24 



best kennels in England. Moreover, in an incredibly short time his- 

 reputation as a judge was established. 



As a judge of a horse and of the horses required for himself and 

 his servants he was equally successful. For a man riding seventeen 

 to eighteen stone it is no easy task to get hunters, no matter what 

 his means may be ; but Lord Waterford began well, and in a few^ 

 years had collected a stud of well-bred heavy-weight horses which 

 could not be surpassed. Some of them were really marvels over the 

 country. He never believed in what is usually termed " servants* 

 horses." For a huntsman to show sport he considered the best horses 

 were necessary, consequently his men were as well mounted as 

 himself, the only difference being in the size of the animals,. 

 During the many years it was my privilege to hunt with him I can 

 safely say I never saw a wrongly shaped or badly behaved horse come 

 from his stable, and where all the good ones were found was frequently 

 a puzzle to me as it was to many others. 



Passionately devoted as Lord Waterford was to hunting, he did not, 

 on assuming the command, fall into the error, committed by so many 

 young Masters, of fancying he was, without serving any apprenticeship, 

 at once competent for the duties of huntsman — he knew he should 

 study and learn. He began by appointing John Duke his huntsman ,-; 

 a very wise selection, for Duke knew the country, and had been tutored 

 by that fine old sportsman, Henry Briscoe ; he also had all the qualities 

 necessary for a huntsman, was an excellent horseman and quick, and 

 had a good voice. 



During his heyday, which lasted many seasons, he hunted the- 

 hounds in tip-top style, and showed first-rate sport. I never saw a 

 man who could stick to hounds in the way he did ; wherever they 

 went he followed. He had very good hands, and did not meddle with 

 his horse beyond keeping him straight ; but he had not that graceful 

 seat which characterised the two Eyans. 



Lord Waterford hunted three days a week for a couple of seasons,, 

 but finding the old country too circumscribed for that number, and 

 wishing to add another day a week, he came to a further arrangement 

 with the Kilkenny gentlemen by which they lent him all the southern 

 portion of their country — most of which is known as the Ross country 

 —in addition to the portion Briscoe hunted. The Tipperary Hunt, 

 then presided over by that good and genial sportsman the late Mr. 

 John Going, at the same time lent Lord Waterford their portion lying 

 north of Owning village as far as the river Anner with Slieve-na-mon> 

 mountain, and the river Suir as its other limit ; this we called the 

 Carrick country. 



The addition of these two fine tracts to his already extensive 

 area gave Lord Waterford plenty of room to hunt the four days a 

 week he had so long wished for, and he lost no time in availing 

 himself of the opportunity, for having already increased his pack up 

 to some fifty couple, he had only to buy more horses for himself and 

 his men. 



