Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-26
(Copyriehted 1882

sity OF Cincinnati on recruiting service, the
writer was invited to join a riding party. Just
ct this time riding parties of the young people
In society were very much in vogue. Assem-
bling at the home of some one Of their number,
they would set forth in the afternoon; ride out
TO some pleasant spot, either in Kentucky, across
the Ohio, or in the beautiful environs Of the
city itself; take supper there, have an informal
dance and return by moonlight. Joining the
party with the best mount to be found at the
stable to which he was advised to 60, the
writer found some twenty young men and
rnaidens on very trim looking Kentucky saddle
horses; and very soon. with q discreet
chaperone in the lead, we filed away to the
ferry and were soon Gathering through the
streets of Newport and out on the broad, wind
ting highway beyond Once there, the leaders
the rear of the column, had his first opportunity
OF watching horseman and horsewomanship as
then practised in the Queen city. Up to that
day he had never ridden any gait but what are
termed
THE NATURAL CATS OF THE HORSE
the walk, trot, gsllop or the easy, graceful
modification of the latter, known in the east as
the canter and on the frontier as the slope"
In each of these-especially the trot-there is
certain amount of physical and muscular ex-
ercise. Not much. perhaps, in the walk, but a
little at any rate. The writer had ridden some
steed or other from the time he was seven
years old, when he began on a vicious little
brute Of Shetland. whose chief object in life
seemed to be incessant and frequent successful
efforts to dump his boy rider into snow drift or
mud puddle. as the seasons might provide.
Later he had been INDUCED with many a ride
on fine bay thoroughbred, owned by rela-
tive. whose riding opportunities were few; but
this was in New York. and neither at Dickers
nor Disbrows-the two equestrian schools Of
the ante-bellum days, had he seen taught any
thing but the English-the natural gaits. Then
came the war, when, as mounted orderly at
brigade headquarters early in 81, he made ac-
quaintance with the Mcclellan saddle and the
cavalry seat: and then West Point, with its
bareback and ''rough-riding'' training; then
light battery duty in the far south, with an oc-
casiOnal brush ON the Metairie track, or race
across the level plains in the suburbs of New
Orleans; but now at last he was to see new
and typical phase of American horsemanship
and make acquaintance with the gated
Kentucky saddles.
GATED HORSE.
Time and again he had noted at all the rail-
way stations in Mississippi and Tennessee just
after the war the dozens and scores of saddle
horses tethered to the posts and tree boxes,
and had seen their lank, sallow-faced owners
mount and ride off at that wonderful all-day
amble known as the ''fox trot," but here at
Cincinnati something entirely new; and
forgetful, perhaps, of the small talk due to
q fair companion, who fortunately for him
an enthusiastic horse woman and forgaye him,
he became absorbed in watching the party in
'front.' while urging his Own unwilling steed to
take and keep lope instead Of the gait of his
fore runners fore hackers more properly
which to the soldiers benighted mind was sim
ply no gait at all.
SITTING IN THEIR SADDLES
without the faintest effort, motion or "eauita-
tion" of any kind these young people of both
sexes were whirled along at rapid gait, their
horses heads and necks stretched out to the
front, the reins dangling loosely and the four
legs of every horse moving like machinery in
way utterly novel and strange. 1t seemed
more like banks of oars than anything else;
the hind leg kept step" with the fore leg on
Its own side and the result of the swift. swing
ing motion was a rapid propulsion OF the horse
and rider through space; but, for all the exer-
else. for all the skill and security in seat
gained by the equestrian in such performance.
he or she might Just well be seated in an
armless chair on the back of an elephant or
camel There was just about as much motion
there is in a Pullman palace car going on a
straight track at ten miles an hour.
THE TENDENCY
Of the system was to encourage loose. slouchy
style of riding; an utterly insecure seat and an
indispositlon, after a few trials, to ride any,
thing but the gated" horse. That it was pro-
ductive of insecurity and lack of skill was sud-
denly most conclusively established. One of
SHE'D and swerved, and the rider rolled off into
the dust. Had he been accustomed to ride the
trot and gallop: had he learned, then would
have been necessary, the quick pressure OF
knee and grippe of leg, such an ignominious
thing as being endorsed by a shy would not
have been likely to happen. The writer
learned then and there to consider horseman-
ship which confines itself to gated horses as
simply no Workmanship at all. No man. no
woman. who desires to master a horse and to
ride well can afford to learn the exercise on any
but the natural gaits; but once at home in
them, then there is pleasure. comfort. and ac-
tual benefit in occasional indulgence in the
artificial amblings of those wonderful western
horses.
THE WALK AND TRoT.
A brief description of the gsits may be of
interest. Everybody who rides at all knows
the natural geits. No saddle horse is worth
having unless he be a good fast walker. A
slow horse is veariness and vexation TO the
spirit. but a horse whose walk is so slow that
IN order To keep up with his fellows he must
resort TO the jog trot. Is quadruped whose
proper vocation is with the plough. Such
brute as that wears out many a temper and not
few troopers in the long cavalry marches of
the frontier. Three miles and half an hour
is as slow as the slowest saddle horse ought to
be allowed 10 walk. -Four miles" Is a good
honest swinging gait. and every roadster ought
20 be able to take 1t. The trOt-a gait so easy
and natural for both man and beast even for
several miles at a stretch when the gentle rise
IN the stirrups is cultivated-is something of a
dread to military horsemen who use the army
saddle and are expected TO sit squarely down
Very few of them will willingly sit it out for
more than mile. and l doubt if the horse
himself would approve It. The French. for all
purposes. and the Germans, for campaign
moves at a rapid gait, now prescribe the rise
for their troopers, but We Americans seldom
march more than mile or so at the trot and
then only to break the monotony of the walk.
Watch cavalry column at the trot
and you will see here and there uncomfortable
looking fellows who are slowly urging their
steeds to change to the lope, but were thev
equipped with the Whitman army saddle. the
rise would be easy. natural and even graceful
and ten miles or eleven could easily be covered
III an hours trot.
THE oALLoP AND THE RUN
are the horses extreme gaits, and those in
which, when in health and spirits, he most
rejoiees. So long as he gallops true and
united the gait il delightful, exhiarating and
safe; but many horses have an odd trick of
throwing themselves ''out Of gear" as il were
and galOping -'disunited'-a matter the prac-
tlced rider will recognize in an instant In the
proper mechanism of the gallop the legs on the
right side move in advance Of those on the left
or those on the left side in advance of those on
the right; either will do when running straight
but when turning or riding in circle the fore
leg on the side toward which the turn Is made
should strike the ground in advance Of the
other. Now when a horse going at full speed