such as that described above, and have no welcome change at hand, you
will in nine cases out of ten experience no harm, if in train or cart
you cover your wet clothing with coat or rug, or even horse-cloth
should nothing else be available. Some may think even a probable chill
preferable to the last suggestion, but _verbum sap_.
The canteen for a day with staghounds will not require much thought,
for between the late breakfast and early tea, which generally are
possible, the demands of appetite will not be great. However, as there
will be no second horseman to rely on, the sportswoman will do well to
carry with her a few biscuits and a little cold essence of beef, or
a slice of plum pudding, and some port wine should she prefer it. (A
medical friend says there is nothing like Kola Wine.)
But now, last, though of more importance than all that has gone before,
we come to the question of the hunter. To leave out of count for the
moment, the points we should insist on for all women's hunters, the
first great requisite for a horse that is to follow staghounds, is
speed. For remember that the fastest possible form of the chase, is
when a pack of large-sized foxhounds, is in pursuit of a red deer hind,
over a grass country. A well-bred horse is essential, and other things
being equal, if clean thoroughbred, so much the better.
[From my eleven years' experience of Stag-hunting, I have come to the
conclusion that the most essential thing is that a hunter should be
well-seasoned. If you ride a young horse with the stag, which would go
perfectly well with foxhounds, he will go off his feed and fall all to
pieces, even if you are lucky enough not to strain or over-reach him. A
horse ought in my opinion to be quite seven years old, to take his turn
regularly once a week stagging.
I quite agree with what you say about breeding, but for a woman the
ideal horse for staghounds must not only be temperate, but in every
way good-mannered. I suppose it is the rush at starting, which of
course suggests racing, that excites them, but I know by experience
that a horse which is a comfortable mount for a woman with Foxhounds or
Harriers, may prove quite unmanageable if taken with Staghounds. A hot
horse, too, even if you can ride it, takes so much out of itself, that
it cannot stand the long days, and is sure to knock up. With the packs
I know in Surrey and Kent, a good timber jumper is essential, and in
Kent you also want a water jumper--a rare combination.--C.F.C.C.]
A good fencer will be the best to carry you in the Vale of Aylesbury or
the Ashford Vale; while if you go out with the Queen's, you will need
a stouter animal for their Beaconsfield country, and indeed for most
of the country of the Royal Hunt. With the Wards in Ireland, you will
need the very best class of horse you will ride with the Meath, and in
all countries where the chase of the carted deer is pursued, you will,
in my opinion, find size and scope important, as a large horse will
be going well within himself while a smaller one is at a stretch. As
however to every rule there is an exception, so an undoubted authority
tells me, that an Arab pony standing only 14·2, was well to the front
in a good run after stag one day this season (1897-8), and pounded some
gallant Dragoons over a six-barred gate.
Although the fences in most stag-hunting countries are generally of a
manageable size, yet as you have to gallop at them, you should have
a bold free horse under you. One too which has his wits about him
is perhaps, if that be possible, even more valuable after stag than
after fox or hare, the pace necessitating the promptest decision and
the greatest possible judgment in making the best of the unexpected,
which is sure to happen, even when you think you know every inch of the
country.
Stag-hunting then, we have seen, has its advantages, and I am not sure
that if your lot is cast in a provincial country where the interest
of watching hounds track their fox over flinty hills, from the depths
of one thick covert to the recesses of another, is seldom varied by a
gallop, you will not do well to take your place, at least occasionally,
with the followers of the local staghounds. Of course, I am taking
for granted that you are, more or less, interested in the working
of hounds; but if you should be one of the hard-riding brigade, who
frankly acknowledge they hunt to ride, then I should say that your best
place will _always_ be with staghounds, for with them you may reckon
on the gallop which with other hounds is, and always must be, a matter
of doubt. In most parts of the country you will find some staghounds
within reach, at least of the "iron covert hack," and in Ireland the
Wards and the Rosscommon are unrivalled for speed and incident in any
land. It is only, though, the youngest, and pluckiest, and best mounted
of us who can hope to live over the stiff Irish banks at the pace at
which the latter hounds go. A saddening thought, but true, as many a
good woman has found to her cost.
[Illustration: _IN THE AIR. NO. 2._]
If your hunting lot should be cast within distance of a stag-hound
kennel, I would strongly advise you to learn something about the
hounds. Your pleasure in the chase will be greater if you can
distinguish between the notes of a trusted hound and those of a
youngster which has not proved his right to your confidence. My own
reception by kindly Fred Cox, when I made my first visit to Lord
Rothschild's celebrated kennels, I have always felt to be a reproach to
my fellow-sportswomen on this point. It was during a frost in the early
days of 1895, that I determined to ask Cox to show me his beauties on
the flags. A telegram brought back a satisfactory reply, and I duly
presented myself at Cox's door. Mrs. Cox, however, was doubtful about
admitting me, and told me her husband was engaged to show the hounds to
a visitor at twelve o'clock.
"But I made an appointment for that hour," was my remark, and the
astonishment with which the old lady regarded me I shall never forget.
With uplifted hands she exclaimed, "Well, to be sure ma'am, we thought
you was a man!" and it was some little time, I could see, before the
old huntsman himself decided that though I had the misfortune to be a
woman, I was not altogether ignorant of what a good hound should be.
It will be a good thing when more women who ride to hounds know
sufficient of hound work to be able to take an intelligent interest in
the performance of the pack in the field, for those who can only enjoy
a mad gallop know but little of the inner joys of the hunting field.
Frances E. Slaughter.
[Illustration: _THE LADY THEODORA GUEST ON PEMBROKE._
(_With the Blackmore Vale Hounds._)]
HUNTERS.
The great question in buying horses to carry us with hounds is, of
course, expense. If our purses are deep and well-lined, then we can
ensure being well carried, provided of course we know sufficiently what
we want to be able to choose aright. But even with two or three hundred
guinea hunters, we may, according to good authority, only hope for the
superlatively good one, once in a lifetime. Yet if only once this joy
is to be ours it is worth trying for, the nearer perfection is our
horse the greater will our pleasure and comfort be in the hunting field.
In saying this I am speaking of the great majority of women, those,
who while being good riders and fair judges of what a horse should
be, are yet not among the exceptional few who can make any horse go
and most go well, and who can, therefore, lay claim to the title of
consummate horsewoman. That the latter is rare, even in these days of
hard riding, few will be found to deny, though perhaps many of us have
a belief deep down in our minds, to which we would not give utterance
for worlds, that we ourselves are above the average in our skill with,
and knowledge of, horseflesh.
So those who feel they have nothing to learn will not be likely to
trouble themselves with these few words on the choice of hunters, and
to the "exceptional few" there is certainly nothing to be said that
they do not know far better than one of their less-blessed sisters can
tell them. But with these reservations there may still be a goodly
proportion of riders to hounds, who will like to consider the subject
of what a hunter should and should _not_ be.
With a devout wish then that we could each truly say we find our
pleasure in any horse, because even if he is a bad one, the excitement
and interest of checking his faults and getting the best out of him,
will make up for our loss of pride of place, let us think for a moment
of the points essential for the average woman's hunter to possess.
These are, a well-laid shoulder, good carriage of the head and neck,
and good manners.
Many other qualities there are which are more or less desirable, but
the above are absolutely indispensable to a woman's safety, as well as
pleasure in the hunting field, and, from choice, no woman should buy a
horse that does not possess them.
A good shoulder, as we all know, means so much to the comfort of every
rider, whether man or woman, that too much stress cannot be laid on it.
But if desirable for all, to a woman it is the one point, for which,
if she have to choose, she will give up all else. Without a shoulder
which gives the play necessary for him to recover himself, a horse with
the dead weight of a woman on his back, has no chance in the case of
a slip-up, or peck, or any of the thousand-and-one trifles that will
scarcely receive passing notice, if he does put himself right and go on.
Strange as it may seem, some women who go fairly hard in the wake of
hounds, do not realise how all-important a matter this is. They do not,
in fact, seem to understand the enormous difference between the dead
pressure of our weight on a horse--light in comparison though this be
in reality--as we sit with our support entirely on one side, to that
of the man, who though in nine cases out of ten heavier than we are,
yet by the even distribution of pressure and the springiness afforded
by the double support of the grip of his legs on both sides of the
animal, may be described as _living_ weight. The advantage given by a
man's seat is, I believe, incalculable, as those of us who have done
long distance rides in uncivilised parts of the world, can say from
practical experience, yet I would not--even if it were of the smallest
use, in the face of popular opinion--advise women to start a crusade
against the existing state of things. We have crusades enough in these
days, without taking up the war of the saddle, a victory in which might
turn out to be a disastrous failure from other points of view.
That the head should be well put on, is again of special importance to
a woman, because beside the fact that she has less physical power than
a man as a rule, from the nature of her seat she has less control over
her horse, one therefore that carries his head badly, may prove beyond
her power altogether to control, and will certainly be unpleasant and
fatiguing to ride.
From the full clear eye which will look at you with such winning
intelligence, you may and indeed must, if the horse is a stranger to
you, make up your mind as to his character. And this is a test that
will never fail. I would, therefore, counsel an intending buyer to turn
resolutely from any horse that does not satisfy her in this respect,
however good his points may otherwise be.
This brings me to the subject of manners, and full as much may be said
on this important topic when we discuss the equine species, as when
our talk concerns the human race, for is it not true, and _equally_
true, that "manners maketh" both horse and rider what they are. But to
confine ourselves to the former for the present, and to see first what
he should _not_ be. A horse that is to give you pleasure in the hunting
field should not pull, and above all things must not rear, for nothing
is so likely to lead to a ghastly accident as this. He must not be a
refuser, as here a woman's physical lack of power will be against her.
If he fidgets, you will find a long day on his back most fatiguing, and
should he be a kicker your enjoyment will be marred. If, indeed, you
ride an animal with this fault, and one which at the same time has any
turn of speed, you should try to get to the front and stay there, for
so you will have more space and freedom than can otherwise be the case.
Wherever you are, remember you cannot be too careful to keep the active
heels out of reach of the hounds, and of your companions in the field.
It is most desirable that a hunter should be quiet at gates, and here,
perhaps, I may be allowed to remark that all women who ride to hounds
should be able to open a gate quietly and quickly, so if you are not
proficient in this, I should advise a little practice by yourself. In a
flying country your horse should be more than ordinarily bold, and as
clever as you can get him for a creeping country, for never forget that
you cannot drive or squeeze him as a man can. If you are a thorough
good horsewoman you may of course use spurs, and thus force him "where
he would not," but to raise the whip as you near a fence is to teach
your horse to swerve, for he very soon learns to expect and shrink
from the blow. Beside all these negative and positive qualities, the
perfect hunter must be a perfect hack _if possible_, and when you have
these combined you may congratulate yourself on having the horse of a
lifetime.
[Illustration: _LA CIGALE._
(_Property of Mrs. Gordon Canning._)]
A horse with the manners I have described will not be young, and I
should say, though each rider will have her own opinion about this,
that a horse is best for a good woman with hounds, when he is seven
off, or even over.
In height he may be about 16 to 16.1, and when buying, remember that
there is a certain class of horse which looks much smaller than it
really is. This is the animal with a large body on short legs, which
has the large bone, the good barrel, and the large knees and feet of
one that _stands_ much higher.
Whether you have one of these, or an upstanding creature which looks
all, and perhaps, more than he is, let him be as near thoroughbred
as you can afford to buy him. I think, myself, as I have said, that
old horses are on the whole safer to ride than young ones, though of
course if anything does go wrong with them, they have not the power
of recovery that a younger one has. A saying of that good judge Whyte
Melville is worth remembering. He was speaking of the horses that
would be at the end of a long run, and said, "it will always be found
that one or more of these is a thoroughbred, an old horse, and under
15.2," and is ridden by a lightweight, he might have added. At any
rate our lightweight is one point in our favour, and another is our
light-hands. I am firmly of opinion that in the matter of hands we
distinctly score in comparison with our husbands and brothers, who
in so many ways have the best of it in the saddle. For every man who
possesses the coveted "hands," you will find half-a-dozen women who
have them. We are too, quicker as a rule, to grasp a situation, or to
anticipate an impending fall, and indeed, if we were not, we should
rarely have time to free ourselves and get clear of our horse, for
unless we are _ready_ when the time comes we have no chance of escape,
as those have who can save themselves on either side, when they feel
their horses going.
[Illustration: _SILVER DOCTOR_
(_By Death or Glory._)
_The property of Mrs. T. E. Harrison. 1st Prize, Dublin Horse Show,
1897, and winner of 15 first prizes in Ireland._]
It is difficult to say what price you would have to give for animals
such as these, but any coming with a good character from a known
stable, would probably cost from £150 to £300, and _if you can afford
it_ the money would be well spent. With two good all-round horses,
such as I have attempted to describe, a woman would see more sport
than with three or four inferior ones to carry her. They will come out
sooner than less well-bred ones, and by good management and having
both out with hounds, their owner should be able to get two days a
week with them. Wherever possible I should always advise women to have
out two horses, for this plan not only economises horse flesh, but is
an immense saving of fatigue to them, as nothing is more tiring than
to ride a weary horse. An intelligent groom should know how to pick
up hounds in the middle of the day, if they should be anywhere near
home, and though in the case of a great run this would be out of the
question, then the enjoyment of the long gallop will have to make up to
them for the days when the horse will not be able to come out.
But inasmuch as many of us know by mournful experience that we cannot
afford to buy the best in the way of horse flesh, let us consider what
we can forego without risk to life or limb.
1. We may dispense with size, because if a light weight, we can ride
horses that would not carry the average man. This at once lessens the
price, as the demand is of course much smaller, and for £60 or £80,
or even less, you might meet with a serviceable and pleasant mount.
Of course to the few women who weigh as much or more than a man this
cannot apply, and indeed, for such I may say frankly that I know of no
way in which they can mount themselves with safety, except by buying
the best horses that money can procure.
2. The second way in which, if we must cut down our prices, we can do
so fairly safely, is in having less of strength behind the saddle. Not
that I would advise a horse with weak quarters under any circumstances,
but while the qualifications in front of the saddle of which I have
spoken are indispensable, I believe, if we do not ride over eleven
stone, we may make some sacrifice in the matter of power behind the
saddle. Those horses which are too light behind to carry heavy weights
with safety are often very pleasant to ride, and we may meet with them
at a very reasonable price.
3. Again, if we wish to keep within a moderate figure in the purchase
of our hunters, we need not reject those that are undeniably slack
in the couplings and have short back ribs, and consequently give the
impression of being very long in the back, always of course supposing
that they are suitable in other respects. Such horses are often
pleasant enough to ride, and as they could in no case be suitable for a
heavy weight, they should never be high priced. The great drawback
to having such, of course, is that they will not come out so often, or
stand so long a day as a truer shaped horse will.
[Illustration: _SKYSCRAPER._
(_Grandson of Hermit In Alarm._ _Property of Lady Gerard._)]
A counsel of perfection is to have a saddle for every horse in your
stable. This is so important that though it involves a considerable
outlay with every change in your horses, it will be found a real
economy in the end. When your saddles are overhauled, as they should
be at the beginning of the hunting season, every horse should have a
saddle fitted to it, and thus, and thus only, will you--provided of
course your stable management is what it should be--escape the sore
backs which will entail loss of sport in a way that is peculiarly
aggravating, when you know it might have been avoided.
As important and yet within the reach of everyone is for every horse
to have its own bridle. Never allow any departure from this rule, and
see yourself that the head piece of each horse fits easily and that the
throat lash is loose, also (and this is a point on which few grooms are
to be trusted) that the bit has been properly fitted to rest on the
right part of the mouth. This is of no slight importance, for a badly
fitting bridle will spoil the manners of the very best of horses.
I should advise a woman always to ride with a double bridle, for with
a snaffle her strength, as a rule, will not be sufficient to hold the
horse together when he is tired. With light-mouthed horses, either a
leather curb or a curb chain sewn in leather will be found the best. A
good hint given by an experienced horseman is to drop the snaffle and
ride lightly on the curb when going home after a long day, as this by
relieving the horse will be less tiring to his rider. Another thing to
remember is, that while in the morning when hacking to the meet you
will naturally choose the soft sidings of the roads, on returning at
night you should keep your horse on the crown of the road, as this will
be easier going for him and he will be less liable to stumble.
As samples of high-class hunters that have been ridden well up to
hounds in different countries, I would point to the horses reproduced
in these pages, and the choice between the speedy thoroughbred and the
clever Irish or provincial horse, must be dictated by the form of the
chase and the country over which he is to carry you, and by the depth
of purse to be reckoned with in the purchase.
Frances E. Slaughter.
[Illustration: _Elliott and Fry._ _55, Baker Street._
_MRS. WRANGHAM ON THE DUDE._]
[Illustration: _Elliott and Fry._ _55, Baker Street._
_MR. AND MRS. WARDELL._
(_With the Hawkstone-Otter Hounds._)]
OTTER-HUNTING.
Possibly no form of sport has grown into favour more than Otter-hunting
of late years. Fresh hunts are continually springing into existence,
and there are now in the United Kingdom some eighteen recognised packs
of Otterhounds. In speaking of a pack of "Otterhounds" one does not
necessarily imply that the pack are Otterhounds by breed, as Foxhounds,
both Welsh and English, are frequently pressed into the service of
Hunting the Otter, most, if not all packs of Otterhounds having some
Foxhounds among them. Besides these, many half-bred hounds are used,
that is a cross between Otterhound and Foxhound.
In fact for all round work the latter are often preferred, as the
cross-bred hounds possess the stamina, constitution, high courage and
dash of the Foxhound, together with the deep, musical note, heavy coat,
and grand appearance of the Otterhound.
Some packs of Otterhounds indeed are composed entirely of Foxhounds
entered to otters, and so keen do hounds get on the scent of the Otter,
that Foxhounds will become perfectly steady from hunting a fox, though
they may have run two or three seasons with a pack of foxhounds, as
soon as they have become accustomed to hunting their new quarry, and
are fairly entered to the Otter.
The true Otterhound is a large upstanding hound with hard shaggy coat,
long ears with the "roll" in them similar to that of the Bloodhound. In
colour, more of them are whole-coloured than Foxhounds, the commonest
colour being black with tan points, though they are also sometimes red,
and black and white. The Otterhound has a beautiful, deep melodious
note, which he uses freely when hunting, in fact one of his faults
is that he is apt to throw his tongue sometimes too freely and to be
"noisy."
For real sport, as a general rule, a mixed pack is to be preferred
_i.e._, one composed of Otterhounds, half-bred Hounds, and Foxhounds.
They must be in the best condition, have good sound, hard feet to stand
a long tramp along the road to the meet, perhaps several hours swimming
in very cold water, and then the long walk--sometimes fifteen or twenty
miles--back to their kennels at night.
The management of the Hounds in kennel is exactly like that of
Foxhounds. They should be regularly fed and exercised in exactly the
same manner as Foxhounds, the only difference being that they can be
kept "bigger" in condition, as Otterhounds do not have to go fast, but
have often long, slow, tiring hunts, and have to stand long exposure
to cold water. In addition to the hounds themselves, good terriers are
indispensable. These must be of good constitution, with good feet and
legs to stand the long journeys on the road, and as hard as nails in
every respect.
Otter-hunting is a sport that is followed on foot and is therefore one
that any woman, rich or poor, possessed of a good pair of legs and a
thick pair of boots, can join in whenever the meet is within reach.
Most packs have given up hunting at break of day, and meet at the more
reasonable hour of nine or ten. Having arrived at the meet, and after
a few minutes' law has been given for late comers, the hounds will
be put on to the river, and the business of the day will begin. The
Huntsman will always, if he knows his business, have some hounds on
each side of the river, so that not a holt or inch of the water may be
missed.
[Illustration: _GROUP OF OTTER HOUNDS._]