584 



THE HUNTER. 



having been purchased for a mere trifle, and then permitted to run nearly wild in the New 

 Forest. Spiletta, his mother, only ran one race, in which she was beaten, and Squirt, the 

 father of Marsk, was actually saved by the intercession of a groom as he was being led to the 

 slaughter-house. 



Eclipse was never beaten, and his racing career extended only through seventeen months, 

 and in that short period of time he won more than $125,000. At his last race he was obliged 

 to walk over the course, as no one dared enter a Horse against him. Ten years after that 

 event, his owner, Mr. O' Kelly, was requested to sell him, and demanded the sum of $125,000, 

 an annuity of $2,500 a year, together with six of his offspring yearly. When he died, in 

 1789, he was twenty -five years old, and had realized for his owner a princely fortune. His 



HUNTER. 



shape was very remarkable, the hinder quarters being considerably higher than the shoulders, 

 and his breathing was so thick that it could be heard at a considerable distance. He was origi- 

 nally purchased for about $400. 



Many thoroughbred Horses which are not suitable for the purposes of the turf are admira- 

 bly adapted for the chase, and are trained for that purpose. The body of the Hunter should 

 not be so long as that of the racer, and requires greater compactness, in order that he may not 

 fatigue himself by taking too long a stride over ploiighed land. A comparatively large foot is 

 required, in order to save it from being destroyed by the rapid alternation of soft and hard 

 ground which the animal is obliged to traverse, and which would batter a small contracted foot 

 to such an extent as to render the Horse useless. The low shoulders of Eclipse would be very 

 injurious in a Hunter, on account of the numerous and trying leaps which it is often called 

 upon to perform. 



The best bred Horses are generally the most affectionate and docile, althoiigh their spirit 

 is very high, and their temper hot and quick. There are few animals which are more affec- 

 tionate than a Horse, which seems to feel a necessity for attachment, and if his sympathies be 

 not roused by human means, he will make friends with the nearest living being. Cats are 

 great favorites with Horses, and even the famous Chillaby, called, from his ferocity, the Mad 



