The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-02-12
GAMES ON HORSEBACK.
ROUGH RIDING BY NEW YoRK'S
CRACK TROOPERS.

Fights With Foils = S1ashing mt
Leather Heads-The Tug of Wharf.-The
Making of Good Cavalry.
When other young men are crawling
around ballroom, or devoting their no.
BILE energies to forcing pool balls into
pockets, Captain Roe's 100 young men of
Troop A, New York, are dressed in hot
soldiers clothing, fighting horses, wrest-
ling with each other and with their own
tempers, getting tanbark into their
mouths and military ardor into their
souls, OF dreaming, as they stretch their
still muscles in bed, that they are carv-
ing untold Chilians, Englishmen, Indi-
ans, and foes generally. When they have
finished with the troop, the young men
have new sets of muscles in their legs
and all through their bodies, also hearts
end martial ardors twice the size of those
owned by the sons of modern civiliza-
ton, who have nothing to arouse their
military instincts except cab drivers and
elevated railroad guards.
The troop is sort of club Those
who are members appoint committee
to decide as to the fitness of applicants
/ for membership. There is in the selec-
tion Of new troopers an absolute absence
of the conventional discrimination which
prevails in club elections The only ques-
tions asked are: Is he a man who will
make fight to stick on his horse and
whom one might be proud to drag in the
mire? Will he take a real interest in the
troop? Is he the sort of chap we shall like
to sit up with when we are discussing the
campaigns of the futureS Win lie be
credit to the troop?"
No account is taken of the candidates
financial OF social standing.
First, of course, the new man must
learn to ride, to get on his horse, to know
what to do with his saber and his other
encumbrances. That is the foundation,
and it is never very long before the new
trooper finds himself riding horse with
no saddle, OF with a saddle that is not
fastened to the horse, a more serious state
of things still. When the recruit knows
how to ride, he begins on the games that
make very strong and very tired man
of him. Of these every one is of kind
that will increase his value as soldier,
and he may keep working at them until
his five years expire, improving every
day.
OF the games and contests that depend
almost altogether on the man, the most
exciting by far is the wrestling. When
one man gets hold of another, and the
two horses which carry them start off in
opposite directions, there must be re-
suit IN very short time The possibility
Of jumping on the horse of the adversary
and of dispossessing the owner, as well
as other daring feats, make the wrestling
very attractive to the young men fond of
glory. 1t never fails to fill the beautiful
creatures who attend the public exhibi-
tions with the deepest dread and admira-
ton.
In addition to the wrestling, there are
q number of tests that allow the men to
try their skill and muscle. In the tug
of war four men on horses pull against
four other mounted men. The men who
sit quite still, without letting their horses
move and wait for the enemy to make
some mistake, all the while taking in
slack, are pretty sure to win.
The riding at leather heads, plaoel SO
as to let the men practice right and left
cuts at cavalry and at infantry, are the
most warlike demonstrations that the
games develop. When hurdle is added,
and the men are required to jump their
horses over 1t, at the same time slashing
at the head of leather enemy, the thing
becomes very picturesque and dramatic.
The objection to it, if there is any, is
that it gives too great an advantage to
the man who has the most quiet and most
even jumper.
What is called Pursuing" mounted
Jeu de Barre, is the sport most univer-
sally liked by the men. One man starts
out with ribbon or handkerchief tied
around his arm, and the other, following
him, must seize and capture the ribbon
without tackling the wearer. In this
game, too, the quality of the horse counts
great deal, but horsemanship counts
for much more, and, played on horses
without saddles, it has great educating
qualities. Fencing with foils, broad
sword fencing mounted, jumping up be-
hind mounted man while his horse is
galloping, and picking small objects from
the ground while going ON gallop on
good sized horse, are among the exer-
cises that have made of the men in Troop
A body of most brilliant horsemen.-
Harper's Bazar