Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-10-13
HORSELESS AGE.
DESPITE WHEEL, FAITHFUL
DOBBIN CONTINUES.
Riding Academies in New York Repore
Great Present Prosperity-Horse stu
Holds His Own-About Styles In Rid
ing North and South. q

The horse is not dead yet. When
the wheel spun into such favor few
years ago, people prophesied that rid
ing horses would soon have nothing to
do but stand in stalls and kick their
heels in idleness. For year or two
that was pretty much all of them did
do. But at present there is a decided re-
action, and the horse is prancing more
gayly and more numerously than he
ever did. Managers of the riding aca-
denies say that they have never had
SO prosperous winter as the one past.
The proprietor of we'll known riding
school near Central Park says that
his books show a business of $4,000
in excess of the previous year. He
states with pleasure that collections
are so easy that he feels as if he were
in rose colored dream and might
wake up to find that his money had
turned to fairy gold. AS for the wheel,
he blesses it devoutly, and says it is at
the root of all his good fortune. "The
bicycle was blessing in disguise as
Tar as We were concerned" he said.
I'll admit that it was disguised ut
first. But never Joined the chorus
Of the calamity howlers. I predicted
from the start that the horse would
stand the test, and so he has" "How
has the wheel helped your This
way: People went crazy over it. Thou
sands and hundreds of thousands OF
people who had never taken out-ot-
door exercise learned to ride a wheel,
and spent hours every day in the open
air. When a man or woman finds out
what a great thing it is to have exer-
else in the open air. that settles the
thing. The habit once formed, you
aren't going to coop that man or that
woman up for the rest of his days. The
wheel, say, taught this habit to thou
sands of people, ever so many wealthy
people. Then everybody took to the
bicycle. The world wheeled. Some
men and women didn't want to be in
the crowd, so they decided to give up
wheeling, except once in a while. But
what they couldn't do was to make up
their minds to give up out-of-door ex-
ercise, and, consequently, people who
would never otherwise have learned to
course, so late in the season. things
are quiet here at the academy. People
have gone to the country and taken
their horses with them. But during
the winter and the early spring we
were simply rushed. AS for next fall,
4 have so many engagements that II
Everybody came back at the same time
horses. 1t is astonishing how many
children are learning to ride. The
greatest increase is in that direction
Children's ponies were never in such
demand. In past seasons I have often
had to take horses in pay for board
bills. This year only one horse was
turned in on me in that way. I had
to engage nine riding masters, more
than I have ever had before. People
of all ages have been learning; even
old ladies have been taking lessons.
Another reason for the return Of the
horse is that stout people, who ride to
reduce flesh, found that the wheel is
not effectual as horse. Then. too, a
good many physicians prescribe a
wheel and prescribe horse "The
trotting horse is still the most popu-
lar?" "Oh, yes. The Kentucky-gait-
ed horse isn't in demand here in New
York except for semi-invalids, who
need something easy. Down in Ken
lucky it's different. They ride for
hours there, so they need an easy gait.
Here in New York people want tho
horse which gives them the best exc !
else in short time" do any New
York women ride astride?" Il don't
think so. 1t won't ever be fashionable
In New York. 1 won't allow any wom-
an to ride astride in my school. That
is, not at present; but 1 am not pion-
eering. I believe they ride so lit
tie in Chicago and other places. How
about cross-country riding among
women?" "Of course there is nothing
of that sort in the academy now, but
We have had more pupils in that line
during the winter than ever before.
You see l am justified in saying that
The wheel has proved a blessing to us.
They couldn't very we'll ride to hounls
on wheel, anyway. But the love OF
being outdoors, which the wheel in
stiled into many people, has reacted
amazingly for the greater popularity
of the horse-New York Sun.