Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09
AS PUBLIC EDUCATOR
HORSE SHOWS COMMENDED BY
wAsHINGToNIANs.
Summer Exhibitions Have Distinct
Advantage Over All Others-Wo-
mems Success With Horses.

There is little doubt that the horse show
has been great public educator. ana
| through its teachings the masses have
learned more about horse within linn
tied time than would have been possible
under any other conceivable circum-
stances said prominent Washington man
today.
That this knowledge has been pleasant
acquisition is shown by the greatly in
creasing number Of shows each year. and
l am at a loss to understand why Wash
ington has not permanent organization, for
there are certainly a large number OF
fine horses in the national capital 1t is, in
deed, far cry from that almost primeval
| national horse show In Boston. In 1856. and
open to the Union and Canadas. held Sep
TENDER 81 and % in the grounds of the
United States Agricultural Society. After
the second year 1t was moved to Spring
field. and so on, but not until the now
world-famed national horse show of New
York opened its doors to the first exhibit
| ton did the idea really take root and be-
gin to spread.
LAS the wealthy people began to take in
terest in the show the classes enlarged.
People less wealthy, but still well-to-do, at
tended and finally the show became. it
were. the hub of equine interest. and has SO
remained. Then came the innovation Of
summer horse shows held in the open air
as really all shows should be, but cannot
be for social and other reasons. The sum-
mer show has distinct advantage,
which is that a much greater percentage
of the exhibits are handled by their owners
and not by professionals or semi-profes
SIGNALS, and this should be encouraged to
| the limit. not only because the professional
element tends to put what should be
strictly amateur gathering onto a semi
professional footing, but also that by the
amateur handling comes more and more
| the knowledge and love of the horse, which
| should be the life and soul of the true horse
show esprit de corps.
The trouble is that the amateur Is con-
scious of his shortcomings. BY instinct the
horse Is aware of this-just as he knows
| in second whether his rider is afraid of
| him or not-and the willing animal is
thrown Off his mental balance and is handi-
capped before he enters the ring. Another
type thinks it the proper thing to worry a
horse to display him. but while the profess
SiOnal knows exactly what he Is doing and
achieves results, the amateur, except by
sheer luck, will make a lamentable failure
of it and never know why
Women Succeed Better Than Men.
Here it is that so many women succeed
so much better than men. The woman ia
more piiable, goes more with the horse in
a friendly. conciliatfng way. without the
aggressive, strident authority of the man.
and also without the weakness of the mo-
mentary coward. Then the horse shows
iillHSell All OF THIS Will De more easily
and more quickly eradicated by the sum
mer show than is possible elsewhere and
the man or woman who has successfully
shown favorite horse in the summer will
be very likely to repeat the performance at
the great national show in the spring and
fall. For this reason alone the summer
show should be stimulated.
Along this line may be advocated classes
for those who have never shown or pub
licly handled a blue ribbon winning horse
and others for novices making their first
appearance in the ring, etc, all of which
would give valuable encouragement and
beget confidence just where it is needed.
The horse show idea is rooted, all right,
but 1t needs fresh blood all the time, and
this should be. so far as possible, the
lected young blood of those who have the
time. means and energy, rightly directed,
to push to the front the one idea of the
perfect horse, perfectly shown and capari-
soned
There is another point on which much
may be done. Many of the summer shows
held hitherto have been strongly on what
are termed informal lines. That is to
say everything has been accepted Now.
while it is not necessary that equine and
stable etiquette should be observed to the
extent attempted at metropolitan shows.
there might be considerably more stress
laid the appointments of many of the
exhibits. Because it is an out-of-town
summer show, born and fostered by cot
tage colony with the farmers and business
people graciouSlv admitted-to make up
the show, if the truth be told, and vary the
eternal monotony of Mrs. Tom-Jin-Jacks'
varied turnouts-the line should so far as
possible be. drawn at the showing of Ian
daus with light phaeton harness, a mar
velous get-up seen last season with piece
of harness from almost every type IN
vogue piled upon one pair OF narroW-bod.
led weak-looking horses shown in front OF
a victoria. Everything should be as trim
as possible, and the keynote should be
right on that chord.