Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-04-19
4 Substitute for Z Roundup.

am far from the skies, the plains and
the ponies of West Texas, and the spirit of
the spring roundup, the longing to be among
boots and saddles to see some riding, be-
came so irresistible finally that went into
a riding academy the other day, and there
saw, for the first time, Craftsmanship as
she is taught the approved English style
of riding at u trot.
l looked at it with prejudiced eyes. of
course l did. One who has been accus-
toned through long observation, as well as
personal experience, with the Workmanship
of the Western plains, where there is no
'.style' or form except what is most
natural, easy, and as q consequence, beauti
full and graceful, is not the one to find
whatever is good or admirable in the Eng
lish style taught in city riding schools.
When | saw that SNUG and trim riding
master with his English whiskers and his
English top boots, bobbing soiemnly around
the sawdust ring on a steed trained almost
like circus horse, vision came before
me of certain glaSs-eyed, diSh-faced,
pinto (calico) yclept Badly, l wot of, who
is inveterately broncho, for whom the
whole Devils River region is too small
when he gets on rampage, and whose d.
geStion troubles him if he don't rampage
at least once week.
could not but fancy, with wicked glee,
the surprise OF this immaculate and con-
su:lmate individual on his back, when he
felt Baldy's spine arching like that of high
strung cat when she sees a dog, and his
we'll bred horror when the saddle was sud
denly shot up some SIX feet and came down
on four legs as rigid as iron with sicken-
ing punk What disapprobation he would
feel for Baldy'S trick of standing on his
hind legs and playing the Carnival of
Venice, " with all the runs, variations and
heavy bass, on an imaginary piano ten feet
long with his fore feet, or his ballet girl ac-
reversing himself IN midair and coming
down with his head where his tail had bell
and vice versa.
1t was after half hour seance VI &th
Badly when Badly was feeling well, t1h.t
Jake Shorter remarked, with the blooA.
flowing from his nose and mouth accom-
panied in the latter instance by earnest and
varied profanity-"I've seen bucEin' ponies,
and as broncho buster I've rode buckin'
ponies-but that glass-eyed, pole-necked,
spotted-skinned hyener's got more kinds OF
q buck n q greaser's got lies
/ said to myself, remembering Badly.
.'When this sawdust knight is indicted
into the approved method OF EiSiaHz
bucking broncho, may | be therSSo see"
l could see that these people " IRE doing
a difficult thing--a thing 1 Il ldn't do
without much labor and practiA -riGe
spirited horse at rough trot, a. little
fiat saddle. with short stirrups, bNvqse0r
the life OF me, | couldn't see why they
should wish to DO il. A running walk -
fox trot Tor little saddle gate. si9G
foot, nice long lope, or, for dash. I'D
run, are so delightful, both to him who
rides and him who looks or, that this
pumping up and down on a trotting
horse that looks so laborious, and, to IN
educated eyes. so uHgraceful. seems the
wilfnl perversion OF good thing.
! think / could tell when it was good
work OF its kind bur, like the carpenters