The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-19
MORE RIDING THAN EVER.
THE HORSES FAVOR INORBAsBD
M THE BIOTCEE

PeepIe wore Taught by the wheel 10 Exercise
In the Open Afr. ana New the RidInE Aoads
eutea Arc ProspeFinE-New York Women
Dsn't RIDE Astride-Crsss-Countru RidinE.
The horse Is not dead yet. When the wheel
spun into such favor q few years ago. people
prophesiod that riding horses would soon have
nothing TO do but stand in stalls and kick their
heels in idleness. For a year or two that was
pretty much all that most Of them did DO. But
at present there is n decided reaction. and the
horse is ~prnncinR more gayly and moro numor
ously than he ever did.
Managers Of the riding academies say that
they have never had so prosperous q winter 40
tho one Just past. Tho proprietor of q we'll
known riding school near Central Park says
that his books show n business Of $50. 900 in or.
cess OF the previous year. He states with pleas
ure that collections are so easy that he feels AZ
IL ho were in q rose-colorod dream and might
wake UP to find that his money had turned to
fairy gold. As for tho wheel, he blesses II de-
voutly and says 1t is at the root Of all his good
fortune.
Tho bicycle was q blessing in disguise no far
as we were concerned" no said. "Ill admit that
It was disguised at frat. But l never Joined the
chorus OF the calamity howlers. I predicted
from the start that tho horse would stand the
test, and SO he has" 81,
"How has the wheel helped youT
"Thi way: People went crazy over It. Thou
sands and hundreds of thousands Of people whO
had never taken out-of-door exercise learned
to ride a wheel, and spent hours every day in
the open air. When q man or n woman finds out
what a great thing IL is to have exercise 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, as 1 say, taught this habit to
Thousands of people, ovor so many wealthy peo-
pie. Then everybody took to the bicycle. The
world wheeled. Some men and women didn't
want to be in tho crowd, 30 they decided to give
up wheeling except once in q while. But what
they couldn't do was to mako up their minds to
give up outof-door exercise. and, consequently,
people who would never otherwise have learned
to ride q horse have taken it up now.
"Of course, so late in the season, things are
quiet here at the academy. People have gone to
tho country and taken their horses with thoms
But during the winter and the early spring We
were simply rushed. As for next fall, 1 have 80
~ the same time / wouldn't have enough stalls
for the horses. II is astonishing how many
Grease is in that direction. Chiidren's ponies
were never In such demand.
hor.e. r RSS psy ' fof posr ! 6hEo T Tftsn ye nSa o SG s onS
horse was turned In on me in that way. l had
to engage nine riding masters, moro than have
learning; even old ladies have been taking les
sons. Another. reason for tho return to the
' ~ " . sc Ohnt. Oboub pOOpiVs- "hO W AChuNO
I flesh, found that the wheel is not so e~fectual as
q horse. Then. too. a good many physicians
prescribe n wheel and prescribe n horse"
Tho trotting horse is still tho most popularf'
"Oh. yes. The Kentucky.gaited horse Isn't
in demand here In New York except for semi
invalids who need something easy. Down in
Kentucky, it's different. They ride for hours
there. so thoy need an easy gait. Here in New
York people want the horse which gives them
the host exercise in a short time"
DO any Now York women ride astrido r.
"Idon't think so. 1t won't ever be fashion
able in New York. won't allow any woman TO
ride astride in my school. That Is, not at pres
ent. II 1t ever becomes customary that viii BIO
different; but l am not pioneering. l believe
they ride so a little In Chicago and other places"
How about cross-country riding among wo-
men T.
''of course thorc 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, / am justified in saying that the wheel
has proved q blessing to us. They couldn't very
we'll ride to hounds on n wheel, anyway. But
the love OF being outdoors. which the wheel In.
stilled into many people. has reacted amazingly
for tho greater popularity of the horse"