The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-18
WOMEN AND HORSES.
Not Strength but Goodness Is What
Drivers of Horses Need.

Philadelphia Press.
Within week three well-known New
york women, and one equally well known
IN Philadelphia, have been seriously in
Jured in runaway accidents. All are young,
are members of wealthy families and move
In the most exclusive society Almost
from infancy they have been accustomed
to driving, and have been regarded as eX-
pert reinswomen. While no fatal results
are feared, at least two of the women win
These accidents were discussed at one of
the clubs last night, and the advisability
of permitting women to drive at all became
a feature of the controversy. Naturally.
the opinions expressed were divergent, and
a referee would have found some difficulty
in reaching decision as to which side had
the better of the arguments.
One of the members had this to say: IT
don't think women should drive out alone
Tor two reasons. one is that they will sit
behind only the most spirited horses, and
the other is that they have not the strength
required to control animals of that kind.
Most of the horses that run away do SO
because they have become frightened not
because they are really vicious In such
eXigencieS women lose their heads and, IL
they do not seesaw with the reins, drop
them altogether and scream in a manner
that merely adds to the terror of the
scream, which would terrorize and demor-
alize Arabian camels."
DO you suppose asked one who took
enough to stop team of runaway horses
by simply pulling on the reins? 1t isn't
a question OF strength, put OF skill, eX-
cepting, of course. those instances when
the harness breaks or a broken whiff1etree
keeps banging against the horses heels.
Even then skill will count where mere
strength would amount to nothing If a
team should become frightened and set out
to run away woman can handle it as
well as man if she does not lose control
of herself. All she has TO do is to guide
the horses iudiciously and keep them In
the road. Even runaway team Will re-
spond to the reins, and II a collision can be
avoided the horses will eventually stop
when they find that they are really in no
danger The man never lived who is strong
enough to stop a runaway team with the
reins only. The woman who knows how to
talk to horses as well as to guide them can
handle them as safely as any man that
ever breathed."
During the discussion one of those pres
ent told Of deplorable accident that hap
pened at fox hunt at Germantown some
years ago. 1t was an an1seed scent, ana
the course was very rough, several OF the
Jumps being extremely dangerous. Az one
point the scent led across field and over
a fence which bordered highway. The
road a new one, had been dug through the
land and was at least twenty feet below
the fields on either side. A rider could
not see the depression, especially from
distance and when going at full speed.
How the course ever came to he laid across
such a place was never explained, as far
as the narrator knew. A young woman,
the daughter of a prominent physician.
mounted on a Strengthening but fine
Jumper was in the lead crossing the field.
Her horse took the fence and went whirl
ing down 10 the highway DtiOW. me dill-
NAL actually rolled over the young wom-
ans face, crushing her features fiat and
dsfguring her for life. She would have
been killed outright had not the earth of
the embankment and highway been newly
turned and soft.
If a disinterested person were to attempt
to tell how the discussion ended he would
probably say there was unanlmIty of be-
lief among the debaters that, whether or
not II We're safe for women to drive spirited
horses they would go on driving them If
it suited their fancy so to do.