  HACK.—Any horse appropriated to every kind of purpose, (and upon which no great estimation or value is placed,) it has been the custom for time immemorial to distinguish by the appellation of HACK. Custom, however, has permitted a slight deviation from a practice of long standing, and A HACK is now generally understood to imply the idea of a hired horse; that is, a horse the property of a HACKNEY-MAN, JOB or POSTMASTER, who lets out horses by the day, week, or month, and who is obliged to take out an annual licence for permission so to do, paying FIVE SHILLINGS for the same: doing which without A LICENCE, renders him liable to a penalty of TEN POUNDS. Hack horses, whether for riding or drawing, used in travelling post, are individually liable to a duty of one penny halfpenny per mile, for as many miles as such horse shall be engaged to travel within a day, or any less time; but where the distance cannot then be ascertained, one shilling and ninepence shall be paid for each horse so hired. This duty is demanded by the person letting the horse or horses to hire, who, upon receiving such payment, shall deliver to the person so hiring, one HACKNEY,—in the general acceptation of the word with the SPORTING WORLD, is a horse superior to all others upon the score of UTILITY; being rendered subservient to every office of exertion, speed, and perseverance, or, in other words, to all the drudgery and labour of his situation, from which his cotemporaries, the RACER, the HUNTER, and the CHARGER, by the imaginary superiority of their qualifications, and pampered appearance, are always exempt. It is the peculiar province of the HACKNEY to carry his master twelve or fifteen miles in an hour to covert, (where the HUNTER is in waiting,) and sometimes to bring back the GROOM with still greater expedition, whose engagements may probably have occasioned him to be much more in haste than his MASTER. It is in the department of the HACKNEY to encounter and overcome emergencies and difficulties of every description: his constitution should be excellent, and his spirit invincible; he must be enabled to go five-and-twenty or thirty miles at a stage, without drawing bit, and without the least respect to the depth of the roads, or the dreary state of the weather; and if he is not equal to any weight, in these trifling exertions, he will be held in no estimation as a HACKNEY of FASHION. HACKNEY-MEN.—Those so called are the proprietors of COACHES, CHAISES, and HORSES, for the accommodation of the public, and of whom may be obtained vehicles of such description for any length of time required. They are subject to a LICENCE ANNUALLY, and various duties upon the different carriages, all which are clearly explained in concise abstracts (called "TAX TABLES") from the Acts of Parliament upon this particular subject. HAIR,—with which the frame of the horse is so completely covered, and more familiarly termed COAT, is, in general, indicative of the good or ill state of the horse; not only in respect to health, but to his CONDITION, for whatever work he may be designed. If the subject is sleek in his coat, with a glossy shining surface, soft and pliable in the skin; not tight upon the ribs, as if firmly adhering to the side; no enlargements upon the lower joints of the legs, nor any profuse and faint perspiration upon moderate work, the BLOOD may be pronounced in a HEALTHY STATE, and the horse in fair and GOOD CONDITION. If, on the contrary, the coat is rough, hollow, staring different ways, of a variegated hue, with a tinge of dust or scaly scurf beneath the surface, the perspirative matter has been thrown upon the circulation by a collapsion of the porous system, the blood is become sizey, and disposed to morbidity, It is no uncommon thing for HORSES in tolerable GOOD CONDITION to go all to pieces, particularly in the autumn months, without the least cause to be assigned, the least reason to be suggested, by either MASTER or GROOM. Certain it is, that to two successive acts of indiscretion, (or error in judgment,) this very prevalent defeat may be attributed, without the least fear of being at all wrong in the conclusion. Grooms and COACHMEN, in general, totally unmindful of the great heat of their stables during the night, throw open the doors immediately upon coming in the morning, (regardless of even frost or snow,) and frequently so continue during the whole ceremony of "mucking out" and carrying away the dung, if not with the addition of stripping and dressing the horses into the bargain. That the measure of indiscretion may be complete, the ceremony not unfrequently terminates in a three or four gallon pail of hard cold water from the PUMP in the yard or mews; immediately after which, a judicious observer will perceive
This prevailing practice has frequently laid the foundation of various ills, not one of which were ever attributed to the right cause. Such an accumulation of chilling frigidity immediately succeeding the extreme heat of the night, has often produced diseases without end, at least those which ended only with life. Colds, COUGHS, FEVER, (original or symptomatic,) INFLAMMATION of the LUNGS, BAD EYES, BROKEN WIND, SWELLED LEGS, CRACKED HEELS, DROPSY in the chest, with a long list of et ceteras, or even death itself, may be occasioned by circumstances which in themselves appear so trifling, yet they sometimes prove of considerable magnitude, and would attract the necessary attention of any humane man looking after his own horses; but in the present age of duplicity and deception, are very little likely to affect the sensibility or integrity of those looking after the horses of others. Where a loss of hair has been sustained by some injury, as in broken knees, wounds after being healed, blistering or firing, the growth may be promoted (particularly in slight cases) by reducing three drachms of CAMPHIRE to fine powder, then letting it be well incorporated with two ounces of SPERMA CÆTI OINTMENT upon a marble slab, and a small portion of it well rubbed into the part affected at least once, but it will be better if persevered in twice a day. HALTER—is that well-known convenience by which a horse is fastened to the MANGER when confined in a STABLE. Halters are of two kinds; the one prepared of twisted hemp, the other made of LEATHER, having head-stall, throat-straps and buckles, nose-band, &c. and are called double-reined hunting-collars. These are the safest in every respect, and, although the most expensive at first, are proportionally durable, and consequently cheapest in the course of time. Hempen halters are sometimes injurious, in forming swellings, or lacerations, upon the upper part of the head, behind the ears, by the friction of the hard-twisted hemp upon a part naturally tender and easily susceptible. They are, however, now but very little used, except in the stables of inferior inns, and of indigent rustics. HALTER-CAST.—This is an accident to which horses are constantly liable, and it very frequently happens; but, in general, from the inadvertency of leaving the rein of the halter of too great a length on either one side or the other: for when the horse is lying down, and has occasion (from itching, or some other cause) to rub his neck or head with the hind foot, it is no uncommon thing to have it get entangled in the halter-rein; which encircling the cavity of the heel, renders it impossible for the animal to extricate himself, unless the halter breaks in his favor; and during these HALTING—may be considered a limping, or slight impediment to FREE and EASY ACTION, implying some kind of perceptible defect or disquietude, not amounting to absolute LAMENESS. Whenever this irregularity in motion is first observed, and that the legs do not move in corresponding uniformity, or, in other words, as if they were not fellows, an accurate examination should be immediately made to ascertain the CAUSE, that it may be speedily relieved; upon a very fair presumption, that what might produce only a limping or halting in the first instance, might probably become a confirmed LAMENESS by a perseverance in use, without adverting to the proper means of alleviation upon the original discovery of something amiss. HAM, HOUGH, or HOCK,—is the joint in the center of the hind leg behind; and although so wonderfully united for STRENGTH and ACTION, is nevertheless the seat of serious injuries, as BLOOD HAMBLETONIAN;—the name of A HORSE whose performances have ranked him in an equal degree of retrospective celebrity with Eclipse, Highflyer, Diomed, and the most famous runners of the past or present day. He was bred by Mr. Hutchinson, of Skipton, near York, and foaled in 1792; was got by King Fergus; dam by Highflyer; grand-dam by Matchem.—1795. May 5, when three years old, he won a stakes of fifteen guineas each, over Hambleton, (five subscribers,) beating Sober Robin, Tarquin, and another. At York, May 20th, he won a sweepstakes of twenty guineas each, four subscribers. He was then purchased, with all his engagements, by Sir C. Turner, Bart. in whose possession he won, on the 27th of August, at York, a sweepstakes of 100 guineas each, (six subscribers,) beating Benjamin, Minus, and Maximus. Two days after he won a sweepstakes of fifty guineas each, four subscribers. At Doncaster, the 22d of September, he won the St. Leger stakes of twenty-five guineas each, twelve subscribers. The next day he won the GOLD CUP of 100 guineas value, four miles, beating Governor, Capsicum, and Bradamant. 1796. At the York August meeting he won a subscription purse of 227l. 10s. beating Spread Eagle, Sober Robin, and another. The next day he won the ladies' plate, beating Lord Darlington's St. George. At this period of his uninterrupted success, he was purchased by Sir Henry Tempest Vane, Bart. and at Doncaster, September 28, won the GOLD CUP of 100 guineas value, beating Sober Robin, Ambrosio, and three others. In the Newmarket Houghton meeting, November 2, he beat Mr. Tatton's Patriot (who was got by Rockingham) over the Beacon Course for 1000 guineas. 1797. Monday in the Newmarket Craven meeting, he won the Craven stakes of ten guineas each, beating Sober Robin, Bennington, Paynator, Hermione, Parisot, Cymbeline, and five others. The same day he received 250 guineas forfeit from Spread Eagle. On Thursday, in the same week, he beat Lord Clermont's Aimator, Beacon Course, 300 guineas. At York, August 23, he won one third of the great subscription of 25 guineas each, (25 subscribers,) to which was added a 50l. plate given by the city. The next day he won another third of the same subscription, with an additional 50l. plate by the City, beating Beningbrough, Trimbush, and Brilliant. At Doncaster, the 27th of September, he won the stakes of ten guineas each, (ten subscribers,) with twenty guineas added by the In 1798 he was slightly lame, and never started. 1799. Monday, in the Craven meeting at Newmarket, he beat Mr. Cookson's famous horse Diamond, over the Beacon, for 3000 guineas, with the odds of five to four in his favour, on account of his superiority in size and strength; it being jocularly observed by the rider of Diamond at starting, that it seemed "a little like a race between a mare and her colt." This match was the greatest in popularity ever known from one extremity of the kingdom to the other, and was decided before one of the fullest meetings ever seen at Newmarket. It was won by no more than three parts of a length, to effect which the winner had felt the utmost force of the spur; and, it was generally believed, if they had then one hundred yards farther to have ran, Diamond would have been the winner; in proof of the justice of which opinion, Mr. Cookson challenged a repetition of the match, which was declined. At Doncaster the same year, he won the renewed stakes of ten guineas each, (fourteen subscribers, with twenty guineas added by the Corporation,) beating eight of the best horses in the north of England. In 1800 he won the great subscription HAND—is the term for a mode of measurement by which the height of A HORSE is ascertained. A HAND (so called originally from its breadth) is four inches; three hands is consequently one foot; and A HORSE OF FIFTEEN HANDS is exactly five feet high; and so above or below in proportion; as thirteen hands three inches; fourteen hands and a half; or fifteen hands three inches and a quarter; as the measure may be. This, at the entrance of horses for GIVE and take plates, is regulated to a most scrupulous nicety by means of a standard, so curiously constructed, as to ascertain the exact height to the eighth of an inch, where horses are MATCHED to carry WEIGHT for inches. Bridle-hand: the left hand is so termed, in contra-distinction to the right, which is called the WHIP-HAND; and the most experienced jockies in racing, always take the whip-hand, if possible; it There are many sporting phrases in which the word HAND becomes particularly emphatic. To say a horse is LIGHT in HAND, implies his being playful, lively, champing his bit, firm upon his haunches, and not dwelling upon the ground with his fore feet. A horse is HEAVY in HAND, when, bearing his weight upon the bit, and lifting his fore legs with reluctance, he goes boring on, with no other sensation to the rider, than an eternal fear of his pitching upon his head. A vicious horse, breaking away with his rider, seems a dreadful sight to a spectator, but can never be attended with misfortune, if the rider is a good HORSEMAN, and has him "well in hand," which is, in fact, the power of "gathering him together," or stopping his career at pleasure. Although the left is technically termed the BRIDLE-HAND, yet a good horseman, or experienced sportsman, will use either right or left with the most perfect ease and dexterity; to effect which with the greater freedom, young horsemen should constantly Hand-gallop is that easy kind of pacing adapted to the aged and infirm, who wish to obtain every possible degree of motion, most consonant to bodily ease; it is the degree of equestrian action synonimous with, and more universally known by, the denomination of CANTER; which is, in fact, the slowest, or most contracted gallop, and can only be enjoyed by those who possess horses of good temper, and well broke for the purpose. A COLT said to be "taken in hand," implies his being brought from his wild state of nature, to be handled, quieted, led about, and stabled, previous to his being broke in for the SADDLE or HARNESS. A horse's FORE-HAND includes the fore quarters, from the withers upwards to the tip of the ears; the principal beauty and attraction of which depend HANDICAP—is a sporting term, applicable to either MATCH, PLATE, or SWEEPSTAKES, in the following way: A, B, and C, put an equal sum into a hat. C, who is the handicapper, makes a match for A and B, who, when they have perused it, put their hands into their pockets, and draw them out closed; then they open them together, and if both have money in their hands, the match is confirmed; if neither have money, it is no match: in either of these cases, the handicapper C draws all the money out of the hat: but if one has money in his hand, and the other none, it is then no MATCH; and he that has the money in his hand, is entitled to the whole deposit in the hat. A HANDICAP PLATE is the gift of an individual, or raised by SUBSCRIPTION, for which horses are generally declared the day before running, at a certain hour, by written information privately delivered to the Clerk of the Course, whose province it is to make out the list, and hand it to the Steward of the Race; when the weight each horse must carry is irrevocably fixed, (by whoever HANDING—is sometimes used to express the HANDING of a COCK during his battle in the pit. It is, however, considered merely provincial, and peculiar only to some particular parts of the country; the hander of the cocks being now more generally known by the denomination of a SETTER-TO.—See Cockpit Royal. HANDLING,—a term applied by COCKERS to the judicious handling of a COCK, when brought up from his walk, to ascertain whether he is in proper condition to be placed in the PENS, and prepared to fight in either the MAIN BATTLES, or the byes. This is done by a particular mode of taking the girt of the body by grasp, to discover the shape and substance, the bone, the probable strength, as well as the firmness or flaccidity of the flesh; upon the aggregate of which so much depends, that in proportion to these qualifications, he is ACCEPTED or rejected accordingly. HARBOUR—is a sporting term, applicable solely to DEER, and used only in STAG HUNTING; when going to covert, and drawing for an out-lying HARE.—This small, harmless, inoffensive animal affords a greater diversity of sport in the field, and a greater degree of luxurious entertainment upon the table, than any species of GAME in this, or, probably, in any other country. The form, shape, and make of the HARE is too universally known to require description; but the most curious naturalists describe, and affect to believe, there are four kinds of hares in different parts of the kingdom. The fact is not so; the species is strictly the same; but they are known to differ in size, speed, substance, and somewhat in colour, according to the soil, climate, fertility, or sterility, of the country where they are bred. Hares in hilly and mountainous countries are smaller, but more fleet than any other; those who are the natives of low, wet, marshy ground, or moors, are larger, but less firm and delicious in flesh, as well as less nimble in action. Hares bred in open countries, diversified with woods, parks, and arable lands, are in size between both, and afford the best coursing before GREYHOUNDS, as well as the longest chases before HOUNDS. Every part of the hare is admirably formed for the promotion The sense of SMELLING, as well as of HEARING, the hare possesses in a more exquisite degree than any other animal; the latter of which may be justly attributed to the great length, and singular formation, of the ears, so well adapted to receive the slightest vibration of sound, which even the earth is so well known to convey. Its sense of smelling is so incredibly nice, that the hare can wind an enemy (either man or beast) at a considerable distance, particularly in the stillness of the night; this is evidently occasioned by the elastic formation of the nostrils, and the depth of the division between both, from whence has arisen the appellation of a hare-lip, with which defect some of the human species are afflicted, in consequence of fright to the mother during the early months of pregnancy. The ears seem to be the regulators of almost every action; for during the chase one is always erect, the other horizontal; unless in suddenly coming upon an unexpected object, when they are for a moment both erect; but, upon turning and renewing her speed, they invariably resume their former position. The EYES of the HARE, from the peculiar prominence of their formation, enable her to distinguish objects in almost every direction, without altering the position of either her head or her body; and it is remarkable, that their sight in a straight forward line seems less perfect than in any other. The natural timidity of the hare is excessive; she exists in perpetual fear, and is tremblingly alive to every breeze that can possibly produce alarm. Formed entirely for RUNNING, she either possesses no power, or makes no attempt to walk, but in her slowest motion proceeds by JUMPS. The food of the hare varies with the season, and consists chiefly of young clover, green wheat, short sweet grass in parks or upon lawns; and in the winter, parsley, turnip greens, and other succulent plants. During severe frosts, or deep snow, they make no small havock amongst young fruit-trees and fragrant shrubs, by nibbling the bark, thereby retarding their growth, if not (as is frequently the case) promoting their destruction. It is asserted by Mr. Daniel, in his publication called "Rural Sports," that the plantations of a GENTLEMAN in the county of Suffolk, had suffered so much in this way, that, in defence of his improvements, he felt himself under the necessity of destroying his HARES, when no less than five hundred and forty brace fell victims on the occasion. The almost perpetual and incredible destruction of HARES, by HUNTING, COURSING, SHOOTING, and the nocturnal net and wire of the poacher, (as well as the infinite increase to supply that destruction,) having occasioned suggestions, that they possess the property of SUPERFŒTATION, it becomes immediately applicable to introduce a remark or two under that head. We are told by Mr. Daniel, that "Sir Thomas Brown, in his Treatise on Vulgar Errors, asserts this circumstance from his own observation: and Buffon describes it as one of this animal's peculiar properties, introducing an idea of hermaphrodite hares; as well as that the males sometimes bring forth young; that they are alternately MALES and FEMALES, occasionally performing the functions of either sex." Nothing can be more contemptible and ridiculous than such conjectures; they are the very essence of mental fertility; and it must suffice to admit, that Sir Thomas Brown and Buffon were not inquisitive sportsmen, or not scientifically acquainted with the parts necessary to generation. For want of information so very easily to be obtained, some one of these speculative writers promulgated an erroneous assertion, every day liable to the most palpable confutation; "that in the formation of the genital parts of the MALE HARE, the testicles do not appear on the outside of the body, but are contained in the same cover with the intestines." It should seem these authors write more The natural fecundity of HARES almost exceeds belief; they continue to breed for nine months out of the twelve; and leverets (young hares) are frequently found and chopped by the hounds in January, when the winter has been mild. The doe hare goes a month after conception, and at her first produce seldom brings forth more than two, afterwards three, and sometimes four. Whenever the number exceeds two, it is a received (and generally believed just) opinion, that each of the young has a white star in the forehead, which, however, is gradually obliterated as they approach maturity. The dam is supposed to suckle them about one-and-twenty days; but takes care to separate them before that time, and deposits them individually in such forms as she has previously prepared for their reception, at a considerable distance from each other; but so situate, that she can afford maternal protection to the whole. Their prolific powers, and perpetual increase, will create no surprise, when we are respectably informed, that a brace of hares, The length of a hare's natural life is limited to six or seven years, and they reach their full growth in eight or nine months. The male is by much the smallest, seldom exceeding in weight five or six pounds; but the females, particularly in some very rich and fertile counties, weigh from seven to eight: some few instances have been known of their weighing nine pounds, after being paunched. The hare is supposed to be in gentle motion all night during the summer months, and a great part of it in the dreary nights of winter; during the length of which their works are of such immense perplexity, (in heads, doubles, and circles,) that little expectation is entertained of finding a hare by the trail, unless the field is taken early in the morning, soon after she is gone to seat; which is seldom, if ever, before the dawn of day; and in the summer months, very frequently not till long after day-light. The HARE till full grown is called A LEVERET, and at any age is very difficult to be found sitting; so nearly does the downy fleak (when close contracted) approach the colour of the ground. In this position the old and experienced SPORTSMAN will declare the gender of the hare before it is started. The head of the male is short and round, the whiskers longer, the slit in the nose wider, the shoulders more ruddy, and the ears shorter and broader, than those of the female; the head of which is long and narrow; the ears long, and sharp at the tip; the fur of the back of a dingey hue, inclining to black, and of superior size to the male. When a hare is observed in its FORM, it may be easily ascertained, by the ears only, whether it is a BUCK or DOE; and this is a useful kind of knowledge, particularly at the latter part of the season, when no man, but a hardened poacher, or pot-hunting sportsman, would turn out a female hare before either HOUND or GREYHOUND, where there is a chance of destroying a leash, or two brace, by the wanton destruction of one. If the hare found sitting is A BUCK, the ears will be seen drawn close in a parallel line with each other, directly over the shoulders, pointing straight down the back; but if A DOE, the ears are distended on each side of the neck, having a space between them in the centre. In the chase, a Jack hare, (as Hares bred upon the downs, or in hilly countries, are always the stoutest, and best enabled to escape from GREYHOUNDS; of which they are so conscious, that they always make for the nearest rising ground, so soon as started. When so severely distrest that they plainly perceive there is no other means of escape, they will take to a brick or wooden drain for security, or even run to earth, if one should luckily present itself in the emergency. They are thought to foresee a CHANGE in the WEATHER, and to regulate their sitting accordingly. After harvest they are found in stubbles, banks of hedges, woods, and thickets; during the fall of the leaf, they seat themselves more in open fields; and when the severity of winter begins to decline, warm, dry, hilly fallows are hardly ever without them. As one species of GAME, they are held in high estimation; and, notwithstanding the utmost efforts, by every degree of interdiction, with all the pains and penalties that successive parliaments could devise, from Richard the Second —is a well-known sport, of very ancient and enthusiastic enjoyment, reported, by the most celebrated ANTIQUARIES, to have been established more than two thousand years before the Christian Æra. Various opinions have been occasionally promulgated, and perseveringly supported, (by cynical rigidity, and religious severity,) upon the "cruelty of the chase;" which, however, is now never likely to be shaken in either theory or practice, as to almost every PACK OF HOUNDS in the kingdom there are clerical devotees, who are by no means unworthy MEMBERS of the CHURCH. Hare-hunting, though universal in every part of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, is in the highest estimation in those open and champaign Hare-hunting, when put in competition with the pursuit of STAG or fox, is much more gratifying to the ruminative and reflecting mind, than either of the other two; as it affords a more ample field for minute observation upon the instinctive sagacity of the GAME, and the patient, persevering fortitude of the HOUND, in the various heads, turns, and doubles, of the chase. Hence it is that hare-hunting is principally followed, and most enjoyed, by sportsmen in the decline of life; but with the younger branches it is held in very slender estimation, as they in general appreciate the excellence of sport more by the difficulty in pursuing it, than by its duration. Hare-hunting, in a woody or inclosed country, is such a perpetual routine of repetition within a small sphere, affording no more than a continual succession of the same thing, that with a zealous rider, and a high-mettled horse, it soon palls upon the appetite of both. Young men, from emulative motives, (naturally appertaining to their time of life,) feel a pressing propensity to encounter obstacles, and surmount difficulties, where the effect of vigour and manly courage can be displayed, and consequently prefer the kind of chase where personal fortitude, and bodily exertion, are brought more to the proof; and where, by covering a larger scope of country, and with a much greater proportional rapidity, a more pleasing and extensive variety is obtained. Another cause of mortification constantly presents itself to young sportsmen with HARRIERS, or BEAGLES, in the field: a valuable horse, or a bold rider, are equally unnecessary in HARE-HUNTING, and this is eternally brought to an incontrovertible proof; for after a burst of five minutes, in which a perfect hunter has an opportunity of displaying his speed, and, after clearing some dangerous leaps, a sudden turn or double of the HARE, brings him by the side of a rustic upon a poney of five pounds value, who is nine times out of ten as forward as himself. The infinite time lost in finding, where hares are not in great plenty; the frequency of faults; the persecuting tediousness of cold hunting; and the injury done to HORSES in drizzling dreary days, during hours of slow action, are great drawbacks to the pleasure this species of hunting would otherwise afford. Moderate sportsmen will never avail themselves of immoderate means to occasion a contraction of their own sport, by a wanton or unnecessary destruction of hares; too great a body of hounds should never be brought into the field, or any unfair modes adopted during the chase: pricking a hare in the paths, or upon the highways, as well as placing emissaries upon the soil, are paltry, mean, and disgraceful artifices, that no genuine, well-bred, HONEST SPORTSMAN, will ever permit; but candidly acknowledge, if the HOUNDS cannot Mr. Beckford, who is a perfect master of this subject, has so completely investigated, and minutely explained, every particular appertaining to the chase of both HARE and FOX, that as it is absolutely impossible to suggest an idea, or communicate a thought, but what must carry with it the appearance of plagiarism; it will be more candid, (evidently more honest) to introduce occasional passages in his own words, as language more expressive, by which they will be infinitely better understood. He says, "By inclination he was never a hare-hunter; but followed the diversion more for air and exercise than amusement; and if he could have persuaded himself to ride on the turnpike road to the three mile stone, and back again, he never should have thought himself in need of a pack of harriers." He then apologizes to "his brother HARE-HUNTERS for holding the sport so cheap, not wishing to offend; alluding more relatively to his own particular situation in a country where hare-hunting is so bad, that it is more extraordinary he should Custom has greatly varied in the practice of HARE-HUNTING during the last thirty years: at that time the hounds left the kennel at day-light, took trail upon being thrown off, and soon went up to their GAME; which having the pleasure to find by their own instinctive sagacity, they pursued with the more determined alacrity: a brace or leash of hares were then killed, and the sport of the day concluded, by the hour it is now the fashion for the company to take the field. As the trail of a hare lays both partially and imperfectly when it gets late in the day, so the difficulty of finding is increased, in proportion to the lateness of the hour at which the hounds are thrown off; hence it is that HARE-FINDERS, so little known at that time, are now become so truly instrumental to the sport of the day. Although their services are welcome to the eager and expectant sportsman, yet it is on all hands admitted, they are prejudicial to the discipline of hounds; for having such assistance, they become habitually idle, and individually wild: expecting the game to be readily found for them, they become totally indifferent to the task of finding it themselves. Hounds of this description know the hare-finder as well as they know the HUNTSMAN, and will not only, upon sight, set off to meet him, but have eternally their heads thrown up in the air, in expectation of a view HOLLOA! With all well-managed packs, they are quietly brought up to the place of meeting; and when thrown off, a general silence should prevail, that every hound may be permitted to do his own work. Hounds well bred, and well broke to their business, seldom want assistance. Officious intrusions frequently do more harm than good: nothing requires greater judgment, or nicer observation in speaking to a hound, than to know the critical time when a word is wanting. Young men, like young hounds, are frequently accustomed to babble when newly entered, and, by their frivolous questions or conversation, attract the attention of the hounds, and insure the silent curse of the HUNTSMAN, as well as the contemptuous indifference of every experienced sportsman in the field. Whenever a hare is turned out of her form, or jumps up before the hounds, a general shout of clamorous exultation too frequently prevails, by which the hare's intentional course is perverted, and she is often headed, or turned into the body of the HOUNDS to a certain death; when, on the contrary, was she permitted to go off with less alarm, and to break view, without being so closely pressed at starting, there is no doubt but much better runs would be more generally obtained. Individual emulation, or individual obstinacy, invariably occasions horsemen in hare-hunting to be too near the hounds, who, being naturally urged by the rattling of the horses, and the exulting zeal of the riders, often very much over-run the scent, and have no alternative but to turn and divide amidst the legs of the horses, so soon as they have lost it; and to this circumstance may be justly attributed many of the long and tedious faults which so frequently occur, and render this kind of chase the less attracting. Gentlemen who keep HARRIERS vary much in their modes of hunting them; but the true sportsman never deviates from the strict impartiality of the chase. If a hare is found sitting, and the hounds too near at hand, they are immediately drawn off, to prevent her being chopped in her form: the hare is then silently walked up by the individual who previously found her, and she is permitted to go Those of nicer sensations enjoy the sport, but enjoy it much more mercifully; and would rather see their own hounds occasionally beaten, than, by any unfair or unsportsman-like introduction, kill their hare. These never permit a profusion of vociferous assistance from the huntsman, who is enjoined to an almost silent execution of his own duty, that the hounds may not be prevented (by his noise) from a strict and attentive performance of theirs. If they throw up, upon a dry or greasy fallow, a footpath, a highway, or a turnpike-road, When hounds come to a check, not a horse should move, not a voice should be heard: every hound is eagerly employed, exerting all his powers for a recovery of the scent, in which, if not officiously obstructed, they will most probably soon succeed. At such times there is generally, and unluckily, some popinjay in the field, who, unfortunately for himself, never speaks but upon the most improper occasion; rendering, at such moment, the judicious observation of Mr. Beckford truly None, but weak or inexperienced sportsmen, ever presume to obtrude their opinions when hounds are at fault; those who do it, soon find the interference is ill-timed, and that it only excites a contemptuous indifference. Strangers cannot be too cautious and circumspect in the field, if they wish to avoid just reproofs, and not to encounter rebuffs: some there are, whose hard fate it is to become HARE NETS—are of two sorts, one of which will be found described under the head "Gate-nets;" the other are called PURSE-NETS, and are exactly in the form of cabbage-nets, but of larger and stronger construction. These occasionally afford collateral aid to the former; for being fixed at the different meuses (either in hedges, or to paling) where HARES are expected to pass, and the ground being scoured by a mute lurcher, as there described, the destruction is certain. These nets are the nocturnal engines of old and experienced POACHERS, doing more mischief where hares are plenty, in one "HARK FORWARD!"—is a sporting exclamation, well known in the practice of the field, and affords to every distant hearer, authentic information, that the hounds are a-head, and going on with the chase. It sometimes happens, that, in very large and thick coverts, no man or horse existing can be in with the hounds; at which times (particularly in stormy weather) recourse must be had to every means for general accommodation. The best sportsmen are often thrown out for miles, and not unfrequently for the day, by various turns of the CHASE in COVERT, and then breaking up the wind on a contrary side, leaving every listening expectant in an awkward predicament, if not relieved by the friendly communication of "HOIC FORWARD!" from one to another, enabling the whole to continue the sport. HARE-PIPES—were instruments so curiously constructed, to imitate the whining whimper of A HARE, that, being formerly found a very destructive nocturnal engine in attracting the attention of hares, and bringing them within the certain possession of the POACHER, their use was prohibited (by particular specification) in every Act of Parliament for the preservation of game, from the reign of Richard the Second, to the present time; although HARRIERS—are the species of hound appropriated solely to the pursuit of the HARE, and from thence derived their present appellation. The breeding experiments so long made, and the various crosses so repeatedly tried, by the best judges in the kingdom, seem at length to have centered between the old southern and the dwarf fox hound. Mr. Beckford, whose "Thoughts" no sensible man, or judicious sportsman, will presume to dispute, was entirely of this opinion, and proved it by his practice; for he says, "his hounds were a cross of both these kinds, in which it was his endeavour to get as much bone and strength, in as small a compass as possible. It was a difficult undertaking. He bred many years, and an infinity of hounds, before he could get what he wanted, and had at last the pleasure to see them very handsome; small, yet very bony: they ran remarkably well together; ran fast enough; had all the alacrity that could be desired, and would hunt the coldest scent. When they were thus perfect, he did as many others do—he parted with them." Notwithstanding the criterion of excellence thus laid down, the same sort of hound (as a harrier) is by no means applicable to every soil: the HART—is the sporting term synonimous with Stag, (which SEE,) and was, in all forest laws and records, constantly in use to signify the same. At present, however, it is considered almost obsolete, and never so expressed in sporting report, or conversation. HART ROYAL.—A stag hunted by KING or QUEEN, obtaining his perfect liberty by beating the hounds, was formerly called a hart royal; and proclamation was immediately made, in the towns and villages of the neighbourhood where he was lost, that he should not be molested, or his life attempted by any farther pursuit; but that he should continue in a state of unrestrained freedom, with power to return to the FOREST or CHACE from whence he was taken at his OWN FREE WILL. This ceremony is, HAUNCH and HIP—of a horse, have been hitherto (but not with strict propriety) used in a similar sense: nice observers might say one begins where the other ends, or that one immediately succeeds the other. The haunch is that part of the hind quarter extending from the point of the hip-bone, down the thigh to the hock; but as it is a part well known, and but little subject to partial disease or accident, it lays claim to no particular description. The term of "putting a horse upon his haunches," implies the making him constantly fix the principal weight of the frame upon his hind quarters, by which practice he bears less upon the bit, and becomes habitually light in hand. Horses hard in mouth, and heavy in hand, frequently undergo the ceremony of being put upon their HAUNCH of VENISON—implies the hind quarter of a FALLOW DEER, (either buck or doe,) cut in a particular form for the table. The hind quarter of a STAG, or HIND, also passes under the same denomination; but it is more applicable to form a distinction, and call the former a haunch of venison; the latter, a haunch of red deer. HAW.—The haw is that cartilaginous part of a horse's eye, plainly perceptible at the inner corner next the forehead, which internally constitutes a circular groove for the easier acceleration of the eye in its orbit. When confined within its natural and proper sphere, it is but just in sight, when taking a front view of the horse; but when it has acquired a preternatural degree of enlargement, it protrudes over part of the orb, partially obstructs the sight, particularly in that direction, and constitutes no small disfiguration of the horse. Ingenuity heretofore suggested the possibility of extirpation with the knife, which operation has been frequently performed, but with too little success to justify a continuance of the practice. It having been found, that when the haw was taken away by a regular process,
HAWKS,—as birds of prey, are divided into two sorts, called long and short winged hawks: of the former there are ten, and of the latter eight; but their names, and particular description, is so remote from the language and manners of the present time, and their use so nearly obsolete, that the least animadversion would prove entirely superfluous. HAWKING—was some centuries since a sport of much fashion and celebrity; the HAWKS being as regularly broke and trained to the pursuit and taking of game, as are the best SETTERS and POINTERS of the present day. It is, however, so completely grown into disuse, and buried in oblivion, that there does not appear the least glimmering of its ever attaining a chance of SPORTING resurrection. HAY—is the well-known article of grass, cut in its most luxuriant and nutritious state during the months of June and July; when the succulent parts, tending most to putrefaction, being extracted by the powerful rays of the sun, it acquires (if the season should prove dry, and favourable for the operation) a degree of fragrancy nearly equal to a collection of aromatic herbs. Hay, in this state, is a most attracting sort of ALIMENT to horses of every description, and is so truly grateful to the appetite, that it is often accepted when corn is refused. Of hay there are different kinds; as MEADOW hay, CLOVER hay, and SAINFOIN. The first is called natural grass, as the spontaneous produce of what is termed pasture land: the two latter are deemed artificial, as being cultivated upon arable land, and affording crops of only BIENNIAL and TRIENNIAL duration; when the fertility of which is so far exhausted, as to render a crop of the ensuing year an unprofitable prospect, the land is ploughed up, to undergo its regular routine of cultivation, when crops of this description are renewed, by sowing the seed previously preserved for the purpose. Fine, rich, short, fragrant meadow hay, has by much the preference with the SPORTING world; as well as with all those who employ horses in light work, and expeditious action: it varies much in its property; not more in respect to the manner in Clover hay is produced in most counties in the kingdom; it is generally sown with BARLEY, sometimes with OATS, and least of all with WHEAT: it constitutes, upon dry ground, a profitable and convenient pasture in the autumn, and affords its general crop the following season. If luxuriant, it is mown twice in the same summer; but the second crop is not considered equal in value to the first. Sainfoin is rather an article of necessity than choice, and very little known in some parts of England, where nature has been more liberal in her diversity of vegetation: it is principally cultivated in the upland counties, where neither a meadow, stream, or rivulet, is to be seen for a great number of miles in succession. Many very extensive farms in the lower counties west of the metropolis, feel the want of pasture land, not having a single acre of meadow or natural grass in possession. Necessity, the mother of invention, has, however, HAYS—are a particular kind of nets for taking RABBITS and HARES, the use of which are proscribed in almost every Act to be found in the penal statutes for the PRESERVATION of GAME. They are made from sixty to one hundred and twenty feet long, and six feet deep; constituting the most destructive engine of any ever yet invented to strip a country, by the mode in which they are used. They are only in the possession of POACHERS of the first magnitude, (in the neighbourhoods of PARKS, HARE WARRENS, and PRESERVES,) by whose desperate and determined nocturnal exertions the WHOLESALE trade of the metropolis is invariably supplied. HAYWARD—is a manorial parochial officer, appointed to preserve the privileges, and protect the rights, immunities, and cattle, of those who are entitled to commonage of certain lands, wastes, &c. He derives from his appointment, authority to drive his district at stated periods, well known in its vicinity; to impound strays, and to prevent nuisances of diseased cattle; or any other impropriety of cattle breaking bounds, and destroying fences, of which it comes within the intent of his office to take cognizance. To all which there are certain local HAZARD—is, beyond a doubt, the most fashionable and fascinating GAME ever yet invented for the expeditious and instantaneous transfer of immense sums from one hand to another. It is a GAME of CHANCE; and, when fairly played, is the FAIREST upon which a stake can possibly be made, from one guinea to a THOUSAND, or to any amount whatever; the winning or losing of which is decided with so much rapidity, that the adventurer can never be more than a few moments in suspense, although he may be many years in REPENTANCE. Hazard is the game of nocturnal celebrity, by which the best estates have been impoverished, and immense property destroyed: it is played with a box and pair of dice, and is of considerable antiquity, as noticed by Shakespeare in Richard the Third, whom he has made to say,
The person holding the BOX is called the Caster, who having been set as much money by the surrounding company (or any individual) as he proposes to throw for, and the STAKE or STAKES being The main and chance being proclaimed by the Groom Porter, odds are generally laid between the throws (upon the termination of the event) according to the numbers opposed to each other, and according to the scale by which all bets upon the game are regulated, and strictly observed. The Caster may, or may not, engage in any of these bets, which he very frequently does, as a hedge (or fence) to his own stakes, when the odds are six to four, or TWO to ONE, in his favour: at any rate, he continues to throw the dice in succession, till either the main or chance appears: if the main is When a Caster has thrown in (that is, has won) three times in succession, it is termed "a BOX HAND," and he then pays half a guinea to the Groom Porter, for the privilege of playing, the use of box and dice, negus, &c. provided for the accommodation of the company. The box continues in the Caster's possession so long as he continues to throw in, (paying an additional half guinea every third time of winning;) but the first time he loses, he resigns the box to the player sitting next to him, unless he requests, and is permitted to renew his own play, which is then called taking "a back hand." There are more minute distinctions, as well as a fixed table of the odds during the play; but they are too long for insertion; and could not be so clearly comprehended by theory, as understood by practice. HEAD.—The correct formation of a horse's head is so indispensibly necessary to the striking HEAD, pain in.—Horses, it is supposed and admitted, may be subject to pains in the head; and that such pains may proceed from causes it is impossible to explore. As, therefore, every attempt at definition must rest upon conjecture, it is evidently better not to advance opinions founded upon uncertainty, by which many may be misled, none either INSTRUCTED or ENTERTAINED. For symptoms, see Ears. HEAD of a DEER. See Antlers. HEAD-STALL—is the part of a caveson, bridle, or hunting-rein halter, which passes round, HEATH-FOWL—are a species of GROUSE, (passing under the denomination of BLACK GAME,) of which there are different sorts, individually expressed in the various acts of successive Parliaments for the preservation of the game; as "GROUSE, HEATH-COCK, MOOR-GAME, or any such fowl." To prevent the general destruction that must evidently follow, if game of this description was pursued and taken at all seasons of the year without restraint, the Legislature has wisely provided a remedy by the following prohibition, exclusive of the penalties annexed to other Acts for killing without the necessary qualifications. By the 13th George Third, c. lv. s. 2, No person shall kill, destroy, carry, sell, buy, or have in his possession, any HEATH-FOWL, commonly called black game, between the tenth day of December and the twentieth day of August; nor any GROUSE, commonly called red game, between the tenth day of December and the twelfth day of August; nor any BUSTARD between the first day of March and the first day of September, in any year, upon pain of forfeiting, for the FIRST OFFENCE, a sum not exceeding TWENTY, nor less than ten pounds; and for the SECOND, and every subsequent offence, a sum HEAVIER.—A STAG deprived of his testicles by CASTRATION, is then called a HEAVIER, which operation is occasionally performed, that a supply may not be wanting for the CHASE during the time of rutting; in which the STAG is perpetually ranging from one HIND to another, for three weeks or longer; not allowing himself the comforts of FOOD, SLEEP, or REST. Towards the termination he becomes lean, languid, and dejected; when, having executed the task prescribed by Nature, he withdraws himself from society, to seek repose and food. At this period he is so ill-adapted for SPORT with the HOUNDS, that the operation of castrating was adopted as an alternative to the temporary suspension of the ROYAL CHASE. It is worthy of remark, that if a stag undergoes the operation when his horns are SHED, they never grow again; on the contrary, if it is performed while the horns are in perfection, they will never exfoliate; and it is equally remarkable, that being deprived of only one testicle, the horn will not regenerate on that side, but will continue to grow, and annually shed on the other, where the single testicle has not been taken away. Heaviers are of great strength, and stand a long time before hounds; for .—A horse is said to be heavy in hand, when, from want of spirit, he goes sluggishly on, bearing his whole weight upon the BIT; as if the hand of the rider alone prevented his pitching upon his head; and this to a good horseman is one of the most unpleasing defects a HORSE can possess. Horses of this description should be rode in a Weymouth bridle, (see Bit,) and constantly made to feel the CURB rein; when at the same moment, that useful monitor the spur should be brought into brisk and sudden contact with the body; a perseverance in which practice will be found the only mode to remedy the inconvenience. See Hand. HEELS.—The heels of a horse, critically speaking, imply only that part of the hoof which is the very reverse of the toe; seated behind, and forming the back of the foot, across the widest end of the frog, extending from one point of the heel to the other. Custom has, however, so far extended both the idea and the expression, that in the present general acceptation of the word, it is admitted to include the feet as high as the fetlock-joint; so that the heels are subject to accidents, inconveniencies, defects, and blemishes, as CRACKS, SCRATCHES, HEELS NARROW—is a defect, or inconvenience, to which HORSES are constantly subject; but they are produced much more by the officious obtrusions of ART, than any deficiency in the original formation of NATURE. Horses with narrow heels are generally those who have had very little attention paid to the state of the feet, by either MASTER or man, during the operation of SHOEING; and where the journeyman smith too often, from absolute idleness, affixes a shoe too narrow to the FOOT, and then, to increase the injury, reduces the FOOT to the dimensions of the shoe. This grievance is much easier prevented than remedied; for when once a destruction of parts has HEELER—is the person who affixes the deadly weapon called A SPUR (made of either steel or silver) to the heel of a GAME COCK, when taken from the pen previous to his being carried to the COCK-PIT to fight his battle. A hard-hitting cock, who is perpetually fighting with effect, and gives his adversary no time to stand still, or look about him, is likewise called A HEELER. HELPS, or AIDS,—are terms appertaining solely to the MANEGE and RIDING-SCHOOL, little known elsewhere, and totally unconnected with the sports of the field. Professors technically describe seven helps necessary to complete the lesson given to a horse; as the VOICE, WHIP, BIT, CALVES of the LEGS, the STIRRUPS, the SPUR, and the GROUND. HEROD,—commonly called King Herod, was the first horse of his time as A RACER, and afterwards as A STALLION. He was bred by the then Duke of Cumberland, and got by Tartar out of Cypron, who was got by Blaze; he was foaled in 1758, and, after beating every horse that could be brought against him at four, five, and six years old, he became a stallion of the first celebrity, and transmitted a greater progeny to posterity, than any other horse in the whole annals of sporting, unless Eclipse and Highflyer (his son) are admitted upon the score of equality. HIDEBOUND—is an impoverished state of the frame and system to which horses are frequently reduced, and partakes much more of neglect in food and stable discipline, than of constitutional defect, or acquired disease. A horse said to be HIDEBOUND has the appearance of being emaciated; the coat is of a dingy variegated hue, staring different ways, with a scurfy dust underneath; the skin is of an unpliable rigidity, seeming to adhere closely to the The whole, or any part of these, may originate in various causes; as a short allowance of good and healthy food, or a profusion of bad. Nothing will produce it sooner than hard work with bad keep, and a constant exposure to all weathers, in the severity of the winter season. Musty oats, mouldy hay, and winter straw-yards, are generally the harbingers of this appearance, which in all cases is very easily removed: good stable discipline, in wisping and dressing, regular daily exercise, a few mashes nightly of ground malt and bran, equal parts, followed by a cordial ball every morning, or an antimonial alterative powder nightly in the mash, will soon be found to answer every expectation, and restore the subject to good condition. HIGHFLYER—was the name of a late celebrated HORSE, that, taken "for all in all," (as a RACER and a STALLION,) far exceeded any other ever known in this kingdom. He was foaled in 1774; was got by Herod out of Rachel, who was got by Blank; her dam by Regulus, &c. He was purchased of the breeder, when a colt rising two years old, by the late Lord Bolingbroke, and was then thought to be getting too large and unpromising for any capital performances upon the HIND—is the female of the species called RED DEER, the male of which is termed A STAG: the offspring of both is, during its first year, called A CALF; and these only are the deer hunted by the King's stag-hounds. HIP-SHOT.—The DEFECT so termed is an injury frequently sustained in the HIP JOINT, but not always with the same degree of severity. It is a ligamentary twist, or distortion, by which the junction of the bones is materially affected, but not amounting to absolute DISLOCATION; although it may proceed from a variety of causes, in sudden shocks from the different prominences of, or cavities in, an uneven and irregular pavement; BLOWS, STRAINS, or WRENCHES, (in drawing heavy loads,) as well as by SLIDING, or FALLING; yet there is little doubt but it occurs much oftner from carelessness, inattention, and brutality, either by a violent blow from the post of the stable door, in being hastily led in or out, than by any other means whatever. Let what will be the cause, a cure is seldom completely effected; for as the injury is not only deeply, but critically seated, so if the horse, after any medical means have been used, is turned out to obtain strength, a repetition of work generally HOCK, or HOUGH.—The joint of the leg behind, corresponding with the knee before, is so called. Its office, in sustaining the principal weight, and various turns of the body, renders it liable to injuries, which, when they happen, are not unfrequently both severe and permanent. Bone spavins, BLOOD SPAVINS, and CURBS, are of this description. HOLD—is a term of trifling import, yet, as it appertains to the important act of propagation between the HORSE and the MARE, its emphatic signification cannot be omitted. When a mare has taken the horse, that is, when copulation is completed, a doubt generally arises, whether the MARE will hold; that is, whether she sufficiently retains the male semen to constitute CONCEPTION. The mare being brought to the horse on the ninth day, from the first time of covering, if she again receives the horse, that alone is held a sufficient proof she did not hold before: she is, nevertheless, brought again to the horse at the end of another nine days, and when she has refused twice to take the horse, she is then said to be STINTED, and no doubt entertained of her being in FOAL. HOOF.—The hoof of a horse is that hard and horny substance at the lower extremity of the legs, coming into contact with the ground, and upon which are placed shoes, made of iron, for the preservation of the feet. The hoof, to be perfect and uniform, should nearly circumscribe five eighths of a circle, with a transverse line from one point of the heel to the other, as if a segment of three eighths was taken away; in addition to which form, it should be solid in substance, smooth to the hand, and free from the contracted rings, or wrinkles, similar to those upon the horns of cattle, by which the age is ascertained. Hoofs are very different in both property and appearance, and a great deal of this depends upon the manner in which they are treated. The well-known and well-founded adage, that "Doctors differ," was never more verified than in the subject before us; previous to the necessary remarks upon which, it will be proper to point out the distinct or opposite texture and property of such hoofs, before we advert to the most applicable mode of treatment for each. The hoofs of some horses are so naturally dry, and so defective in animal moisture, that they gradually contract, become apparently compressed, and narrow at the heel, as well as acquire a degree of brittleness hardly to be believed; in which state splinters are frequently scaling off from the EDGES of the HOOF, These are the species of hoof much more susceptible of injury than any other, particularly of SANDCRACKS; defects which, when they happen, very much reduce the value of the horse if offered for sale; not more in respect to the BLEMISH, than the perpetual apprehension and expectation of his becoming irrecoverably LAME. Hoofs of this description should be plentifully impregnated with sperma-cÆti oil every night all round the foot; and the bottom should be stopped with a composition of stiff cow-dung, and the skimming of the pot in which fat meat has been boiled, previously preserved, and well incorporated for that purpose. It has been asserted by those who speculate, and propagate the report of fancy for FACT, that "unctuous or greasy applications are prejudicial to the feet," of which indefinite, vague and imperfect expression, the weak and wavering happily avail themselves, and boldly declare, under sanction of the equivocal mutation in meaning, that every thing greasy is injurious to the HOOFS. It is a degree of justice that so egregious an absurdity should be exposed. Without descending to a minute and scientific analyzation of the hoof in its animated state, to ascertain how far it is, or If the foot is held up from the litter with the hand, and with the stable-brush well impregnated with oil, so as to be left tolerably wet upon the surface, persevering patience (by holding the foot from the ground a few minutes) will prove, that the oil with which the hoof was so plentifully basted, has nearly DISAPPEARED, although no drop has fallen to the ground. What will the rigid disputant, or cynical Sceptic, oppose to this fact, when asked what is become of the OIL so recently laid on? From the fertile resources of "EXHALATION," "EVAPORATION," or even "running HOOF-BOUND.—See Compression and Heels Narrow. HORSE—is the name of the most beautiful, the most useful, and the most valuable, animal, this or any other nation has to boast: the majestic extent of his formation, the graceful ease of every motion, the immensity of his strength, the smooth The natural history, the form, and general utility, of the horse, is become so perfectly familiar to every eye, that the less will be required upon those points in explanation. The various pleasurable purposes, and useful talks, to which horses are appropriated in this country, has long since demonstrated the consistency of cultivating, by select and judicious propagation, each particular kind of stock, so as to render it individually applicable to the use for which it is intended. The numbers annually produced, and annually destroyed, within the circle of our own isle (even in time of peace) exceed common conception, and of The constantly increasing OPULENCE, or the constantly increasing LUXURY, has rendered the demand for horses so very superior to the example of any previous period, that no comparative statement of former and present value can hardly be ascertained. The fashionable rage for expeditious travelling, and of being conveyed at the rate of EIGHT or NINE miles an hour from one part of the kingdom to another, is the absolute furor of the times, and supported at an immense expence by those whose peculiar personal pride prompts them to display the advantages resulting from opulence, and the privileges from ostentation; to the incessant misery and premature destruction of thousands, whose services would be insured for years by a The different kinds of horses bred for various purposes, pass under the denomination of RUNNING HORSES, HUNTERS, CARRIAGE HORSES, CART HORSES, ROADSTERS, and HACKS. The first are propagated in the racing studs of the most opulent characters, and appropriated entirely to the decision of sporting engagements upon the TURF; many of which, after having displayed their powers in this way, then become HUNTERS of the first class, and are frequently sold at three and four hundred guineas each. Carriage horses, with which the gay and fashionable are now whirled through the western streets of the metropolis with the most incredible velocity, were formerly considered the good, safe, substantial English hunter, and might forty years since have been purchased for thirty or five-and-thirty pounds, which was at that time about the current value: they are not now, however, from the constantly accumulating demand, and incessant destruction, to be procured in a state of youth and purity, at less If superior judgment and circumspection were ever truly necessary in the selection and purchase of a HORSE, they are become doubly so, when the object of pursuit is proportionally difficult of attainment. To direct the eye, to form the judgment, and to check the natural impetuosity of the young and inexperienced purchaser, some few remarks are indispensibly necessary to shield him from the rock of fascination, upon which so many have repentantly foundered. The mind of man should never be more itself, never more adequate to the task of cool deliberation and patient observation, than in the simple examination of a horse for sale. Deception in dealing is so truly systematic, and so truly honorable in the present age, that the mind cannot be too closely fortified for It is the fixed and invariable rule with every DEALER, to affect, at first, a perfect indifference respecting the horse he wishes most to get rid of; and he always makes a point of never giving the unequivocal price of any horse till he has been seen out of the stable; during which time of shewing out, he, as well as his emissaries and attendants, are occasionally engaged in watching most attentively every trait of the intentional purchaser's countenance, anxious for a single sign of approbation, by which to regulate the magnitude of his demand; asking five, ten, fifteen, or twenty guineas more than he originally intended, in proportion as he finds the enquirer fascinated with his object of perfection, and disposed to purchase. Before the horse is brought out, it is in vain to entreat the ceremony of "figging" may be dispensed with; it is declared a custom of honor amongst the fraternity, and must be complied with. This prelude performed, and his stern thrown upon his back like the tail of a squirrel, he is literally driven into action; the WHIP (with which he is privately alarmed in his stall twenty times a day) cannot be permitted to lay dormant even This done, place yourself directly opposite to the horse's head at two yards distance, in which position, casting your eyes upon his ears, and dropping them gradually from one point to another, you command, at a single view, the effect of his countenance, the good or bad state of his EYES, the breadth of his breast, the fate of his KNEES, the appearance of SPLENTS, as well as the growth and uniformity of the FEET. Changing your place to a side view, at similar distance, you have there the curve of the CREST, the circumference of the BONE, the depth of the CHEST, the length of the BACK, the strength of the LOINS, the setting on of the TAIL, and the fashionable finish of the hind quarter; without which, individually perfect, Looking at him behind, it is instantly perceived, whether he stands well upon his legs, and is formed wide, firm and muscular across the GASKINS, or narrow and contracted, bearing what is termed a "bandy-hocked" or "cat-hammed" appearance. The same moment affords opportunity to observe, if BLOOD SPAVINS are perceptible within side, BONE SPAVINS without, or CURBS on the back of the HOCK; as well as SPLENTS upon any one of the legs, and whether he cuts either behind or before. If blood or bone spavin is observed, it is necessary to recollect (however attracting the object may be in other respects) they sooner or later produce LAMENESS to a certainty; and although they are not deemed absolutely incurable, they open a field to the disquietude and anxiety of BLISTERING, firing, &c. with the additional and consolatory ultimatum of a farrier's bill. Splents are by no means so critical, or dangerous, if seated forward upon the shank-bone, and not likely to interfere with, or vibrate in the action of the tendon, passing under the denomination of the "back sinews;" in which case, a good and otherways valuable horse need not be declined for so slight a cause, where no injury is like to be sustained. Having proceeded thus far in the examination with strict attention, it becomes equally necessary to descend minutely to the FEET, in search of CRACKS, CORNS, THRUSHES, COMPRESSION of the HOOF, NARROW HEELS, or fleshy protuberances of the inner, and consequent projection of the outer sole. The state of the WIND is next the object of enquiry, which is done by making the customary and critical experiment of pinching the GULLET or windpipe with considerable force, nearly close to, and just behind the jaw-bone: should the horse, upon such pressure, force out a sound substantial cough, (which is sometimes repeated,) the safety of the wind is ascertained: on the contrary, should nothing be produced but a faint hollow wheezing, with a palpable heaving of the flanks, the state of the wind may be justly suspected. Should any doubt arise upon the decision, (which sometimes happens with the best and most experienced judges,) let the horse be put into brisk action, and powerful exertion, when the roaring at a distance, the laboured respiration, and the preternatural heaving of the flank, after a brisk gallop of two thirds of a MILE, will determine the state of the wind, without the least chance of being mistaken. The EYES, that were only superficially noticed as matter of course in the front view, when the horse was first brought out of the stable, now become the necessary objects of minute, patient, and The AGE, if asked of a dealer, is declared "rising six" or "rising seven;" for it must be held in remembrance, that their horses are never acknowledged younger than "FIVE," or older than "SIX OFF"; and what is still more extraordinary, in addition Having gone through, with precision, all that can possibly present itself upon the score of examination, in respect to age, shape, make, figure, and action, we arrive at the very ultimatum of enquiry, respecting the WARRANTY of his being perfectly SOUND. What that warranty is, and how far it is to extend, requires a more correct and limited line of certainty than seems at present to be understood. BLEMISHES and DEFECTS are supposed by To prevent suits of such description, (which sometimes happen between gentlemen of equal honor, and strict integrity,) it is much to be wished, some direct and unequivocal mode of distinction could be legally ascertained, how far a general "warranty of soundness" is to extend, and where the line of perfection or imperfection is to be drawn; as for instance, to establish, by LAW or CUSTOM, some fixed and invariable rules, by which No juvenile or inexperienced purchaser should be too eager and hasty in his pursuits, or too easily fascinated with a seeming object of GENERAL ATTRACTION. It is exceedingly easy to purchase "in haste, and repent at leisure:" none should be instantly allured by sudden show, and short inspection; too much trial cannot be obtained, nor too much patience persevered in during the examination. The sportsman of prudence, and personal experience, never even speaks upon the price, without previously RIDING the subject in question; this he does in a remote and quiet situation, then in a busy one. In the former, mount, dismount, and mount again; survey and critically examine him in a state of nature, when calm, and at a distance from those he knows to be his persecutors as well in as out of the stable: it is for want of these precautions, that there are so many dupes to artifice, who purchase the dullest jades, without adverting for a moment to the furious effect of WHIP, SPUR, and ginger; the dealer's best friends. As it is by no means a proof of judgment to purchase hastily, so, having once purchased, it should be an invariable maxim never to part too rashly. Innumerable are the instances where horses have been disposed of in the moments of caprice, and precipitately sold for fifteen, twenty, or thirty pounds, that have afterwards produced an hundred or an hundred and fifty guineas. When a horse of Experience affords ample demonstration, that the tempers of HORSES are as much diversified as the tempers of those who RIDE or DRIVE them; and it will not be inapplicable for the young to be told, or the OLD to recollect, that a great number of horses are made restive and vicious by ill usage, and then unmercifully whipped, spurred, and beaten for being so; in corroboration of which fact, there are numbers constantly disposed of "to the best bidder," as invincibly restive, at the hammer of a Horses, when at liberty, and in a state of freedom, although they are exposed to the different degrees of heat and cold, (encountering the utmost severity of the ELEMENTS in opposite seasons,) are well known to be in more constant health, and less subject to morbidity, than when destined to the scanty confines of a STABLE, and brought into USE; the causes of which are too numerous, and too extensive, to come within the limits of a work of this kind. It is, however, to be presumed, very many of the SEVERE, DANGEROUS, and, finally, destructive disorders to which they are so constantly subject, and so perpetually liable, are produced much more by a want of care and attention in those who OWN or superintend them, than to any pre-disposing tendency The disorders to which horses are perpetually incident, may be reduced to a few distinct heads, as the acute, chronic, dangerous, infectious, and accidental; the major part of those partaking of a joint description, and technical complication. For instance, staggers, flatulent or inflammatory cholic, fevers, pleurisy, inflammation of the lungs, and strangury, may be ranked amongst the acute and dangerous. Glanders and FARCY are admitted to be infectious, and in advanced stages, incurable. The GREASE, SURFEIT, MANGE, ASTHMA, &c. may be termed chronic. Accidents and incidents include colds, coughs, swelled legs, cracked heels, wind-galls, strains, warbles, sitfasts, and a long train of trifles, by far the greater part of which originate in carelessness, inhumanity, and indiscretion. A description of all will be found under their distinct heads; and the means of alleviation and cure must be derived from the most popular practitioners, or the works of those who have written professedly upon the subject of Veterinary Medicine and Disease. Horses having for so many centuries continued to increase the ease, comfort, pleasure, and happiness, of all descriptions of people, they have at length, by the fertile invention of national financiers, Duties on Horses.
On Horses and Mules.
Duties on Carriages.
Duties on Carriages with Two Wheels.
—are persons who derive their subsistence, and obtain a livelihood, by buying and selling of horses only; and these were become so numerous in both town and country, that, either to restrain the number, or to render the occupation proportionally serviceable to the exigencies of the State, the following duties have been imposed. Every Person exercising the trade or business of a HORSE-DEALER, must pay ANNUALLY, if within London, Westminster, the Parishes of St. Mary-le-Bone, and St. Pancras, in Middlesex, Horse dealers shall cause the words "Licenced to deal in Horses," to be painted or written in large and legible Characters, either on a Sign hung out, or on some visible Place in the Front of their House, Gateway, or Stables; and if he shall sell any Horse without fixing such Token, he shall forfeit 10l. to be recovered by Action; Half to the King, and Half to the Informer. 36th George Third, c. xvii. HORSEMANSHIP—is the act of riding with ease, grace, and fortitude. It may be taken in two points of view; as those who, self-taught, become proficients equally with those who derive instruction from the SCHOOLS, of which there are many of established celebrity. Doubts, however, have arisen, and opposite opinions have been supported, whether the sportsman who has acquired the art from nature, habit, and practice, is not, in general, a more easy, graceful, expert, and courageous horseman, than the major part of those who have been in the trammels (and riding the great horse) of the most able and eminent professors. As there are but few of these schools, except in the metropolis, and excellent horsemen to be seen in every part of the kingdom, that circumstance Previous to every other consideration in the art of horsemanship, it is necessary to be well acquainted with every minute circumstance, and regular routine, of stable discipline; to know the name and use of every utensil; to comprehend the application of every distinct part of the apparatus with which a horse is caparisoned, and to understand perfectly the property of each kind of bridle, and the effect they are individually calculated to produce. These are conjunctively of such material import to safety, and such palpable proofs of judicious arrangement and solid judgment, that they may, in the aggregate, be considered the very foundation upon which the reputation of a HORSEMAN is to be formed. Preparatory to mounting, particularly for a journey, or the chase, the experienced SPORTSMAN, feeling for the frailties and inadvertencies of human nature, never trusts too much to the hands and eyes of others, when not deprived of the use of his OWN; but prudently condescends to This being done, he comes gently up to his horse, opposite the shoulder, on the near (that is the left) side: when facing the wither, he takes the reins of the bridle with a tuft of the mane firmly in his left hand, and of about the same length they are held in when mounted. The horse standing still, (which he should always be accustomed to do when mounting,) and not before, the right-hand is employed in supporting the stirrup on that side, for the reception of the left foot; when which is safely inserted, the right-hand is removed from the stirrup to the hinder part of the saddle, where it forms a support or lever to assist in raising the right leg from the ground, and to pass it gradually and steadily over the body of the horse, where it falls readily into contact with the stirrup on that side. When first the reins are taken in hand, due observance should be made of the medium they are to be held in; that is, not tight enough to make the horse uneasy, and to run back, or slack enough to afford him an opportunity to set off before his rider is firmly SEATED. When mounted, the body should be easily and pliably erect, inclining rather backwards than forwards; the weight entirely resting upon the posteriors, These remarks, properly attended to, the body will be found easy, firm, and commanding; divested of all those rockings, jerkings, and twistings, sometimes over the horse's head, at others over his tail, displaying the FEATS of an involuntary attitudinarian, seldom seen but in Hyde Park, or the environs of the Metropolis. The left-hand is termed the bridle-hand, and the left elbow must come nearly into gentle contact with the body, which it has always for its support in any sudden jump, start, or stumble, of the horse; in want of which regular bearing (if required) the hand could not be always equally steady, and would of course frequently, but unintentionally, prove a check to the horse. It is impossible to lay down fixed and invariable rules for the precise distance of the left-hand from the breast, or its heighth from the saddle; horses differ so much in their MOUTHS, that the bridle-hand must be used higher or lower, and the reins longer or shorter in proportion. The right-hand (termed, in racing, the whip-hand) should be held in a kind of corresponding uniformity with the left, acting also occasionally in the use of the reins, and the management of the mouth; and this is the more necessary, as every complete HORSEMAN, or perfect SPORTSMAN, can manage the The hand should always be firm, but delicately pliable, feelingly alive to every motion of the mouth; for, by giving and taking properly, the horse has better opportunity to display his spirit, and demonstrate the pleasure he receives, in being encouraged to champ upon the bit. As the necessary qualifications which constitute the excellence of horsemanship can never be derived from theory, and are only to be acquired by PRACTICE, it becomes concisely applicable to make such remarks, and inculcate such general instructions, as may be usefully retained in the memory of those, who, not feeling themselves too confident in their own ability, are content to avail themselves of information resulting from an experience of which they are not yet in possession. After all the trouble and expence of breaking horses, by the best and most expert professors in that way, yet there are numbers possess, by nature, and retain by habit and temper, faults and vices, not only unpleasant and inconvenient, but even unsafe and dangerous, to those who ride them. An impetuous, ill-tempered rider, who is always expecting his horse to do more than nature ever intended, will soon make the animal as petulant and refractory as himself: few passionate riders become good and humane horsemen; great patience, serenity, and some philosophy, A hot, high-spirited horse, and a fiery, petulant rider, constitute a paradoxical, heterogeneous connection; for as they support a perpetual war between them, and neither feels disposed to submit, so they continue to irritate and render each other worse than they were before. A horse, from natural sagacity, soon discovers the mildness and placidity of his rider, proportioning his own obedience and docility accordingly; of which greater proof need not be adduced, than his absolutely following the master or servant from whom he receives good usage, as well as his being left at different doors totally unconfined, in the midst of populous streets, and thronged with carriages, from whence he will not attempt to stir, till removed by the voice or hand to which he belongs. Horsemen of tenderness and reflection are ever attentive to the animal who contributes so much to their own health, happiness, or emolument; and omit no one opportunity, that presents itself, of promoting their ease and comfort in return. If the horse, from natural shyness and timidity, or probably from ill usage in the possession of a former master, is alarmed at the sight or motion of stick or whip, a rider of this description quiets his fears, by letting it gradually decline behind his Horses who are addicted to starting, do it from fear, and not from opposition; the recollection of which should instantly excite a consideration of pity and tenderness in the rider; but it is much to be regretted, so great is the depravity of the human mind, that nine times out of ten, this very fear (the palpable effect of constitutional timidity) is productive of the most severe and unmerited punishment. It is no uncommon thing to see a much greater brute than the animal he bestrides, most unmercifully beating, whipping, and spurring, a poor creature, for possessing a sensation in common with ourselves. If every one of the human species were to be beat, bruised, and crippled, for being justly alarmed at the appearance of danger, or the sight of unnatural and unexpected objects of surprize, our hospitals could never prove sufficiently capacious to receive half the patients that would be daily presented for admission. If caution, and the apprehension of danger, is thus instinctively interwoven with the very frame of MAN, is it not natural that the HORSE (who has likewise the power of seeing, hearing, and feeling) may be equally alarmed at, and afraid of, impending destruction? Will any, but the most incredulous STOIC, presume to argue, or to doubt, that the If then it is thus clearly demonstrated, and must be candidly admitted, that the true cause of a horse's STARTING is fear, what magical effect is violence on the part of the rider to produce? Nothing can more forcibly evince the passion, folly, ignorance, and inhumanity, of the lower classes, than the prevalence of this practice. That horses may be made to pass objects of dislike and dread by such means is not to be disputed; it is only presumed that lenity, patience, and mild persuasion, are the most preferable, and by far the most gentleman-like of the two. It is the business of the rider to conquer, and become master of his The use of the LEGS is a very important consideration, not only in the due correction of a HORSE that starts, but in the AIRS taught in the MANEGE; where the horse is supported and helped by the hands and legs in every action required, from whence he is technically said to perform his airs by AIDS from the rider. When a horse, in starting, begins to fly on one side, for the purpose of turning from the object he wishes to avoid, the instantaneous, strong and sudden pressure of the leg on that side counteracts his spring, and, with the joint exertion of the rein and wrist, immediately brings him straight; at which moment, the same use being made of both legs, as was just before made with one, he has no alternative, but to submit to the determined correction, and soon passes the object of dread or dislike, and proceeds in the way he is required. As the legs are of great Humanity having been already mentioned as one of the leading qualifications necessary to constitute the character of a perfect HORSEMAN, or true SPORTSMAN, (which are nearly synonimous), it invariably prompts each to insure, upon all occasions, the necessary comforts for his HORSE, before he bestows a single thought upon his own. It has been wisely observed, that the man who rides fast without a motive, never affords himself time for reflection; and that he who is always in a GALLOP, is either a fool or a madman. These remarks probably originated in an observation resulting from experience, and tolerably correct in the application; that those who ride hardest, are generally the most indifferent about the CARE of their HORSES. Those who act prudently, and with a proper attention to their own interest, will occasionally condescend to take a survey of the stable management within, as well as the enjoyment of pleasure without; HORSE-SHOE—is a plate of iron mechanically constructed for the preservation of the foot, and formed of different sizes and thickness, according to the substance, weight, and work, of the horse for whom it is made. See Shoeing and Smith. HORSE-RACING—has been a favorite sport with the superior classes for many centuries, but never arrived at any degree of local celebrity till the reign of Charles the Second; who, entering into the spirit of the TURF, and becoming personally present with the full splendor of his court, then laid the foundation of the meetings at Newmarket, which are now become so justly eminent, and where RACING has long since attained the full zenith of perfection. This sport during so many years, had undergone a variety of changes and depressions, according to the temper of the times, the dispositions of the people, and the fluctuation of events; amidst all which, it seems to have been the peculiar province of the great Duke of Cumberland (uncle of his present Majesty) to have become the principal instrument of renovation; having, by incessant exertion, and personal example, raised the spirit of the TURF to a degree of eminence and emulation, the brilliant rays of which will most probably never be totally obscured, till "time itself shall be no more." This, however, was not effected without an immensity of expence, and an incredible succession of LOSSES, to the sharks, Greeks, and black-legs of that time, by whom his Royal Highness was eternally surrounded, and incessantly pillaged; but having, in the greatness of his mind, the military maxim of "persevere and conquer," he was not to be deterred from the object of pursuit, till, having just This unexpected and severe stroke occasioned a temporary stagnation; and the general gloom, with which all the interested were for some time affected, seemed to threaten a serious suspension, if not a total annihilation; but the STUD being announced for SALE at the GREAT LODGE in Windsor Park, it afforded scope for the most fertile speculations, and those who had lost (by the Duke's death) the most striking and opulent object of their depredations, now found it prudent to form themselves into a family combination and compact, by whose indefatigable industry the sporting part of the public were most shamefully robbed for five-and-twenty years, at all the races of note for fifty miles round London; when finding, in their own phrase, that "the GAME was quite up," their persons were known, and their practices exploded, they disposed of the FAMILY STUD, withdrawing themselves as PRINCIPALS, and acting only as accessories upon private information from the subordinates, upon which the experience of years has proved a handsome subsistence is to be obtained. It is enacted by different Acts of Parliament, That no person whatsoever shall enter, start, or run any HORSE, MARE, or GELDING, for any PLATE, PRIZE, SUM of MONEY, or other thing, unless such horse, mare, or gelding, shall be truly and bona fide the property of, and belonging to, such person so entering, starting, or running the same: nor shall any person enter and start more than one horse, mare, or gelding, for one and the same plate, prize, or sum of money, under the forfeiture of the horse, horses, or value thereof. Any person that shall enter, start, or run a horse, mare, or gelding, for less value than fifty pounds, forfeits the sum of TWO HUNDRED POUNDS. Every person that shall print, publish, advertise or proclaim any money, or other thing, to be run for, of less value than fifty pounds, forfeits the sum of ONE HUNDRED POUNDS. Every race for any plate, prize, or sum of money, to be begun and ended in one day. Horses may run on Newmarket Heath, in the counties of Cambridge and Suffolk, and Black Hambleton, in the county of All and every sum and sums of money paid for entering of any horse, mare, or gelding, to start for any plate, prize, sum of money, or other thing, shall go and be paid to the second best horse, mare, or gelding, which shall start or run for such plate, prize, or sum of money, as aforesaid. Provided, that nothing therein contained shall extend, or be construed to extend, to prevent the starting or running any horse, mare, or gelding, for any plate, prize, sum of money, or other thing or things issuing out of, or paid for, by the rents, issues, and profits, of any lands, tenements, or hereditaments; or of or by the interest of any sum or sums of money chargeable with the same, or appropriated to that purpose. Every horse, mare, or gelding, entered to start or run for any plate, prize, sum of money, or other thing whatsoever, shall pay the sum of two pounds two shillings. And be it further enacted, That the owner of every horse, mare, or gelding, entered to start or run for any plate, prize, sum of money, or other thing, shall, previous to the entering or starting such horse, mare, or gelding, pay the sum of TWO POUNDS TWO SHILLINGS, as the duty for one year, into the hands of the Clerk of the Course, Book-keeper, or other person authorized to make RULES in RACING.
When HORSES are matched at CATCH WEIGHTS, each party may appoint any person to ride, without weighing either before or after the race. Give and take Plates are for horses of fourteen hands high, to carry a stated weight, above or below which more or less is to be carried, allowing seven pounds for every inch. A Whim Plate is weight for age, and weight for inches. A Post Match is made by inferring the age of the horses in the articles; and the parties possess the privilege of bringing any horse of that age to the post, without making any previous declaration whatever, of name, colour, or qualifications. A Handicap Match. See Handicap. Riders must ride their horses (after running) to the SCALES to weigh; and he that dismounts without so doing, or wants weight when weighed, is deemed a distanced horse. The HORSE, whose HEAD first reaches the ending POST wins the HEAT. If a RIDER falls from his horse, and the horse is rode in by a person who is sufficient weight, he will take place the same as if it had not happened, provided he goes back to the place where the other fell. Horse's plates (or shoes) not allowed in the weight. Horses not entitled to start, without producing a proper certificate of their age, if required, at the time specified in the articles, except where AGED horses are included; and in that case, a junior horse may enter without a certificate, provided he carries the same weight as the aged. All BETS are for the best of the plate, where nothing is said to the contrary. For the BEST of the PLATE, where there are three heats run, the horse is deemed SECOND best who wins ONE. For the BEST of the HEATS, the horse is second that beats the others twice out of three times, though he does not win a heat. In all BETS, either bettor may demand STAKES to be made; and on refusal, declare the bet void. A confirmed BET cannot be off but by mutual consent. If one of the PARTIES is absent on the DAY of RUNNING, a public declaration may be made of the BET upon the Course, accompanied with a demand, whether any person present will make STAKES for the absent party, which proportion not being acceded to, the bet may be declared void. Bets agreed to be paid or received in town, or at any other particular place, cannot be declared off on the Course. If a MATCH is made for any particular day, in any meeting at Newmarket, and the parties agree to change the day, all bets must STAND; but if run The person who lays the ODDS, has a right to chuse his HORSE or the field. When a person has chosen his horse, the field is what starts against him; but there is no field, if the horse so named has no opponent. Bets made for POUNDS, are always paid in GUINEAS. If ODDS are laid, without mentioning the horse before it is over, it must be determined as the bets were at the time of making it. Bets made in running, are not determined till the PLATE is WON, if that heat is not mentioned at the time of betting. Where a PLATE is won by two heats, the preference of the horses is determined by the places they are in at the termination of the second heat. Horses running on the wrong side of a POST, and not turning back to completely recover their ground, are distanced. Horses drawn between any of the heats, before the plate is WON, are distanced. Horses are deemed distanced, if their RIDERS cross and jostle, when the ARTICLES do not permit it. If a horse WINS the first heat, and all others draw, they are not distanced, if he starts no more; but if he starts again by himself, the drawn horses are distanced. When BETS are made after a heat upon a subsequent event, if the horse so betted upon does not start, the BETS so made are void. When three horses have EACH won a HEAT, they only must start for a fourth, and the preference between them will be determined by it, there having before been no difference between them. No horse can be distanced in a fourth heat. When the words "play or pay" are included in a BET, it is thus decided: the horse which does not appear, and be ready to start, at the time appointed, is the loser; and the other is the WINNER, although he goes over the Course by himself. In running heats, if it cannot be decided which is first, the heat is then called a DEAD HEAT, and they may all start again; unless it should happen in the last heat, and then it must be between the two horses which, if either had WON, the race would have been decided; but if between two, that by either winning the race would not have been determined, then it is no heat, and the others may all start again. Bets made upon horses WINNING any number of PLATES within the year, remain in force till the FIRST DAY of May. Money given to have a bet laid, not returned, if not run. To propose a BET, and say "done" first to it, the person who replies "done" to it, makes it a confirmed bet. Matches and BETS are void on the decease of either party before they are determined. NEWMARKET COURSESTHE
The New Roundabout Course on the Flat is nearly a mile and three quarters. The great and leading qualification of a horse bred for the TURF, is the purity of his blood, which can only be insured by the verity of his PEDIGREE, and this, to be authentic, must be signed by the BREEDER, and is in purchase and sale always transferred with the horse. The most distinguishing trait of judgment in racing, is first to ascertain the exact speed of the horse, and then to discover of what precise weight he is master; that he may not be retarded in one, by being overloaded with the other. Attentive experience with the PROFESSORS and AMATEURS for a series of years, has long since fully demonstrated, upon practical proof, (for the trials have been repeatedly made even to the key of the stable-door,) that the celerity is, in certain degrees, to be increased or impeded by the weight the horse has to carry. It will, therefore, be readily conceived, if two horses are tolerably equal in speed, strength, blood, and bone, as well as of the same year, the horse which carries the least weight by only three pounds, must, in the course of FOUR MILES, display the advantage he has over his antagonist; particularly as the longer the race, the more will the horse be affected by the weight he carries; and those who are the best and most experienced judges, hesitate not to affirm, that the addition of seven pounds weight carried by one, where both are thought of equal speed, will, if the ground is run honestly over, make the difference of a DISTANCE (two hundred and forty yards) in the four miles only. The racing weights most in use for half a century past, have been according to age and qualifications, from about seven stone seven, to nine stone twelve, or ten stone; except in matches with two years old, and yearlings at light or feather weights, and the King's hundreds, for which (till some trifling alterations lately adopted) they carried at six years old TWELVE STONE. There are, however, some NEW CLUBS, lately instituted by NOBLEMEN and GENTLEMEN of the first distinction, who hold their meetings at Bibury and Kingscote, in Gloucestershire, where the weights are advanced beyond former example to twelve or thirteen stone, upon a well-founded principle of exciting emulation in BREEDERS to pay some attention to BONE as well as to BLOOD; a most judicious and salutary improvement, considering the infinity of weeds that are annually drafted and destined to the hammer of a repository, as objects of neither value, utility, or attraction. CERTIFICATE of AGE.Raby Castle, March 1, 1803. I hereby certify that my Bay Colt, Hap Hazard, got by Sir Peter Teazle, Dam by Eclipse, was bred by me, and that he was no more than Four Years old last Grass. D—— ARTICLE of a MATCH.October 12, 1798. Sir H. T. Vane's B. Horse Hambletonian, got by King Fergus, Dam by Highflyer, now Six Years, carrying 8st. 3lb. is matched against Mr. Cookson's B. Horse Diamond, by Highflyer, (out of the Dam of Sparkler,) now Five Years old, carrying 8st. over the Beacon Course at Newmarket, on Monday in the next Craven Meeting, for 3000 Guineas, Half forfeit; with a Power reserved to alter the Day and Hour, or either, by consent. H. T. V. J. C. This match was run on Monday, March 25, 1799, and won by Hambletonian, (five to four in his favour at starting.)—See Diamond or Hambletonian. PRODUCE MATCHFOR SPRING MEETING, 1803. The Produce of Sir T. Gascoigne's Golden Locks, covered by King Fergus, against the Produce of Mr. Fox's Dam of Calomel, covered by Beningbrough, for 200 Guineas each, Half forfeit. Colts to carry 8st. Fillies 7st. 11lb. Last Mile and a Half. No Produce no Forfeit. Produce Matches, and Produce Sweepstakes, are generally made and entered into during the time such Mares are in Foal. A POST PRODUCE MATCHOF 200 GUINEAS EACH. Colts to carry 8st. 7lb. Fillies 8st. 4lb.
Each to bring the Produce of one to run over Knavesmire when Four Years old. ARTICLE for a SWEEPSTAKES.We whose Names are hereunto subscribed, do agree to run for a Sweepstakes of 50 Guineas each, over Port Meadow, on the last Day of HUNTERS SWEEPSTAKES.Rochester, —— A Sweepstakes of 10 Guineas each, for Hunters (carrying 12st. one Four Mile Heat, to be rode by Gentlemen) that have never started for Plate, Match, or Sweepstakes, and to be bona fide the Property of Subscribers, and which have been regularly hunted the preceding Season as Hunters, and not merely to have obtained the Name; and that, have never had a Sweat with an Intention to run before the first of May next ensuing. Certificates of their having hunted regularly to be produced (if required) from the Owner or Owners of the Hounds with which they have hunted; and to be named to the Clerk of the Course on or before See Jockey Club, King's Plate, Training, and Turf. HOUGH-BONY—was a term formerly used to signify an enlargement of the cap of a horse's hock, whether it was only a thickening of the integument, generally termed a callosity, or an ossification just below it. The phrase, however, is now considered entirely obsolete; and the distinction in those defects much better understood by the appellation of BLOOD SPAVIN, BONE SPAVIN, or CURB, as the case may happen to be. HOUNDS—are the well-known objects of SPORTING ATTRACTION from one extremity of the kingdom to another; possessing within themselves a fascinating power, or exhilarating property, to which all liberal minds, of congenial sensibility, become imperceptibly and irresistibly subdued; forming that kind of inexplicable temptation, that indescribable vibration of pleasure upon human irritability, that none but those of the most stoical apathy, the greatest mental fortitude, or personal self-denial, can summon sufficient resolution to avoid. The great variety of hounds with which the country formerly abounded, seem now, by the judicious crosses of succeeding generations, to have been principally reduced to a much more contracted point of view, and center entirely in the denomination of STAG hounds, FOX hounds, HARRIERS, and BEAGLES; each of the four being a degree less in size than the other, with such variations in strength, speed, colour, and tongue, as may have been adopted by the judgment or fancy of the BREEDER. We have been taught, by a maxim of long standing, to believe, "there is no rule without an exception." An author of much celebrity, however, in respect to the breeding of hounds, pays due respect to rule, but does not advert to exception. It is his opinion, "that there are necessary points in the shape of a hound, which ought always to be attended to; for if he be not of a perfect symmetry, he will neither run fast, nor bear much work: he has much to undergo, and should have strength proportioned to it. Let his legs be straight as arrows; his feet round, and not too large; his shoulders back; his breast rather wide than narrow; his chest deep; his back broad; his head small; his neck thin; his tail thick and brushy; if he carry it well, so much the better." Without animadverting upon the SIZE of any particular kind of hound, as applicable to any particular Mr. Beckford, whose opinion, and perfect practical knowledge of the subject, has been implicitly bowed to, and acquiesced in, by the best and most experienced judges in the kingdom, has given a decided preference to "hounds of a MIDDLE SIZE;" saying, "he believes all animals of that description are the strongest and best able to bear fatigue;" in corroboration of which he quotes from Somerville, as would have been also done in this place, in confirmation of the same opinion.
Next to the consideration of SIZE and SYMMETRY (whatever that may be) should follow a corresponding uniformity of the whole. A pack, to be handsome, should vary little or none in height, and have a pleasing affinity to each other in colour: to be good, they should run well together; and the unison of their musical tongues should constitute a perfect harmony, without a single note of discord. It is well known, that it is not always the lot of the most complete and best selected packs to kill in proportion to their seeming excellence; some are very much superior in qualifications to what they may promise to a stranger at first view; for though of various sizes, and picked up in different counties, (as well as from the hammer,) without the least appearance of consanguinity, or one distinguishing trait of attraction, yet they seldom miss their game. Mr. Beckford mentions a pack of this description who killed Nothing is a greater disgrace to the MASTER, the HUNTSMAN, or the pack, than to see a parcel of straggling tail hounds, labouring in vain; except a leading hound loaded with a leaden necklace, to restrain his speed, and depress the instinctive impulse of his nature to a level with those who are not his equals. This is a truly unsportsman-like stretch of authority, bordering upon cruelty; and would be much more "honored in the breach than the observance." Hounds of either description had better be parted with, than to encounter constantly a mortification so easily to be removed; and both will be the less likely to happen, the more moderate the number taken to the field. The taking out too many hounds is a frequent error in judgment, always productive of trouble, and sometimes to a most vexatious diminution of sport, to the incessant employment of the whipper-in, Hounds differ much in their properties, according to the crosses in blood, and this is plainly perceptible to a nice observer, as well in their endeavours to find, as in the pursuit of their game; for those retaining most of the southern hound in their blood, are always the most constitutionally tardy in action. The north country beagle, (now called harrier,) with a cross of the DWARF FOX HOUND, has produced a direct contrast to the former, and are generally in use in those open countries where horses can lay by the side of them. The delight of the old southern hound is to dwell upon the scent; the extatic eagerness of the latter is to press it before him. When the former come to a fault, and can carry the scent no farther, they stick their noses to the ground as close together as a swarm of bees, making few or no efforts of their own, unless lifted along by the helping hand and encouraging voice of the HUNTSMAN. The exertions of the latter are instantaneous and indefatigable; they make their cast in different directions, without a moment's pause, and every individual pants with emulation to become the happy instrument of recovery: once hit off, the general struggle for pre-eminence constitutes a scene by far too luxurious for the inadequate representation of literary description. Opposite as these chases are, they are not without their distinct and different votaries: the tempers of some men, and the age or infirmities of others, render their minds as gloomy as the atmosphere of the winter's day in which they HUNT; to these the solemn knell of the SOUTHERN HOUND is so musically mechanical, that it seems to vibrate in unison with the somniferous melancholy of their own sensations. But with those in the health and pride of manhood, who enjoy the obstacles, and surmount the difficulties, of CROSSING a COUNTRY, in direct contrast to the ruminative pleasure of whipping a thistle, or riding a few rings round a barn, fleet hounds will always have the preference. Hounds of this description, it must be candidly confessed, are, however, drawn too fine in their formation, and so critically refined to speed, that the game, whatever it may be, can stand but a little time before them: unless, from stormy weather, or some other accidental cause, much cold hunting should intervene. And this, in the present rage for improvement, is so much the case with HARRIERS in general, that, in the early part of the season, half the hares found are run up to in the first view; and even after Christmas, when they are supposed to get strong; average chases do not exceed from twenty minutes to half an hour; and by the unprecedented speed of hounds, as they are now bred, the fox chase is contracted in proportion. Although the breeding, entering, feeding, airing, and general management of hounds, is an entire system, dependent upon personal practice, from a strict and attentive attachment to which alone, excellence can be derived; yet, such rules and salutary regulations as stand high in sporting estimation, may be introduced for the information of those, who, in the infancy of initiation, are anxious to improve their judgment, by blending the theory of the closet with the practice of the field. The spring months are the best in which puppies can be produced; they have then the whole summer to expand and grow in. Some circumspection is necessary in the business of propagation, to prevent an unnecessary destruction; attention should be paid to shape, size, colour, disposition, and qualification, of both the dog and bitch intended to breed from; if the perfection of sire or dam are wished, or expected, to be retained, and displayed, in the offspring. The sporting world are enjoined by the best authority, "on no account to breed from one that is not stout, that is not tender nosed, or that is either a babbler or a skirter: it is the judicious cross that makes the pack complete. The faults and imperfections in one breed, may be rectified in another; and if this be properly attended to, no reason can be suggested, why the breeding of hounds may not improve, till improvement can go no further." Amidst general remarks, it may be remembered, that none but healthy and strong hounds should be bred from: old dogs should never be put to old bitches; and good whelps should never be put to bad walks: stinted in their earliest growth, (by a want of proper nutriment,) the frame becomes impoverished, the loins weak, and they are the less able to encounter that terrible foe, the distemper, whenever it may make its attack. This generally happens from the sixth to the ninth or tenth month, and proves incredibly destructive, which probably may be chiefly owing to the little that is done upon those occasions, by the way of either prevention or cure. Various are the opinions respecting the number of hounds it may be necessary to keep in kennel during the hunting season; and these must be regulated by the kind of country they have to hunt, as one may tire or lame hounds more than another: slippery, marley clay will do the one; the rolling flints of Surrey, Oxfordshire, or Hampshire, never fail to do the other. Those who are prudent, will never take more than from twenty to five-and-twenty couple to the field; to exceed which, would not only be rather unfair, but probably do more harm than GOOD. The number necessary to be taken, is not so material a matter of consideration, as their conjunctive qualifications when there; thirty-five couple of settled, steady, seasoned hounds, will, therefore, admit of hunting three (occasionally four) days a week. It is a well-founded opinion, that every kennel should have a proper annual supply of young hounds; if this is neglected for two or three seasons, the pack will soon be overloaded with old hounds, and suddenly fall into decay. Industrious, hard-working hounds, seldom continue in full vigour and speed longer than five or six seasons; though there are not wanting instances of deserving favourites having continued the crack hounds of the pack for eight or nine years in succession. A little of this difference may probably proceed from two causes, a variation in constitution, and a contrast in the discipline of the KENNEL; from which Mr. Beckford candidly confesses he never was long absent, without perceiving a difference in their looks at his return. It is also his opinion, that from eight to twelve couple of young hounds, bred annually, would sufficiently supply an establishment not exceeding forty couple; but it is always best to have a reserve of a few couple more than wanted, in case of accidents; since, from the time the draft is made, to the time of hunting, is a long period, and their existence at that age and season very precarious: besides, when they are safe from the distemper, they are not always so from each other; and a summer seldom passes without some losses of that kind. At the same time he hints the absurdity of entering more than are necessary to keep up the pack, as a greater number would only create useless trouble, and more vexation. No one subject, perhaps, has so nearly exhausted the fertility of human invention, as the infinity of names bestowed upon HOUNDS and HORSES; which have been so numerous and diversified, that a single name can hardly be adopted, which has not been before brought into use. In proof of which, the writer just mentioned has given a list of more than eight hundred appellations, or terms by which hounds may be known: but as the name of each hound should as nearly as possible correspond with the sport, (as well as the most apparent qualification of the individual,) such only are introduced here as are the most musical, and from which a variety for even TWO or THREE PACKS may be selected.
Hounds are constantly liable to those distressing disorders the DISTEMPER and CANINE MADNESS, as well as to that vexatious and troublesome disease called the MANGE. As well with hounds as with horses, prevention, in all cases, is preferable to CURE: unfortunately, there is as yet no mode discovered by which either of the former can be prevented. The distemper, if attended to upon its first appearance, may with as much certainty be counteracted, in the severity of its symptoms, by medical interposition, as the variolus matter is divested of its malignant miasma by the alleviating preparatives previous to inoculation. The only specifics by which a purpose so desirable can be effected, are the preparations of MERCURY blended with small proportions of EMETIC TARTAR, as the judicious practitioner may find applicable to the predominant appearances of the case. It has been observed, and with great reason, that as the universality of the distemper has evidently increased during the last twenty or thirty years, so the more destructive calamity of MADNESS amongst the species has evidently declined. As it is certain the distemper may be arrested, in the severity of its progress, by timely intervention, so the first symptoms of its appearance cannot be too perfectly explained. It is preceded by a husky dryness in the throat; as if a small bone, or some similar obstruction, was fixed there, from which the animal, by an incessant kind of straining and half cough, seems constantly endeavouring to relieve itself. In the earlier stages of the distemper, the well-known powder of Doctor James has been brought into use with success. It may, however, be necessary to premise, that no good effect is to be expected from small and ineffectual doses; they must be large to be efficacious: no relief can be obtained, but by taking off the general stricture, removing the obstructions, promoting the various secretions, and constituting revulsion. When it is so evidently ascertained, that all dogs labouring under the distemper, have both the stomach and intestinal canal disordered, and in a state of extreme irritation, it is natural to advert a little to the filth, dirt, gravel, sand, dry grass, straw, and various other extraneous particles, young DOGS and PUPPIES ravenously swallow with the chance food they happen to pick up: and it is equally worthy attention, that the prelude to visible amendment is generally the discharge of an indurated MASS or PELLET from the ANUS, which, when broken to pieces is found to consist of the before-mentioned articles; and, beyond a doubt, by retarding some secretions, and obstructing others, contributes in no small degree to increase the inveteracy of disease. For explanatory remarks upon CANINE MADNESS and HYDROPHOBIA, see Dogs. The MANGE, when it has once found its way into a kennel, is a most troublesome, loathsome, and infectious disorder: if it has not been introduced The disorder called the RED MANGE does not appear to be nearly allied to what is so well known by the common appellation of MANGE, but to be a species of disease within itself, seated in the skin, and not always infectious amongst dogs laying together, but almost invariably communicated by a BITCH to her LITTER of WHELPS, particularly if she had it upon her during the time she was in pup. This disorder is most malignant in its effect; the incessant and severe itching, which, from all observation, seems accompanied by a burning heat, and this too increased by the perpetual biting and scratching of the tortured animal, gives such parts of the frame as are severely affected, the appearance of having been scalded by some boiling liquor, with a consequent loss of hair. It is this distinct kind of MANGE that so constantly baffles DOG-DOCTORS and dog-mongers of every description, and reduces them to their ne plus ultra, where the fertility of invention can go no further. It is, perhaps, the most deceptive disorder to which any part of the animal world can become unluckily subject; for when it has (seemingly and repeatedly) submitted to, and been subdued by, some of the combination of combustibles before described, it has as suddenly, as repeatedly, and as unexpectedly, made its reappearance with all its former virulence. Great However opinions may vary upon the manner of FEEDING hounds, as well in respect to time, as the occasional changes in, and property of, the FOOD best adapted to the purpose of nutritious SUPPORT, no opposition whatever can arise to the general inculcation of CLEANLINESS, as indispensibly conducive to the preservation of HEALTH, and consequent exclusion of DISEASE. In the acceptation of the word cleanliness, may be included the true intent and meaning of both internal and external circumspection and attention, as well in PHYSIC, and in FOOD, as in the neat and judicious arrangement of the KENNEL; where the conjunctive force of which is wanting, what a train of disease, misery, and "I am not fond of bleeding hounds, unless they want it; though it has long been a custom to physic them twice a year; after they leave off hunting, and before they begin. It is given in hot weather, and at an idle time. It cools their bodies, and, without doubt, is of service to them. If a hound be in want of physic, I prefer giving it in balls. [3] It is more easy to give in this manner the quantity he may want, and you are more certain that he takes it. In many kennels, they also bleed them twice a year, and some people think that it prevents madness. The anointing of hounds, or dressing them, as huntsmen call it, makes them fine in their coats: it may be done twice a year, or oftener, if found necessary." The necessity of introducing something medicinal for the preservation of health, and prevention of disease, is thus admitted upon the best of all foundations, Hounds, as well as HORSES, are rendered subservient instruments to the support of Government, and exigencies of the State. Persons keeping them pay a tax of THIRTY POUNDS per annum. [3] One pound of antimony, four ounces of sulphur, and syrup of buckthorn a sufficient quantity to give it a proper consistence. Each ball to weigh about seven drachms. HOUZING.—The houzing of a horse is a part of military paraphernalia appertaining to officers of cavalry in general, and the privates of the King's horse guards in particular; consisting of scarlet HUMOURS.—All chronic disorders in the horse, arising from an impure state of the blood, are with the inferior classes in general denominated "HUMOURS;" as a concise mode of avoiding scientific investigation, or medical ambiguity, and bringing the case immediately home, as they think, to every comprehension. With people of the description alluded to (whether SMITHS, FARRIERS, COACHMEN, or GROOMS) the word humours is conceived so wonderfully comprehensive, that it is by them supposed to convey an infinite idea of every thing, at the very moment it is known, by their superiors and employers, to imply no definite or certain meaning at all. If a horse has swelled legs, they are the effect of "humours." If an inflammation of and defluxion from the eyes, they are equally produced by "humours." Should cracked heels appear (the evident effect of idleness, and want of attention) they too are brought on by "humours." Even thrushes, occasioned in general by equal neglect and Thus far upon what HUMOURS are supposed to be; now to what they are. It may readily be conceived by those not professionally informed on the subject, that the BLOOD (which is the very mainspring of existence) must have preserved such kind of equality, consistency, or uniformity, in its component parts, as to constitute a precise standard, necessary to the enjoyment and preservation of HEALTH. This incontrovertible position being admitted beyond all possible ground of controversy, what does it evidently demonstrate? Why, that as much as the BLOOD is enriched above, or impoverished below, that STANDARD, in its property, so in proportion must it approach the kind of disease appertaining to the one extreme or the other. To those whose intellectual rays are open to conviction, not a single line more would be required in explanation; but that the most incredulous, the most obstinate, and the most illiterate, may have equal opportunity of information, let the two different states of the blood, (as just explained,) with their effects, be adverted to. When it has, by a superabundance Having taken a survey of the state of the BLOOD, by which swelled legs, grease, foulness, inflammatory tumours, formations of matter in various parts, and one species of farcy, may be produced, it will be necessary to take a short view of it in its contrasted state, when, by a continued series of hard work, with bad keep, a constant supply of unhealthy provender, in musty oats, mouldy hay, or any other article distending the body, without adequate nutriment to the frame, as well as the want of a proper supply, in proportion to the necessary SECRETIONS and EVACUATIONS, will either, or all, tend to diminish the CRASSAMENTUM, or adhesive property of the blood, and in a greater or less degree (according to the cause) reduce it to a serous or weak and watery state, below the standard This distinction has been introduced, not more to throw some satisfactory light upon the ambiguity of the expression, which it seems so few understand, than to prove the necessity for paying such attention to the general state of a HORSE'S HEALTH and appearance, as may at least be the means of preventing disease, anxiety, trouble, expence, and probably the eventual loss of a useful, or even a valuable, animal, which too often happens for want of a little humane circumspection; when it is then experimentally found REPENTANCE comes too late. As the fertile idea of HUMOURS frequently originates in error, so the error is continued in the medical mode of counteraction; for let the derangement in the animal economy have happened from whichever of the causes described, the system adopted is much the same in all cases, and with all classes, rendering sometimes the remedy worse than the disease. Those, however, who wish to blend instruction with entertainment, deriving advantage from both, will do well to recollect, that whatever DISORDERS (alias humours) originate in plethora, fulness of the frame, and viscidity of the blood, must be subdued .—The articles so called are some of the internal trimmings obtained in breaking up a DEER, which are always a perquisite of the keeper. HUNTER.—A hunter, in its strictest implied signification with the SPORTING WORLD, is a horse or mare of superior description and qualifications, appropriated to no other purpose whatever than the enjoyment of the chase. As it is the highest ambition of every SPORTSMAN to be in possession of a HUNTER, numbers are so called, who are by no means entitled to that distinction. Various opinions are entertained respecting the more minute properties of a horse destined to the particular purposes of the field, and this diversity can only be justified by an allusion to the kind of hounds with whom he is intended to hunt. Horses of an inferior description, The horses now denominated HUNTERS, are mostly three parts and full bred; for the great number of blood horses not turning out WINNERS, as well as those not trained for the turf, come of course to the hunting stables, and keep up a constant supply. Under the head HORSE, three distinct kinds are mentioned generally, and the purposes to which they are assigned; but no particular description is made of a HUNTER, whose qualifications are properly reserved for this place. A hunter for constant use with fleet hounds, should be well bred on both sides; not less in age than five years old off; from fifteen hands and an inch, to fifteen three and sixteen hands, but not to exceed it: large and heavy horses, in deep or hilly countries, frequently tire themselves. To be handsome, he should be strong in the frame and formation, short in the joints, firm in his fetlocks, quick in the eye, These are the rules by which thousands will admit a HUNTER should be chosen; and they will also as readily admit, the very great difficulty with which horses of such description are to be obtained. However, as such an accumulation of perfections is so rarely to be found in the same object, the most emulous and judicious will be the more anxious to Having explicitly laid down the rules by which a horse should be selected for the purpose particularly expressed, some farther hints become necessary for his general management, if a wish is entertained to preserve him in a state of purity; for it is well known, there cannot be a greater stigma annexed to the character of a professed sportsman, than his having a GOOD horse in bad condition. The next great qualification to SPEED and TEMPER in a hunter, is the property of leaping, both standing and flying; without those (in an enclosed country) his leading perfections are very much reduced in the estimation of the field: on the contrary, if he is in the full and unrestrained possession of these additional, Nothing can be more contemptibly ridiculous, than the absurd practice of clothing the BAR with bushes of furze; and this is generally introduced, under the plausible pretence of making the horse clear his leap; although it is a fact, that almost every horse is terrified in approaching it; and when compelled to take it, or is rather driven over, it is in a JUMP of fear and agitation; not in a cool, temperate, and steady leap of safety, fit to qualify a HUNTER for the FIELD. A horse can only be made a good standing leaper, by affording him ample time to measure his leap before he attempts it; that is, to observe its height, and take the space necessary for the bend of his knees, the contraction of his legs, and his own altitude to cover the leap with certainty; and this a well-taught horse, of tolerable temper, will generally do, if permitted to adopt his own plan, and use his own exertions: but if unnaturally hurried by the petulance, impatience, or inhumanity, of those about him, failure, injury, and disgrace, frequently ensue. The proper covering for a leaping-bar should either be fern, or clean wheat straw, well secured by a strong packthread, bound transversely and longitudinally in a kind of net-work, (bracing equally every way,) which is not only exceedingly durable, but being composed of articles to which the horse is so accustomed, he naturally approaches it, if gently used, and patiently encouraged, without the least fear or agitation. The proper stable discipline, and general management, of hunters, are so perfectly understood in the present state of equestrian emulation, and universal improvement, that a few experimental maxims only are required, as mementos to shield the young, inconsiderate, and unwary, from unthinkingly encountering various foundations of vexation, trouble, expence, and disappointment. Those of immense fortunes, and adequate establishments, are not so liable to this aggregate of ills, as those whose more humble and confined possessions restrain them within a much smaller sphere of gratification. To the latter, therefore, it is, such hints of utility are more particularly addressed and submitted, who not having the good fortune to be surrounded with a profusion of subordinates, by whom such offices are generally executed, feel the necessity, and enjoy the happy opportunity, of sometimes personally superintending their own concerns. The great exertions in respect to speed, labour, and durability, of which the well-bred hunter is so evidently capable, are almost beyond belief; and eminently entitle him to every adequate tenderness, care, and attention, that can be possibly bestowed in return. When it is within the compass of the reflecting mind, that an animal of this description is frequently most laboriously engaged for the whole of a dreary winter's day, encountering and surmounting difficulties in succession almost beyond description, (till in many instances nature is nearly Of this greater proof need not be adduced, than the deaths of horses which have recently happened, (particularly with the King's stag hounds,) some in the field, and many within a few days after different chases of singular severity; one instance of which is so truly remarkable, that it lays claim to record in the annals of sporting, to prevent its being buried in oblivion. The DEER was turned out at Ascot Heath, and, after making Bagshot Park, crossed the whole of the heath country, to Sandhurst, through Finchamstead Woods, Barkham, Arborfield, Swallowfield, and the intervening country, to Tilehurst, below Reading in Berkshire, where he was taken unhurt after a chase of FOUR HOURS and TWENTY MINUTES; horsemen being thrown out in every part of the country through which they passed: one horse dropt dead in the FIELD; another, after the chase, before he could reach a stable; and seven more within the WEEK: of such speed, and almost unprecedented severity, was this run, that tired horses in great danger were unavoidably left at the different inns in the neighbourhood. A tolerable idea of the powers of an English hunter may, from this description, be formed by those who are not sportsmen, and have consequently a very imperfect conception of the task he has to perform; That such exertions may be continued till nature itself is totally exhausted, must be admitted beyond a doubt; but that they in general happen to horses by much too slow for the CHASE, and to those in improper condition, is as clearly ascertained. The result of which facts clearly demonstrate the truth of observations previously made, and forcibly inculcate the indispensible necessity of selecting horses properly formed for the purpose; and as forcibly urge the propriety (indeed the safety) of getting them into condition for the field. When taken up from his summer's run at grass (which every perfect hunter is entitled to) he should go through his regular course of physic; the strength and number of doses to be regulated by the accumulated flesh, and general appearance of the horse: if in a fair, good, clean state, not loaded in substance, and perfectly clean in the skin, more than TWO doses may be superfluous; if labouring under a weight of flesh, flabby, and fluctuating under pressure, less than THREE will prove insufficient; which should be preceded by BLEEDING in either, according to the state After the chase (during the dressing in the stable) observation should be made whether injury of any kind has been sustained during the day; either by the heat and friction or pressure of the saddle, the loss of a shoe, stubs, treads, over-reaches, bruises, or lameness of any kind; for any of these once discovered, the necessary remedy should be immediately applied; as it not unfrequently happens, that what in the first instance would only prove a slight or trivial grievance, continues to increase in proportion to the delay in discovery. Horses evidently distrest and fatigued with the labour of the day, displaying lassitude, bodily debility, and loss of appetite, should be nicely attended to; a cordial ball becomes more applicable and useful at this time than any other; frequent supplies of water, with the chill off, in moderate quantities, should Hunters, after long and severe chases, should not be brought too soon into similar exertions; numbers are crippled, broke down, and irrecoverably ruined, for want of a little precautionary patience: brought into the field too early, with a stiff rigidity in the limbs, and without the wonted pliability in the joints, the spirits, as well as the frame, become affected by a consciousness of the deficiency; and the RIDER, upon making the discovery, moves in little less misery than the HORSE, who, feeling his temporary imperfection, seems in fear of falling at every stroke. A horse is best recovered from the visible effect of over fatigue, by a great deal of patient walking, exercise upon the turf, and equally patient friction in the stable: no horse perceptibly affected in FRAME or SPIRITS, by long days or severe chases, should be brought into exercise GALLOPS, till every degree of stiffness is previously worn away, and obliterated in gentle HUNTING,—in its general sense, implies the pleasure of the SPORT at LARGE, without specifying any particular kind of CHASE; of which there are three, and equally well known under the different distinctions of STAG-HUNTING, FOX-HUNTING, and HARE-HUNTING. A minor kind of sport, called OTTER HUNTING, might formerly have been said to constitute a fourth; but it is at present so little known, (and much less practised,) that, like HAWKING, it seems nearly buried in oblivion, and promises very little prospect of sporting resurrection. Hunting is the pursuit of any species of GAME (or vermin) with a collected body of HOUNDS, sportingly termed a PACK; who, bred for, and broke to, the chase, FIND and HUNT the particular sort to Nothing can more clearly demonstrate the attracting power, and exhilarating effects, of the Hunting, in respect to the enjoyment, as well as the description of each particular kind of CHASE, will be found under their distinct heads of "Hare-Hunting," "Fox-Hunting," and "Stag-Hunting;" leaving nothing for introduction here, but such general remarks, and salutary inculcations, as appertain solely to the systematic concerns of the field. The prudent sportsman is invariably the guardian of his own safety; for, however he may rely upon the attachment and punctuality of an old or faithful servant, he never declines the service of his own faculties, so long as he can derive advantage from their evident utility. He therefore never mounts his horse, however great his haste, however late his hour, without taking a slight (but sufficient) survey of his apparatus: he feels it a duty to himself to observe, and be convinced, that his SADDLE is not fixed in an improper place, but literally in the centre, equally free from the withers as from the hip-bones; that his GIRTHS are not only judiciously tightened, but that the buckles extend on each side above the PAD, as well as that the STIRRUP-LEATHERS are in too good a state to hazard a chance of their breaking; whenever which happens, in the very heat of the CHASE, great danger (if not an accident) certainly ensues. Thus safely seated, in the full confidence of his own prudent precaution, he never suffers himself, by the persuasions of the weak or inconsiderate, to The CHASE thus commenced, he lays as well in with the hounds as the speed of his horse, and the contingencies of the country, will permit; he stands upon no paltry ceremony with, or servile subservience to, local superiors; this alone is the happy spot where all are equal, where personal pride can assume no consequence, dignity can claim no precedence, and an immensity of property is of no avail. Ever attentive to the sport, he ruminates upon no other object than the object of pursuit: his mind is eternally intent upon the GAME, or the leading hound; the latter of which he makes it a point never to lose sight of, unless by COVERT obscured from his view; when, with the advantage of the WIND, (which he is sure to avail himself of,) and that unerring directory the EAR, he is seldom far from the hounds, or ever thrown out. In every chase there are plenty of slow goers behind, who, prompted by ENVY, are never wanting in the vociferous exclamation of, "Hold hard!" without knowing why; and from no other motive, than not being themselves at the head of the hounds. To these clamours he pays not the least attention, if having viewed either the GAME, or the leading hound, and observed the chase going on without interruption; experimentally convinced, those who are the most forward, must best know the state of the SCENT by the check, or breast-high running of the hounds. As there is so frequently a jealous clamour about being too forward, the zealous sportsman will never condescend to be too far behind. He knows his place, and he keeps it. He is never seen in the body and bustle of the crowd, riding in a direct line with, and pressing upon, the HEELS of the HOUNDS, but parallel with the last two or three couple of the PACK; where his horse is not only enabled to keep his ground with ease, but the rider enjoys the advantage of observing most minutely every winding of the chase, as well as the various struggles, and enchanting emulative efforts, of the LEADING HOUNDS. In this situation he is sure of seeing where they throw up, and knows to a certainty how far they have carried the SCENT; consequently those only who are FORWARD, and know the state of the chase, are properly QUALIFIED to give the signal of "Hold hard!" to those behind; and not, as is too commonly the case, for those behind to transmit the petulant exclamation to those before. The moment hounds are at fault, he invariably keeps a proper distance, that they may not be obstructed in making their casts, or get interspersed amongst the legs of the HORSES. Upon a hit being made, he attends to the hound who made it, and, upon a recovery of the SCENT, goes instantaneously on with the chase; for a loss of ground at so critical a moment, he well knows it is sometimes difficult to regain. Notwithstanding his enthusiastic attachment to the sport, the safety of his HORSE preponderates over every other consideration; and this inflexible determination is supported by a few invariable rules, which are never broken in upon under any plea, persuasion, or perversion, whatever. No temptation can induce him to deviate from a plan so prudently adopted, and persevered in with such laudable resolution. He is never seen to enter into the spirit of racing during the CHASE, thereby distressing his horse, and wasting the strength that may be found necessary before the conclusion of a long day: he scorns the idea of taking high or large leaps when they are truly unnecessary, merely to attract attention, or display his own VALOUR, well knowing, "the better part of valour is discretion." He regulates the speed of his horse by the nature of the country he is engaged to go over, and is never known to ride hardest in the deepest ground. Experience, and attentive observation, having long before convinced him, that whatever distance may have been unavoidably lost under temporary obstacles, may with less difficulty be recovered when the horse's WIND (as well as his strength) is preserved, till he can go more at his ease. Whatever may have been the fate of the day, and whatever the length of the CHASE, it is no sooner concluded, than the same steady and cool deliberation with which he started in the morning accompanies him home: no rash or juvenile example induces him to HUNTING-CAP—is a cap made of leather, and covered with black velvet, fitting close to the head behind, and having a semicircular peak before, for the protection of the face in case of falls, as well as in passing through strong coverts during the chase. In the sporting world it is termed A DASHER, and is supposed to confirm a generally received opinion, that the wearer never swerves from any difficulty that may occur, or refuses any LEAP in the field, but takes them all in stroke. HUNTING-WHIP.—The whip so called, is of different lengths in the handle or stock; having at one end a long thong and lash, to assist occasionally in managing the hounds; and at the other, a HOOK, HAMMER, or CLAW, for the purpose of holding or opening gates. HUNTSMAN.—The huntsman is a person whose entire business it is to superintend every department of a hunting establishment, as well as to "I will endeavour to describe what a good huntsman should be. He should be young, strong, active, bold, and enterprising; fond of the diversion, and indefatigable in the pursuit of it: he should be sensible and good-tempered: he ought also to be sober, exact, civil, and cleanly: he should be a good groom, and an excellent horseman: his voice should be strong and clear; and he should have an eye so quick, as to perceive which of his hounds carries the scent when all are running; and should have so excellent an ear, as always to distinguish the foremost hounds when he does not Although the qualifications of a HUNTSMAN, upon the great scale of universality, should be precisely the same, yet there is an infinite contrast in the various points of execution. No distinct difference of light and shade upon the CANVAS, no effect of the ELEMENTS upon the human frame, can be productive of more opposite sensations, than the requisites necessary to form a proper distinction between the modes of hunting HARE or FOX; for the very means calculated for the successful promotion of the one, would in a few minutes prove the evident destruction of the other: from which it is natural to infer, that a huntsman eminently qualified to hunt either, would never be likely to acquire CELEBRITY for hunting both; for as the accustomed spirit, speed, and dashing impetuosity, of the FOX-HUNTER would soon lose a HARE, so the philosophic patience, and constitutional tardiness, of the HARE-HUNTER would never kill a FOX. Of this, corroborative proof may be adduced in a subsequent passage from the before-mentioned The scent of the STAG, the FOX, and the HARE, is so exceedingly different in the duration of each, that it requires a method as proportionally different in the pursuit of either; all which is practically known to huntsmen, who have no alternative, but to render their endeavours applicable to the kind of chase they are destined to pursue. The scent of When found, she cannot be permitted to go off too silently before the hounds; her own extreme timidity frequently occasions her heading, and the pack are as repeatedly liable to over-run the scent. The huntsman, by not pressing too close upon the hounds himself, will keep the company at a proper distance also; and when they are thus left to a proper and free use of their own faculties, they are but little likely to over-run it much. The author whose judgment and celebrity has been so frequently mentioned, has something so applicable, and so truly just, in every page upon this subject, that it is impossible to resist the temptation of quoting a few occasional passages, where the intentional meaning is so emphatically and sportingly exprest. He not only accords with every systematic principle of the chase, but so constantly strengthens his opinion with the embellishment of applicable anecdote, that it is impossible to peruse his "Thoughts" without both amusement and instruction. He holds it a rule, "that hounds, through the whole chase, should be left almost entirely to themselves, and not be much hallooed: when the hare doubles, they should hunt through those doubles; nor is a hare hunted fairly when hunted otherwise. They should follow her every step she takes, as well over greasy fallows, as through flocks of sheep; nor should they ever be cast, but when nothing can be done without it." Making every possible allowance for the diversities of the different chases already alluded to, there are leading rules characteristically annexed to the OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT of the HUNTSMAN, from which hardly any possible circumstance can justify a deviation. In addition to the invariable and indispensible duties of the KENNEL, a strict and regular discipline in the stables (so far as his own and the horses of the whippers-in are concerned) should fall under the eye of his inspection; by well knowing the state of which, he best can tell of what work they are capable. And this is the more necessary, because it is impossible for him to relax from his duty in the field: he is the GENERAL OFFICER, having the supreme command, and whom all must obey. Persevere and conquer, should be his motto in the chase. Veni, vidi, vici, at his return. This, however, becomes more applicable to the spirit of the huntsman whose good fortune it is to preside over a fox-hunting establishment, where every energetic nerve of emulative sensibility is so constantly roused into action. How different from the languid enjoyment, and frigid apathy, of what is so admirably adapted to the opposite extremes of youth and age! upon which no two opinions can arise: the best authorities admit the good find of a FOX to be preferable to a bad run with the HARE. From the moment of throwing off, as well as during every progress of the chase, it is the peculiar As in hare-hunting it is impossible to press on the hounds too little, so in fox-hunting it is impossible to press them on too much, at least while the scent is good; that failing, much must be left to their The instant a huntsman observes his hounds come to a check, is the moment when his assistance is most wanting; then is the time to enjoin an equal check and silence of the company; every eye and every ear may be anxiously and inquisitively employed, but not the sound of a tongue is necessary upon the occasion. Those who are inclined to babble in a moment of so much doubtful expectation, lay claim to, and generally obtain, a most contemptuous sneer from the HUNTSMAN, and not unfrequently what is called a blessing into the bargain. He should at no time be too ready to avail himself of a HALLOO when hounds are at fault; they are very often deceptive, and occasion disappointment; exclusive of which, after they have been taken from the spot to which they know they brought the scent, they become less strenuous in their endeavours, when they do not recover it elsewhere, even where they were encouraged Not the least attention should be paid by a HUNTSMAN to any halloo unless the hounds are at fault; a huntsman taking his hounds from the chase (when running with a good scent) to a halloo, without much more than a common cause, ought to be dismissed as a fool or a madman. Hounds are sometimes hallooed too much, and too frequently permitted to obey it; the consequence is, they are no sooner at fault than they expect it: huntsmen hurt their hounds by availing themselves of such advantage, it makes them indifferent; they are always upon the listen, become more and more slack, particularly in COVERT. So long as hounds can carry on the scent, it must be admitted a very poor and paradoxical practice to take them off; but when, with all their fair and indefatigable exertions, it cannot be recovered, it then becomes a duty to render them every assistance. Cases sometimes occur in opposition to every effort (particularly Huntsmen who have too much dash themselves, dash with so much rapidity in drawing from one covert to another, that they frequently leave hounds behind; and the whipper-in (where there is but one, and there ought always to be two) being no less eager than the huntsman to be forward, renders what was an error in the first instance, a confirmed fault in the next. It would be more sportsman-like to get the hounds collected, and bring them away all together; it might sometimes prevent the return of a whipper-in for even a single skirter, more particularly at the conclusion of the day, when hounds are hallooed off for home. Left behind, they become liable to loss as well as accident: when once addicted to skirting, it becomes a growing vice, and is seldom discontinued; they acquire confidence in hunting by themselves, which they never relinquish, and would rather dwell upon their own tongue, than give proper credit to another: in which persevering obstinacy they continue, till the pack, drawn off, and evening coming —is situate in the centrical part of the hind-quarter, midway between the hip-bone and the gaskin, and is more known now by the appellation of ROUND-BONE, than the former, which is almost obsolete, unless in particular country districts. Notwithstanding the singular strength of its formation, and peculiar junction with the lower extremity of the hip-bone, it is liable to injury from sudden turns or twists in too confined a space, and should be the more particularly guarded against; as being deep seated, no relief can be obtained, but by long and patient daily FOMENTATION, followed by stimulative strengthening EMBROCATION. 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