The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-06-26
RUSSIAIS CAVALRY.
The Horsomon of the Inr-Mnrvelous
Riding.

OIL tho WISH OF INC Emperor OF bCflnany
to the Gar, n correspondent Of the Lon
don Daily News says:
The great attraction Of the day was
the cavalry, and that far surpassed any
thing which | have ever seen. The two
elements Of excellence were, Of course,
the horses themselves and the horse
manship Of the riders. Can any body
explain the peculiar charm about Rus
sian horses? Without p%resuming to an
swcr my own question, ! think | may
point out that one secret with trainers
here seems to educate the horse TO
make him trustworthy, faithful, ambi-
tious and to dispose Of all those con-
triyancos which, IN more civilized coun-
tries, crush the spirit ont Of the poor
beasts. In what other country can one
see horses like those which dash along
the Nvcska 80 free, and fresh, and
graceful In what other country do
they have such a glossy skin, such swan
like nccks, such delicate limbs? And
in what other country do they offer such
material for cavalry? One must reflect,
too, that Russians Of a certain class are
born, like Arabs, in the saddle. The
horse is Il member Of the family, II
brother, n companion IN every adycn-
turo. The Russian government had,
therefore, good material but it has cm-
ploycd it we'll, and the proof is the
superb horsemen who to-day galIopcd
along by Kaiser William and his Ger
man officers. The Russian cavalry has
the ordinary divisions found III all Con-
tincntaI armies, namely, hussars, dra-
goons, cuirassicrs, uhImns, etc, AZ well
ns Bomo species peculiar to itself. |
pass over the former, nnd only call at
tcntion to the horses. These sleek and
muscular beasts had evidently been &C.
lcctcd ~ carefully M the mca them
selves. For now II glossy black, now II
rich brown, 10Y n light gray, and the
uniformity seemed to extend .oYcn TO
their size, shape and motion. The cf-
feet wa BinguIarly striking. Tho
1chock and CoBsack cavalry have been
so often described that there is nothing
new to be said about their appearance.
The detachment which took part in the
ceremonies Of to-day wore bright red
Jackets and u sort OF fur hats Of the
same color, and rode chestnut ponies.
On their bucka carbincs were strapped,
and in their hands they carried long red
%lances. Thoy led the cavalry division.
The first circuit Of cavalry vas merely
for inspection the second was for Gyo-
~lutions. How impnticntly the CoBaacks
went through the first, and how eagerly
they entered ON the second The
ponies, even, trcmbIcd with enthusiasm.
As the cayacadc approached the cmpcr.
orB the riders settled firmly in their sad
dies, looBcncd the reins II little, and
the word is given Like II flash Of
lightning, md simultaneously, the
horses shoot oil, and before the Bpccta-
tors have caught their breath, are half
why around the square. What nm
astounding pace If IL horse should
stumble, the rider would never mount
again. CossacIlB crouch low in the Bad-
die, and shout like icnds while their
long, RlittcrinR %lancoa, stretching out
horizontally far beyond the horses, are
terrifying even to friends and non-com-
batants. The Germans do not spare
their plaudits. They love the uhIans
who trampled down the Turcos, and the
bismarck Cuirassicrs who rode into tho
jaws of death ut Mars lc Tour, but
nothing like these monrthly horBcmen
from the plains of Kussia. Let mt not
do negative injustice, however, to tho
rest Of the cavalry. After the second
turn around the field the whole body
formed Mt the rear, opposite the ompcr-
ors and amphithcatcr. The front
stretched the whole length of the field
somewhat longer, to use IL comparison
which many English readers will nppro- |
ciats, than from the Seine TO the bar
racks ut the foot Of the Champs de
MFRS, and several regiments deep.
There were probably 10000 in all, tho
cuirasscrs with their white conts aud
heavy black horses, the hussnrs with
their pixies, mounted grenadicrs and the
dragons, and Mt the wings the reckless
Cossncks again. The Grand Duke
Nicholas waved his sword, and tho en-
tire force moved toward the cmpcrOrs
and the spectators. At first it was II
light trOt, then an easy gHllop, then
iastcr and %fastcr, till one could only see
thousands of glittcring uniforms and
superb horses dashing madly toward
tho crowd. Nearer and nearer they
come, and ever ut the same terrific pace.
1t will be death for the imperial party
who nrc on tho ground below Sudden
ly the grand dukes sword flies up
again in the mir; the officers pass the
word along still the $1,000 horscmcn
shake the earth. The grand dukes
sword falls, and the mighty mass comes
to II stop rs if translixed by IN electric
shock. Perfect silence reigns. The ,
long line Of cavalry is rs calm and
AZ the marble palace itself, and =,
far hooL, tl,nr.l, A. ,,,l... IN :. H.. y