There are many ladies very well qualified to write a valuable paper on the art of riding over a country, but, possibly, the following short sketch—from the hunting more than the riding point of view—may be of interest, as I am sorely afraid ladies are sometimes apt to forget the presence of the hounds, and little consider the trouble and anxiety it takes to bring into the field a really efficient pack.
Some masters may have the good fortune to start with a ready-made and perfect pack of hounds—a most perishable possession—as a very short time of unintelligent management will reduce the finest pack in the kingdom to a comparatively worthless one—but the majority have to begin from the bottom for themselves.
Fortunately, draft hounds are plentiful, and a hundred couple or more can easily be bought—out of which (taking care to get quit of any good-looking ones) forty couple sufficient for a start may be got.
Now as to horses.
Many people suppose that any sort of screw is good enough for a servant's horse. No more fatal or uneconomical error exists.
A huntsman's horse should be as near perfection as can be got; and this cannot be had for little money.
A huntsman has sufficient to do to attend to his business, without being a rough rider at the same time, and ought to feel himself to be the best mounted man in the field, or thereabouts.
If he is put on inferior animals, he has a very strong temptation to feed his hounds back to his horse. A really strong pack of hounds on a good scent will run away from any horse living.
And that wonderful huntsman one hears of "who is always with his hounds," nine times out of ten always has his hounds with him.
All servants' horses should be well-bred, strong, and short-legged, for it must be borne in mind that they have much harder work than gentlemen's horses, therefore care should be taken that they are qualified to carry a good deal more weight than would appear necessary to the uninitiated.