The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-01-19
The AMERICAN HUNTER.
WHAT IS NEEDED TO MAKE TIVE
TYPICAL ANIMAL.

Changes in the Requirements in Re-
cent Years-Northera and southern
Horses DifTeremt-The Use of the
ThOroughbred-HaIE- Rest for
tho Conditions In the United States.
That there Is a greatly increased de-
mand for hunters is beyond contradict
tion. That it would pay the American
breeder to cater to this demand is self
evident The question is, will he do so,
and how will he do it? England is the
greatest market at the present time for
good hunters, and the scarcity is a
matter of almost national bewaiIing.
This is to be looked at from two stand
points. The production of really good
horses in England is just as large as it
ever was, but the demand is so much
larger, and no new sources of supply
have appeared. There are more rich
men, they like to have good horses at
their beck and call, whether they ride
them or not, and there are more people
riding than ever before, as shown by
the three hundred and eighty -eight
packs Of hounds in the United King
dom.
A smaller demand, numerically, but
not as regards quality or Importance, is
here at home. Good hunters of the va
rying types sought for in different sec
tons of the country are worth, and will
bring, up to five thousand dollars each,
and several have been sold recently at
that figure; while others, in the hands
of the various hunt club men, could not
be bought at all. These two great
countries control practically the entire
use for the hunted, as the average Eu-
rOpean does not hunt the fox at all, the
deer is not chased to any extent, and
the British colonies demand is yet in
embryo; except for breeding stock but
is an important one to keep an eye on.
Visitors to the Horse Show have seen
the hunter classes and admired the
grand sweep of the well-trained ami
mails over the artificial obstacles, but
they have not, except In Isolated cases
of Individual horses, seen what is the
true hurder for the open. The trouble
is that BREEDERS are rather inclined to
breed to the Horse Show type rather
than to the general utility standpoint,
and they do not, in too many cases,
look at the matter from a business
point Of view. To-day the breeders
strong point Is saddlers, and he finds a
ready sale for such, although the great
bulk of them undoubtedly are Of prac-
tfnollJr 81 hI1t a 1oSiVaI
One here, an another there, comet out,
a fine, ranky, well-actfoned animal,
good chest, tucked-up barrel, strong
quarters, plenty of driving power, goes
well on grass, so hammer him over the
Jumps and make hunter of him."
Just an accident of a passing fancy on
the part Of the man who bred or who
later bought him. This is not the way.
Years ago the half-bred horse was the
ideal hunter He was clever at his,
fences, could get in and out Of all kinds
Of corners, and had q, dogged Halliday"
habit with him. which carried him
through a hard day. Ohio" cried the
old-tdme hunter what is wanted is a
horse with the high courage of the thor
oughbred and the logged obtsiracy OF
the rOdu tOIS6. - tIuly SiIdpptl ALL
NAL, considerable neck, good crest with
a slight curve, and a Well-put-on head.
He was educated at the bar and in tht
school, was essentially a snaffie-brid
horse, and a standing as well as a fly
ing leaper. He preferred to run hard
held at the head, rider standing up in
his stirrups, the horse picking his own
ground keeping on at a steady pace for
some hours, fencing well to the last,
and safely, and worth, i'll those days,
about six hundred dollars.
These are the horses the elder Her
ring painted Great animals of their
day, but in this day utterly useless,
Spreading civilization has drained the
fen and the marsh, cut down the tan
giles, trimmed the hedges, cleaned out
the ditches taken the stones from the
land, obliterated soft spots" and thus
debarred the fox from much Of his Old
time cover and sanctuary. So, by de-
grees, his muscles and his lungs have
increased in power, he now runs for
hours where he formerly ran minutes,
he covers miles instead Of fudlongs,
and he has carried the speed notch