their  Breeding  and  Management. 
3 
a moderate  lot,  Hunters  especially  disappointing.”  The  next 
year,  at  Manchester:  “above  average;”  “good  action,  no  breed- 
ing ; good  breeding,  no  action.”  Distressing  ! The  thorough- 
bred horses  exhibited  are  not  like  the  bulls  we  admire,  of 
faultless  type.  Reference  is  made  to  a letter  on  the  subject 
of  Half-bred  Horses  for  Road  and  Field,  which,  dated  June  1, 
appeared  in  the  ‘Times,’  and  was  addressed  by  the  Speaker  Deni- 
son to  Lord  Zetland.  In  1870,  at  Oxford  : “ inferiority  generally 
prevails.”  Wolverhampton,  the  next  year,  was  cheerful,  as  com- 
pared with  “ Motley’s  ” walk-over  at  Plymouth.  “ The  Show  at 
Hull  in  1873  was  not  grand  for  Yorkshire.”  At  Taunton,  in 
1875,  it  was  said  that  in  Somersetshire  the  thoroughbred  horse 
was  almost  as  unknown  as  the  Dodo  : as  a feature  two  jack- 
asses competed  for  a 50/.  prize!  At  Birmingham,  in  1876,  the 
weight-carrying  hunters  were  a good  class.  Bristol,  1878, 
appears  to  have  been  fairly  satisfactory.  The  great  Exhibition 
at  Kilburn  in  1879  was  specially  reported  upon  by  Mr.  Francis 
Lawley : the  Judges  said  it  was  the  best  exhibition  of  horses 
ever  held  in  England.  In  1881,  Mr.  Whitehead,  the  Senior 
Steward,  reported  on  the  show  of  horses  at  Derby : now,  if 
there  is  one  man  more  than  another  who,  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  phrase,  could  “ make  bricks  without  straw,”  it  is  my  very 
able  friend  last  named.  One  thousand  pounds  was  offered  in 
prizes,  yet  all  that  could  be  reported  is  that  influenza  kept 
horses  away:  256  were  entered,  192  only  appeared:  thorough- 
breds— never  a strong  class  at  a Ro_yal  Show — were  now  a very 
bad  lot ; and  the  stallions  for  getting  hunters  were  few  in 
number,  and  inferior  in  quality  : a week,  the  Steward  observed, 
is  a long  time  in  which  to  expose  valuable  horses  to  risk, 
variable  weather,  and  draughty  boxes.  The  most  noteworthy 
feature  was  the  sensational  antics  of  the  hackney  and  pony 
stallions,  and  their  leaders. 
By  way  of  culmination,  a high  authority,  Mr.  Hutchinson, 
of  Manor  House,  Catterick,  a Judge  at  Reading  last  year,  1882, 
is  admirably  outspoken  : — “ Mr.  Grout’s  hackney,  ‘ Fashion  ’ * 
was  generally  admired  : otherwise  the  number  of  exhibits  was 
limited,  and  the  quality  below  expectation.  The  hunter  stal- 
lions were  a moderate  lot,  calculated  to  do  more  harm  than 
good.  Unless  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  can  attract  better 
hunting  sires,  prizes  should  be  abandoned.”  The  causes  of 
failure,  as  suggested,  are  threefold: — (1)  unworthy  prizes; 
(2)  long  detention  ; and  (3)  expenses.  Foreigners  come  with 
high  expectations,  they  are  naturally  disappointed — consequently 
as  a horse-breeding  nation  our  prestige  is  lowered. 
* For  1 Fashion,’  see  post,  p.  27. 
