Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-26
AMERICAN RIDERS.
TOO MUCH HURRY IN THIS, AS IN
OTHER THINGS.
Kentuckians and Virginians at Home on
Horseback-How New York
ers Ride.

erS RIDE.
"Some Americans ride well, but many
do not" said Lieutenant Victor Lind
holm, once an officer in the Danish army,
new a riding master in New York Lieu
tenant Lindholm knows what clever young
men and women from all parts of the coun-
try can and cannot do when placed on a
horse.
"What mean," he continued, "is this
No people on earth excel the Southern and
Western men and women in riding at a
canter or dead run, but if you put Ken
lucky belle, Virginia gentlemen or even
stern cowboy on a trotting horse such
as is used for park-riding, any one of the
three will cut sorry figure. Kentuckians
boast that no women in the world can ride
like their women, and this is partly true
but few Kentucky women learn to set a
horse as fashionable woman of the world
ride"
The riding master laughed as if he had
amusing mental visions, when he was
asked whether the average New Yorker is
at home on horse.
"Anything but that" said he at is
true that the best riders in America, from
my point of view, live in New York, but
they are made such at the riding schools.
The timidity of men at first learning is
absurd. would rather teach ten women
than one man. The ladies are nervous at
first, but once they learn to balance they
have no more fear. | think the difference
is caused by the frrner seat that woman
has. Not that believe in the seat. 1t is
cramped and unnatural, and modern
women ought long since to have discarded
the English court ladies seryile imitation
of deformed Princess 800 years ago, who
rode thus because she could ride in no
other way. But the seat gives woman
confidence, for no horse can throw her if
she learns to sit deep in her saddle and
hold hard to the pommel by her right
limb.
'The fault of the American rider is the
fault of American life in other things
hurry. When once aman gains confidence
he wishes to show himself in public. No
rider should do that until he has taken ten
lessons, and then he should ride quiet
horse. When man comes to me to learn
riding, | ask whether he wishes to be a
thorough horseman or only to ride in the
park and in quiet country lanes Most
men say the latter. Few New Workers
learn to ride to hounds That is common
in Washington. Well, if a man wishes to
be thorough horseman, put him on
horse without saddle, and teach him to
maintain his seat by pressure of the knees
and the inside of the upper leg. A good
rider though he should have his legs cut
off at the knees, would be able to manage
a mettlesome horse. After pupil has
learned the use of his knees L give him
saddle and stirrups. He still depends on
his knees, but he uses the saddle as Sc
condary aid.
"If a man wishes to learn merely so
much as will enable him to ride in the
park without looking ridiculous, | shorten
the stirrups and teach him part of what l
teach the other. 1t is matter OF lifetime
to become good rider. Part of this is to
keep a seat close to the saddle when horse
trots. The ordinary rider does not learn this.
We teach him to rise in his saddle. 1t is
not necessary. By perseverance one can
learn to take off the jolt by giving at the
back and letting the toes rest in the stir
rup. To be a really good rider of this
sort, however, one must be good gym
nast"
"Do children learn to ride easily?
''Yes; at proper age. 1t is a mistake to
teach young children to ride, particularly
girls, because the woman's seat is so un-
natural and so twists the spine that young
girl cannot well endure it. Girls should
not begin learning under y years of age"
"Where do we get our best saddle
horses ?"
"There is nothing finer than the well
bred American horse. The best are from
Kentucky. They are trained to high
school there in winter and brought to New
York for sale in April. High school
that is when a horse is graduated. He
can walk Spanish, trot Spanish, pirouette,
and traverse. These are the graceful
motions you notice in a high-spirited,
well-bred horse. A high school thor
oughbred brings from $500 to 1920.
Such horses are best at six or seven years
of age. Younger they are but babies and
cannot stand wear. You must not let an
inexperienced TlueT use IL buOIOuSDISu.
1t is dangerous for the rider and bad for
the horse. The thoroughbred is most
mettlesome when he is well warmed up
to his work. 1t is then that the ordinary
horse loses his frisky spirit. A good rider
may do what he will with the thorough
bred. Horse and man are one. But a
bad rider maddens such horse. There
are fine horses, too, from Canada, from
best riding horse is from fifteen to sixteen
hands high. The broncho? You cannot
trust him Perhaps he may serve you
well for four or FIVE years, and then sud-
denly he will buck. Irode broncho in
Brooklyn for eight days. He was de-
lightful. Then suddenly on the ninth
day he began bucking. | staid on him,
but thought he would drive my spine
up into my brain. When he could not
get me off he fell over on his side, and l
Just escaped broken leg and crushing