The Florida star., 1901-11-15
THE BIC HORSE exhibition.



Special correspondents of The Florida Star.
NEw'YoRK. Nov. 12.-Every horse has
his day. and when the days of all the
horses come together 1t makes horses
week. The annual exhibition of the
National Horse Show association, which
Is about to open In Madison Square
Garden. New York city. will give to the
neglected animal for the time at least.
the recognition to which his centuries
OF service entitle him.
The automobile and flying machine
will be forgotten for a week. Fournier
and Santos-Dumont will be given little
space In the newspapers whose col
umns will be filed with praises of
Chrysanthemum or Carnation or what
ever may be the names of the reigning
favOrites OF the equine world. All so
ciety and all the society reporters will
gather beside the tanbark ring to watch
the maneuvers of blooded horses from
the four corners OF the earth.
The social leaders OF a hundred cities
will. flock TO the Garden more resplen-
dent In their attire than Solomon In all
his glory or the lilies OF the field, and
after the show there will be suppers
that will vie with the feasts of the an
Client Romans.
1t was said before the last horse show
that society was going to hold aloof
from Ii, but the prediction was far
from justified. The throng which filled
the Garden was even more brilliant
than at previous shows. 1t was liken-
ed to the assemblage at a European
court function. The horse show has
taken too frm hold upon society to
ever bose Its grip. Ii has become as
much OF a necessity as the opera. and
he who does not visit the horses head
quarters during show week will imperil
his social standing.
The success OF the horse show has
been greater and greater every year
since its establishment. Last year the
receipts were $4,000 all told. and 75.-
600 persons passed through the gates
of the Garden during the week. The
character of the exhibits has been
growing steadily higher. and the in
terest OF the public. high and low. has
kept step with this progress.
That the horse show is only an ex-
cuse for the display OF wealth and
fashion is an idea which has been
growing In favor. but that idea Is most
erroneous. The outpouring OF social
magnates. the beautiful costumes and
all that only make the setting for the
exhibition; they do not make the exhi-
bition itself. Undoubtedly there are
many who go to the show to see the
people. but the great majority OF those
who will be seen at the coming show
will be those who have come there be-
cause they love horses and because
they can see there such concourse of
horses as can be seen nowhere else In
America. perhaps in the world, and at
no other time.
The coming show promises to equal
IL not surpass that of last year. The
prizes to be given amount to over $780,
900. The show will begin with the
auctioning of OF the boxes There are
only forty of these. and there is no re-
striction upon them except as to price.
Prices are run up so high that only the
most opulent lovers of horsefiesh are
able or willing to stay in the bidding
until 1T closes. Eight hundred dollars
for six nights Is a big rent to pay for
a small wooden pen set with cane
chairs. For those whose purses are
not so plethOric there are tiers of seats
from which as good view Of the ring
can be obtained as from the boxes,
while the keenest horsemen would
rather lean over the rail around the
ring than sit In either seat or box.
From the time the first horse Is led
into the arena until the last blue rib
bon Is awarded the ring Is full of be-
wildering succession of prize animals
which gives the attention of the horse
lover little chance to wander to the
occupants Of the boxes.
Every kind of horse. from the sensa-
tional jumper to the draft horse. Is
represented. The trotter. the distinct
lively American horse. because OF the
number Of entries in their classes and
because OF the patriotism OF the man
ayers, has the first place on the pro-
gramme The classes are so we'll Sc
Iected and the prizes are so high that
some OF the greatest harness horses or
the turf are always entered.
The thorOughbreds will, OF course, be
well represented. and of these the hunt
ers will be the most popular, If the
tastes of the visitors are not different
from that of the usual horse show au-
dience There are so many entries in
this class that the association will very
likely have TO exercise its right TO order
preliminary trials to weed out the poor
er horses. thus insuring some fine exhi-
bitions in the finals.
The most interesting classes of hunt