arab is a very 

 prepotent race, and his descendants throw back in 

 a remarkable way to their Eastern ancestors. 



The next question that naturally arises is as to the 

 choice of where the horses are to be bought. The 

 visitor will do well to buy horses that know the 

 country, and, making up his mind to pay a fair price, 

 will find that certain well-known dealers will be able 

 to supply him with what he wants. Mr. Hames of 

 Leicester, Mr. Stokes of Market Harborough, Mr. 

 Drage of Daventry, are all men of note in their busi- 

 ness, and the two last named are most successful ex- 

 hibitors of hunting stock. All thoroughly understand 

 what a Leicestershire hunter ought to be, and their 

 advice may be sought and followed with confidence. 

 Then there are Mr. P. V. Beatty of Market Harborough 

 and Mr. Cowley of Braybrooke. Both these gentle- 

 men ride hard and well over a country, and are quite 

 able to estimate both the wants and the capacities 



