New-York tribune., 1888-03-25
HIGH-CLAss EoRsEMANsHIP.
A CHAT WITH ONE OR BARNUWs RIDERS

A CHAT WITH ONE OR BARNUWs RIDERS
| urss DEACON TELLS HOW SIZE LEARNED TIE
ART OF HoasrMANsKIP-cAnEFuL TRAINED
HORSES.
| Admirers of hich-class horsemanship VINO low
| IN sea fine horse we'll managed should try 10 seo
! seats commanding good view of the ring Dearest
| Madson-ave known as Arena NO l, woen theS
visit the Barnum- Bailey circus at the DIG uaraou
II is there that Miss Lilly Deacon than wn"h
| there is no more graceful aud accomplished horso
woman in this country, puts two Deauti"i Sioou"
tbroneA the PAGES of whar is knewn IN Europe as
the "bau,s 6colc dc msnege," and introduces q
tronpe of trained stations which at her word Oh
| command g,ve a remark able performance.
| Miss Deacon is tall, dark-eyed Eughsnwoman'
with all the good looks that the hardy girls o. nes
country get by their fondness for open air ana Ok
.ro,.a Tbe stations she exhibits IN a, Turkish
sos.~r,a. onA in her Partisan manege act she wcArs
a conv.nt,onal riding dress. II is the latter per-
formance winch brings out most markedly her
srn.rh qualities a, a skilled and fearless eques-
tr;an II ia NOT sucb as to appeal to the mass of
o,,cus on lockers who ind their Seenest delight
| IN snanales and tights ami paper hoops and edu-
| Gated pigs.
| Nor is Miss Deacons following OF
attentive spee ators so large PERHAPS as tha'
commanded by aeriol gvmnasts, sensatIdoai aero
hats or other exponenfs of skill and muscle he's
is essentially " "eilt-edGed" horsenansnip' tho"9h
IL Is not gaudy 1t requires certain amount vi
horse. kno ledgo to appreclatcr; anditlnVaiiaoiS
wins the plaudis Of the man vho knowStne "'nei-
enca between n thoroug nbred and screw, aud
who can discriminate between riding ana rioius-
puf of assiduons training and hard work separates
N,sa Deacon from the timid groOm-atsended SCHOOL
uir or the olrer who rat5cs the stones Oh the
avenue Ddrk drive.
A MODEL OF EAsE AND FIsMNkss.
| Mjss Deacon makes her first entry III Ahe mape2e
| act mount ted on q beaut,fal ahd spirlnd orown
full of action and groome.' to distractNh- one
hand is laid light feathtr on the WhiAo ori"lo
rem. and a little WHIP rests ldiY in the ohler lt
ia more for ornament than use Her seat " model
of ease, gracsfuiness anh rmness for any fiding-
school pupil who happens TO see AMI STUDY MISS
Deacon's style and methods, and VINO Is "iSo
enough to profit by the lessen.
The auccnts gave expression to their ideal o. u Q
perfection of the art ofrlding when they inventeS
the myth of the Centaurs, Il wonderful UNION or
man AID horse. combining the reason of the one
with the speed and strength of the other Inc
performauce of rider like Miss Deacon almost
| iustltes the fable. lt IS the poetry
of motion set to music the harmony of horseman-
ship and in every movement the horse ana itS
rider one
The military band strikes up, Miss Deacon trots
the brown horse about the ring, and IN oDedehce
to her will expressed SO undemonstntlvcly tnac
! to the spectators he seems TO act Ok his OWN III
stinct, the horse pHnceS, dances, makes an
! obeisance sinking to his knees, quietly recoVers
and illustrates all the various phases OF inc euu
| cation he has acquired at inc nanus Vi 'iS' n'e"
| school" trainer -,
Miss Deacon presently exchanges her bis brown
steed for little compact gray VINO aOS ,OS>S nnder der
| his fair mistress he makes the round OF the ring
| In q series of high bounds, pretty enough to iook
at but. such as would SEND any ofainafy iu,p Inc
narrow gates are brought in and the ends resE99
on the ring-wall thus giving height that wouAi
constitute respectable leap m ossod
or oftener and the act is brought to an eXcItihg
and dsshing conclusion
PRACTISING FOR NINE OR TEN HOURS A DAY.
"Ycs,n said Miss Deacon to TRIBUNE re-
porter few nights ago, while waiting her turn,
- suppose 1 may consider myself a graduate OF
riding. seeing that after | knew fairly how to
sit on horse, spent two years and half IN
perfecting my equestrian education. / studied at
Berlin, under Solomonslli, celebrated instructor
lie used to have a circus, and is in Russia now
believe All the present generation of my family
are in the business and, am proud to say, are all
csver too.
PractseP Well should say / did. have
often been in the saddle Tor nine or ten hours at
A time Naturally tho rst part, and one OF the
greatest efforts Of tralnlns rs to have the rough
ness rubbed off, that is to learn to be naturai-to
be al your ease and to have style in your riding.
Some people never will make accomplished riders.
They may practise all their lives and they won D.
Good horsemen and good horsewomen are like
poets born not made Then, besides acquiring
! this ease in the saddle, you must become accus-
toned to all sorts of horses. In my dolly practice
| used to change my horses quite frequently
Ind that brings me 10 talk ABOUT the morse
and his relation to the manege rider; You must
have the most perfect, the most absolute mastery
over your mount, and you must let him Know IT,
II won't do TO stand any nonsense. And here IS
where self possession comes in; because one needs
TO be cool and collected above, all things l0u
have to learn to be perfectly independent OF tho
stirrup while in the ring. And you scarcely notice
my touch on the bride, or don't notice 1t at all !!
| thought not.
DRILLING CIRCUS WORsE.
ut takes. whole gear thoroughly to teach q
manege horse In his passaging and march
ing. as the principal of the move
ments are called, ard in cveryth nE
else. he has TO be carefully dslled. The n;ress
does not figure so much op cirens programmes II fe
as it does in tropc Here the equestrian r.o-
grammo consists mostly OF balancing
acts on boI> ehscS, and Jumping through
| hoops and So on. In Englnrd and else
where in FuroDc il is all the other way. for mos'
attention is. given to trained horses and hgh-class
hUrscmsnstip
Here people don't seem 70 care so much for
that I have Sc ~ few no good ledv riders
in America Girls here do not 90 in for herse-
riding as the Enq'ish girls do Well thrv haven
| tho sa,ne onnortu nities that's tre but suspect
they haven't the same inclination. But it Is my my
turn, and must 80 as don't Ike TO Keep 'lV
ring waiting"