rider, and, without whip or spur, will generally exert himself to the utmost to beat his opponent. It is beautiful to see the eagerness with which he advances to the starting post. The signal given-he springs away-he settles himself in his stride -the jockey becomes part and portion of him, every motion of the arms and body corresponding with and aiding the action of the horse. On he goes, eager, yet reserving his full powers till he reaches that distance at which he will live home at the top of his speed, when on he rushes, and then the race in reality begins, every nerve being strained to head his competitor. Then, too, comes the art of the rider, to keep the horse within his pace, and with admirable give and take, add to the length of every stride. The often victorious horse, Forrester, was a strong illustration of the natural emulation of the racer. Once, when overweighted and overmatched, the rally had begun, and his opponent gained upon him. Forrester overtook him, and they continued quite close, till finding his strength fail, he made one desperate plunge-seized his rival by the jaw, and could scarcely be forced to release him. Another horse, in 1735, seized his adversary by the leg, and both riders had to dismount to separate the animals."*

An ordinary racer runs at the rate of a mile in less than two minutes; but some much faster. The famous Flying Childers, acomplished eighty-two feet and a half in a second, or nearly a mile in a minute. He ran round the Newmarket course, nearly four miles in circumference, in six minutes and forty seconds. Since his time, Eclipse, Matcher, and Highflyer, have been the fleetest horses of their times.

No country, perhaps, possesses a breed of horses to equal the English hunter in its combined powers of speed and endurance. It greatly excels even the racer in long continued perseverance. A hunter should be from fifteen and a half to sixteen hands high, with a rather small head, thin neck, ample chest, slightly raised forehead, round and full barrel, compact body, broad loins, thick muscular legs, shorter than those of the racer, and well-formed, firm feet. To these essential points, should be added the requisites of temper and courage.

The

hunter fully shares in the enthusiasm of his rider. But if the horse be thus ready to exert himself, it is brutal to urge him beyond his own natural ardour; yet we seldom hear of a "hard day's run," without one or more horses having either died on the field, or when they reached home. One of the severest chaces on record was with the king's staghounds. There was an uninterrupted burst of four hours and twenty minutes. One horse dropped dead on the field; another before he could reach the stable; and seven more within the week. It does sometimes happen that the horse disdains to yield till he falls and dies; but much oftener the poor animal painfully and falteringly proceeds, tortured with whip and spur, till he drops and expires.* The steeple chase, a relic of ancient fool-hardiness and cruelty, is getting into gradual disuse this kind of sport being justly denounced even by sportsmen as discreditable to those who engage in it. Sir John Malcolm heard an Arab, who had seen an English foxhunt, give the following laconic account of it to his countrymen. "First came the fox at a great rate. I hallooed, but no one heard me, and I thought he'd get away; but when he got out of sight, up came a large spotted dog, then another, and another, all with their noses to the ground crying, whow, whow, whow, so loud I was frightened. Away went these devils, and soon found the poor animal. After them galloped all the horsemen shouting, and trying to make a noise louder than the dogs. No wonder they killed the fox among them."

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THE ROADSTER, OR ROAD-HORSE.

This is an improved breed from the old English hackney, which was also the chief stock of our best saddle-horses, whether for the road or the field. The roadster should be bred according to the nature of the country, and the work required of him. He should be high in the forehead, round in the barrel, and deep in the chest. "If he be worth having," says * See page 139.

Mr. Youatt," he must have good fore and hind legs; he must be sound on his feet, even-tempered, no starter, quiet in every situation, not heavy in hand, and never disposed to say his prayers. He is more difficult to find in perfection than even the hunter or the racer."

THE COACH-HORSE AND SHELTIE, OR SHETLAND PONY.

So far as breeding is concerned, the coach-horse is nothing more than a tall, over-sized hunter, possessing somewhat less speed, but more strength. The principal points in the coachhorse are substance well placed, a deep and well-proportioned body, bone under the knee, and sound, open, tough feet. The modern coach-horse is very different to that of fifty years ago; but the improved breed has too much prancing, causing early wear and tear of the feet, and has not the endurance that could be wished, and a pair of poor post-horses would, Mr. Youatt says, "beat them hollow at the end of the second day." Since steam has been rendered a travelling medium in nearly all parts

of the country, coach-horses and even roadsters have been greatly dispensed with. Previously, the horse was an invaluable servant, on whose speed all one's hopes and safety might depend in the hour of need; and there was a feeling of pleasure and gratitude in contemplating the willing exertions of the animal in our behalf.

The SHETLAND PONY is a beautifully formed creature, and is at once docile, hardy, and strong. Miss Sinclair, in her Shetland and the Shetlanders (1840), says, They are chiefly running wild among the distant unenclosed hills of that island. When well fed from an early age, they grow nearly to the height of a donkey; but some years ago, Mr. Hay reared a perfectly well-formed pony, which measured only twenty-six inches high,-not so tall as a moderate sized hobby-horse! I have heard sportsmen talk in praise of a horse that would canter round a cabbage-leaf, but here was one literally capable of doing so. The very largest men ride these tiny little creatures, which appear at a distance, when racing rapidly along, as if