The San Francisco call., 1895-12-29
The Rider and Driver Tells How
Blue Ribbons Were Won
or Lost.
LORD CLIFT0N's JACK RABBITS.
Editor Taylor on the Shortcomings
Of Turnouts at the Local
Horse Show.

Samuel Walter Taylor's San Francisco
Horse Show number of the New York
Rider and Driver is out and will be in
structive and interesting reading to the
blue ribbon winners even if it is in some
respects not very fattering to their knowl-
edge OF the scorrect thing" in the way of
| harness and coach, cart, brougham and
carriage appointments. Nearly the whole
number is devoted to the horse show, and
| the different classes are taken up in order
and criticized. Among the many illustra-
tions are copies of photographs of Presi-
dent Crocker and prominent exhibitors
and exhibits. One Of Nankivell's clever
sketc hes, published in The CALL, is given
prominence.
In taking up the classes exhibited Mr..
Taylor gives all the points upon which
horses won or failed to win blue ribbons,
and coming as 1t does from an expert it
| will be valuable to future exhibitors. Gen.
orally he is very complimentary to the ex-
hibits, but it is when Mr. Taylor comes 20
criticize the trappings, harness and driving
that the untutored Westerner finds that
he mas much to learn before the turnouts
OF the San Francisco horse shows can be
| called quite fit, don't you know"
Mr. Taylor came out here with the
| judges from New York, and was in attend
ance at the show from the beginning to
the end. He is looked upon in New York
| as an authority on horse shows.
In speaking of the singlecarriage horse
| class to be shown before brougham he
says: 'Mr. Hobart's bachelor brougham,
with Cardinal put to. won the blue ribbon
| He was turned out with very fine har-
ness, although rather inclined to be on the
| tiashy order. NJ. Hobart's harness sug-
gested fashiness in that it had swage
| buckles instead OF half wire buc kles not
| horseshoe shape. He had a medallion
| monogram over the hips on the breeching.
| which was not in good taste according to
our ideas. All things considered, how
ever, Mr.. Hobart's brougham was excel
lent, and good enough to give the best
rub at the Madison-square Garden show.
1--WE were glad to note there were no
| white gloves in the ring, the coachmen
wearing fawn-colored driving-gloves The
hats on oil of Mr.. Hobart's men were well
shaped, with not too much bell. and hav-
| ing the approved livery leaf. y One
Of the worst mistakes made by Mr.. Parrott
| was in leaving off breeching and using a
| kicking-srrap."
The reason why no four-in-ha turn
out was awarded the blue ribbon will give.
Mr.. Hobart, Charley Baldwin and Profess
sor Hermann food for thought:
sin the first place Mr.. Hobart's harness
| was incorrect in having half swage horse
| shoe buckles, instead Of square wire
| buckles; elbow bits, instead of the Bux-
| ton. His coach was up to park form, ex-
cept that he had an extra brake on behind
to be worked by tae servant. This was an
unnecessary and absurd precaution, for no
matter how steep the hills may be in San
Francisco the whip could call upon his
| servants to put on the skid provided for
| the purpose in the event of his brake not
| holding. A good man, accustomed to
| coaching, can readily put on the skid
| while the coach is in motion, thereby
avoiding loss of time, which would have to
| be made up by the driver. His servants
made the same mistake in the brougham
| class in that the second man was in coach.
mans livery.
Third prize was given to Mr.. Hobart's
| team of browns, driven by Mr.. E. D. Bey-
lard, who made the same mistakes as the
| first prize winner except that he was addi-
| tionally at fault in being without bearing
reins. Professor Hermann was given
fourth prize with the team shown in the
| previous class. He exhibited a very nice
Holland & Holland coach, the property of
j. Talbot Clifton. His harness was a
nondescript. neither road nor park. His
own monogram appeared on his harness,
Mr.. Clifton's coat-of-arms on the coach,
and one of his own men and borrowed
man. both wearing Mr.. Pope's monogram
| i
proper costume, and Mr.. Charles a. Bald
win, driving the Burlingame club coach,
| having forgotten his top coat committed
| the unpardonable faux pas of appearing on
the box in full evening dress"
John McAuliffe, who in the driving con-
! test .of professional coachmen created a
scene because he was awarded only a vel
| low ribbon, gets the following notice:
| "McAuliffe. coachman for ]. NJ Cum
ningham, was fourth. The first three
spoken of seemed to thoroughly under
stand that they were servants of their en-
ployers, but the fourth man when placed
on one side of the ring to await his turn.
put his whip in the socket, leaned with his
elbow on the roof of the brougham, crossed
his legs anu acted generally as though he
were not working for gentleman, but was
driving truck. His handling of the reins,
| one In each hand, pulling on off-side and
then near-slde as though hauling on
hawser. was an exhibition painful to be-
hold. On leaving the ring he had the i'm
pudence to throw the ribbon he had re-
ceived into the ring.
! 1--WE are pleased to say that ne will not
be permitted to enter any recognized show
ring again, and we think Mr.. Cunning
nam will suffer by having any such man
| in his service"
| Docking is not. according to the New
York idea, necessary in all cases, for Mr..
Taylor says that there was only Que horse
with long tail among the high-school
saddle-horses, which is a requisite for that
class.
| And this is what the New Yorker SAYS of
the pride of Blingum: sLord j. Talbot
Clifton was in this class with four rabbits
| to Holland & Holland coach. Their col
lars were big enough to 60 down to their
| knees and it was only due TO the efforts of
| groom that they were kept from going
through them, not for housekeeping, but
like hounds on the scent with their noses
to the ground"