The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-11-06 00:00:00

TEACHING THE PRINCE'S HORSES
TO FACE WILD BEASTS.

Land and Water writes :—Now that the various
journals are producing illustrations of the numerous
places in India which are likely to be visited by the
Prince of Wales, it may interest our readers to know
with what care and forethought almost everything has
been done to render the visit safe and provide for dif-
ferent emergencies which are likely or possible to arise.
Among other matters, it was suggested that the horses
he intended to take out might, on arrival, be found
useless if met by elephants, camels, and other strange-
looking beasts; in fact, much danger would be attended
the riding of a spirited charger who for the first time
encountered an elephant or a troop of elephants ; their
size and strange appearance, together with their noise
and the strong smell, would be sufficient to terrify
the most tame and quiet horse in the world. It
was therefore arranged with vlr. Bartlett to have the
three splendid horses selected from the Prince's stud
—one well known as Coomassie, the other two named
Dashwood and Cockney respectively—taken to the
Zoological Gardena, and then, by carefully and gently
introducing them into the presence of the various
animals, they would by these means become accus-
tomed to them, and the danger of a sudden fright to a
great extent be overcome. Under the guidance of Mr.
Bartlett, these arrangements were in every way most
successfully carried out to the entire satisfaction of
General Probyn and Colonel Kingscote, the Controller
of the Prince of Wales's stables. A slight sketch of
the mode of proceeding adopted may be worth notice,
showing, as it does, that horses of high courage under
proper treatment exhibit a wonderful amount of in-
telligence, and soon become accustomed to the sight
and behaviour of the wildest and terrible of brutes.
The first object is to avoid anything like a sudden
fright, and to have sufficient time and space at
command to enable those engaged in such an under-
taking to run no risk of failure. It, therefore, required
many days to practice their introduction to the various
wild animals they are hereafter likely to meet in the
jungle. It was only early in the morning, and before
visitors were admitted, that these experiments could
be carried out. It was decided that each horse should
be mounted by an experienced and good rider. Mr.
Prince, the stud-groom to his Royal Highness, and
two grooms selected for the purpose arrived at the ap-
pointed time, and, instead of entering the gardens at
once, the horses were slowly ridden up- to the park
fence on the Fowl known as the Outer Circle, and
from this position they could clearly see the large male
African elephant walking about in his paddock ; in
this way they felt somewhat safe, as they had the
open road before them, and the elephant was behind
the fence. As soon as the horses had recovered their sur-
pris e at the sight of this animal they wereridden intothe
gardens, an d brought near enough to the elephant to make
a close inspection of his general appearance. They were a
little nervous at first, more especially when the great
brute set up his large ears and make an attempt to
rush towards the horses and utter his shrill note of
alarm; they, however, soon began to acquire confi-
dence, and cease to start or jump from him, and, after
a day or two, would allow him, when let out with