440 
THE NORTON FARMERS’ CLUB. 
blood-horse that can be met with. Never be content with seeing 
a stallion in his stable only, but have him out and examine 
whether his action and carriage are true and graceful ; for horses 
that cannot go are of little worth to any one. It may be thought 
by some that I am too much prejudiced in favour of blood; but to 
those I would say that, if, by a judicious selection of stock, blood- 
horses are to be got as strong, and, taking the density of their sinew 
and structure into account, much stronger than others, and that 
none but blood-horses can long maintain the speed and sustain the 
efforts necessary to be made by a well-ridden hunter of modern 
times, it must be admitted that blood is of the utmost importance, 
if not indispensable, to a perfect hunter. I admit that horses, 
without a thorough-bred cross, may sometimes be found with speed 
and action sufficient to make good hunters ; but they will also inva- 
riably be found incapable of long-sustained efforts, and, if pressed, 
their appetite and constitution will give way. Hacks and hunters 
cannot be too well bred : they move with greater ease to them- 
selves and their riders, while the firmness of their texture renders 
them less susceptible of fatigue, and capable of much longer sus- 
tained efforts, without being thrown off their feed, or injured in 
constitution. If any one doubts this, let him apply to some hard- 
riding sportsman, or, to come nearer home, to our respected towns- 
man, Mr. Peach, who has, perhaps, had more experience as to the 
powers of endurance in a horse than any man in England. 
Carriage-horses may be bred in the same way as hunters, but 
with a little more liberty in the selection of the mare. So much 
blood is not essential; and we need not be quite so particular 
about the shoulders and the head for harness, although to have 
both these good is at all times desirable. The most common de- 
scription of horse that travels the country as a stallion is what is 
called a trotting or coaching-horse. Few, indeed, are the mares 
adapted for these animals, with a view to a distinct kind of off- 
spring, such as I have enumerated. I should confine such horses 
to these two kinds of mare — one, nearly or quite thorough-bred, 
with the view of breeding carriage-horses, and the other, a good 
cart mare, that is rather too coarse and heavy, and wanting a little 
more activity and smartness of appearance. The former of these 
is an uncertain way of breeding, although sometimes successful, 
as in the case of Mr. Henry Barker, of Arbor Thorn, who has 
an old brown mare, nearly or quite thorough-bred, which he has 
crossed in this way for many years, with very good results. If I 
were called upon to name the best carriage-horses in this neigh- 
bourhood, I would select the chestnuts driven by Mr. John San- 
derson, of New Hall, brothers, by a blood-horse ; and the bays 
driven by Mr. J. Bower Brown, of Shire House, also brothers, 
