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advise men having small studs to change them fretiuently, and those 

 with large ones to ride each horse in his turn. 



A horse should be what is called well "balanced" — i.e.^ his middle- 

 piece, hind and fore quarters should all be as nearly as possible of 

 same dimensions. I have heard that Landseer made three equal ovals 

 on his canvas before drawing a horse, and then filled in. I have a 

 notion that a horse so proportioned, with his shoulders sloping and his 

 quarters well let down, would be just about as safe a conveyance over 

 a country, or returning home tired along a rough road on a dark night, 

 as most men need wish to possess — provided, of course, that he had good 

 manners. 



If I were to name a horse the most perfect in shape which I have 

 ever seen I should name ^Ir. A^yner's Minting. In that great horse is 

 depicted what true shape and perfect "balance" is. If he were to 

 be dissected from the point of the shoulder to the elbow, and from the 

 point of the hip to the stifle, there would be left the three portions of 

 his body as equal in weight as perhaps are those of any other horse at 

 present in the kingdom. He stands 16 hands lin., measures 9iin. 

 under the knee, and girths 6ft. 4in. He is up to 17st. with hounds and 

 his weight averages lie wt. 2qrs. From his breeding and his own prowess 

 he is, of course, eminently calculated to beget racehorses of the first 

 water, provided the mares put to him be of the right sort, and from his 

 conformation no horse which I ever saw appeared to me more fitted to 

 beget weight-carrying hunters. 



I like a horse with plenty of room in the gullet and a head loosely set- 

 on, sufficiently to allow the fore and middle fingers to be run down 

 between the jawbone and neck. At the same time, this sort of head 

 must not be set on a neck unduly long in the windpipe, for, if it is, 

 the chances of roaring and ultimate broken-wind are greatly increased. 



Without attempting to describe the good points of a horse, let me 

 advise " ingenuous youth " to keep clear of a horse with a light mouth, 

 ewe neck, and straight shoulders, particularly if he possess strong 

 propelling power, has white in his eye, and is, say, a chestnut. The 

 verdant sportsman is not, however, to take it that a heavy mouth, 

 ram neck, and crooked shoulders are desirable simply because they are 

 the opposite of those points against which I caution him ! 



No matter how clever an artist may be with brush or pencil, he 

 cannot make a proper portrait of a horse unless he be a good judge of 

 his points ; neither can he paint or draw any sporting subject without 

 a practical knowledge of it, as many of the ghastly productions of the 

 day so eloquently prove. How can a man draw a coach and four without 

 knowing how the horses should be tackled ? And if he puts a man on 

 the box, how can he represent him unless he can drive himself ? If 

 possible, the cloven foot is shown more strikingly when a landlubber 

 attempts a sailing scene or a Frenchman a fox-hunt. The man who at 

 present is about the very best painter of a hound in the kingdom owes 

 his reputation to having been taught the true formation of a foxhound 



