Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-04

| WHEN HORSE sHIEs-How THE AMERICAN
SOLDIERS R1DE-AN INCIDENT OF THE PLAINS
| AN ENGLISH HUNTER AND HIS AMERICAN GUIDE.
The serious and nearly fatal accident which
befel an Englishman recently while riding in
| central park serves to point moral. to adorn
tale, and furnishes another strong argument
against riding in the English short-stirrup
Jockey style. The man was esteemed an excel
lent rider in the English STYLE but his horse,
In fright plunging suddenly to one side. the
rider lost his stirrups," and to save himself
he chung with his feet to his mount and in so
doing drove the spurs into his sides and goaded
him to greater desperation. Under these cir
cumstances it became impossible to control
| the agonlzed brute with the rein and in his
headlong dash be collided with a wagon and
| threw ms rider violently TO tine ground. Had
he been taught to ride with the long stirrups
and to use the knee pressure the loss of his
1ootlng in the stirrups would not have been
serious matter, as, in the proper way of riding,
| you are not so dependent upon the stlrrups Cor
SAFETY, for you maintain your seat in an emer-
! gency by pressing the knees with greater than
ordinary force to the sides Of the horse, and,
! having this principle thoroughly instiiled. you
| never cling with your feet and unconsciously
| foul the horse with the spurs.
HORsEMEN OF THE ENGLISH STYLE
have quite enough to contend with in sitting
their horses when nothing out of the ordinary
routine occurs, and when a sudden bound of
their mounts causes the loss of the stirrups they
| almost invariably are thrown. From their
! habit of rding-short stirrups and toes turned
! outward. rendering the knees useless-they
! involuntary cling with the feet when in trouble
and augment the difficulties by planting the
! spurs into the sides OF the frightened animals
and holding them there until dumped off at
the side of the road. And tho English style of
Riding can be of no possible service to an
| equestrlenne when in trouble with her mount.
The New York Tribune in commenting upon
the distressing mishaps to riders in Central
park says editorially, "a whip may be con-
yenlence at times, but there is no excuse for
| the spur"
This is all wrong. By the use of the whip
for the horse that should be punished, you
may excite dozen spirited animals near you,
and II your own mount is a nervous ono the
mere drawing of the whip may cause him to shy
! seriously. The spurs are the only things to use
Tor the punishment of horse in riding. You
press them to both sides at the same instant.
The movement is unseen by your mount or
other horses in the company, and it is a sure
corrective without causing fright. Your horse
does not see, but feels and heeds it, With the
spurs you can ride high-bred, spirited horses
right over field battery in full action when.
| should you attempt it with whips they would
certainly fail you by ''shying off,"
THE ONLY THING.
| The spurs are the only things to ride with,
but men must know how to ride to use them
with safety. But the saddle must be the mar
row tree and seat. with stirrups hung about
midway between bow and cantle and made long
/ enough to compel you to extend the legs to
nearly their full length and to slightly depress
! the toes, and you should ride with the feet
| held parallel with the body of the horse; then
there is no fear that you will foul your horse
with the spurs should you let your feet slip
/ from the stirrups. At the sudden springing OF
! your mount, causing you to lose your stirrups,
| you will naturally and invOluntarily press your
/ knees still more firmly to his sides with your
/ feet extended downward instead of drawing
| your heels up against the already frightened
| horse and thus unconsciously goading HIM with
| the spurs.
ACAsE IN POINT.
| Mr.. Frederick Remington, artist and writer,
| who spent some time last year in our cavalry in
Arizona, says in the April Century: lone
naked savage got up suddenly from behind a
| mesquite bush, which startled the horses
| that quicker than thought every animal made q
violent plunge to one side. No one of the
| trained riders seemed to mind this unlocked
| for movement III the least beyond displaying a
| CLEAN OF grinning worries. / am inclined to
! think that ii would have let daylight upon some
| OF the English hunting seats one sees i'll Cen
trail park"
! HUNTING ELK.
J While hunting in the North Park, Colorado,
! during an October a good many years ago. my
guide and / saw at a distance two horsemen in
| hot pursuit of small band of elk, in which
| was huge buck, doe and two spring fawns
| As the band was running in the direction of
! the route we were pursuing. put spurs to
| our horses and dashed on to INTERCEPT and, if
| possible, turn them back toward their pursuers
| whom we thought to be hunters from our own
| camp. But we only succeeded i'll confusing
and separating them, and in suddenly losing
| sight of the doe and fawns. The powerfully
| antlered stag seemed not SO feet as the Others
| or else for a time he delayed his movements to
attract attention from his family and We finally
| succeeded in turning him at a right angle to
| his former course. This slight delay on his
| part, without bringing near enough to fire
| with any hope of hitting, was enough to give
| the other eager hunters an advantage over the
| majestic beast, but, as at full speed thew drew
near, we saw they were strangers-one an
Englishman from all outward signs of cordu-
roys and toggery, and the other his guide, a
| plainsman. The latter kept in the run slightly
to the rear Of the Englshman, SO as to instruct
! him in taking advantage of the ground and
make the ''cut-offs" that would gain distance
and also for the purpose of telling him when
near enough to shoot. Go the uninitiated it
is difficult TO judge distances on the plains. J
Soon after passing us the guide shouted to the
Englishman, "Halt, dismOrint and fire. You're
near enough At this the latter suddenly pulled
rein, and, being mounted on plains horse,
with plains rig, including the terrible Mexi-
can bride, the steed halted as suddenly as
though shot through the head, and the rider,
equally suddenly, shot up out of the saddle
like a rubber ball. Fortunately he came down
astride of his saddle again, but in fearful dis
order. He had
''LosT HIS sTIRRUPs,"
and was distressingly confused, and to make
matters worse, in his dire extremity he drew
both heels against the TANKS of the unsuspect-
ing horse, and. of course, drove the spurs into
him, which sent the now newly aroused courser
off again at tearing rate. The Englishman
seemed oblivious OF the cause OF this sudden
and mad start. and, clinging only closer and
harder, he doubled his body forward and en-
braced the pommel of his saddle with both
arms, in the execution of which movement he
grasped one side of the rein much shorter than
the other, causing the Infatuated beast to dash
around and around in a circle, man and horse
the most ludicrous sight imaginable outside of
q circus ring!
WHAT THE GUIDE DID.
The Englishman's guide, without knowing
the cause of this deviation from his well-ar-
ranged program, halted but an instant. and
then, true to his instincts and training turned
his horse again in the direction of the now
fast-fying buck, and with greater speed and
the cutting off of the angle his game had made
soon brought himself within the range of his
and without dismounting, he dropped the rein
4 hal oft and