The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-06-26
JUMPING Al OLYMPIA.
The Hunters Disappointing, but Army
Horses a Brilliant Success.


The jumping in the Kings Cup com
petition was particularly interesting. io
It followed rather curious display O
failure by one oi the hunter classes
Many d the horses should be as vel
used to the show-ring AS The hunting
field; but horse after horse failed x
make anything Of a not very eXactnl
jump over rails They managed othe
jumps a. high, but nobody got over thil
jump until one Of the Judges pointed oui
that the sun shining through the blind
over the glass roof put a patch Of blaz
ing white on one side Of the rails, while
the other side was in shadow. The rail-
were moved, and the very next horst
cleared them. But, taken a. a whole, tbs
jumping Of the hunters in this competi
ton was disappointing; II would moi
have prepared a casual visitor Tor The
jumping Of the afternoon.
In the naval and military tournament
you may get something Of The thrill thai
belongs 10 the lists Of the Middle Ages
some Of the contests have come down
from those days 10 these. But you come
nearest to the real spirit Of the tOufna,
ment, surely, on the day when the oiiil
GERS teams ride for the Kings Cup
There Is the extra touch Of pageantry IN
the parade OF the oincefs in their bril-
liant uniforms; the king and queen are
enthroned IN a gallery, there are great
doors opening into the arena, the lists
are open 10 soldiers al over the world
the competitors ride in at a call on the
horn. The jumps, perhaps, would have
been q little too much for Richard rs
horses; we have taken many years to
breed our hunters and chargers into the
animals We have to-day. The jumps were
certainly severe test There were nine
in all, but three were to be jumped
twice, and two were almost double
jumps. First came a hurdle, brushed up
10 Eve feet; then three rails sloped, the
top rail four feet six inches; third. rail.
way-sleepers on end. four feet six
inches; fourth. a waite fence. four feet
six inches; fifth, two ieldguns placed
mu2zle % muzzie; sixth, a gate. four
feet sis inches. Then the first three
fences had 20 he taken again, and then
the rider turned and took bis horse down
the center Of the arena, first over four
feet of water onto a ramp, and from the
ramp over a three-foot wall with a Eve.
foot drop The other side; next, be had
20 take his horse at a line Of dummy sol.
diers, and after the soldiers to ride up
and down bank and over a fence to
The other side. the last a very good test
Of a confident jumper One Of the jumps,
the line 81 soldiers. was a complete fail.
are, Nobody got over ii, though one 81
The French officers succeeded ia only
knocking OF a head and body. The
line was Of dummy grenadiers in scarlet,
with bearskins. and they came 10 pieces.
il they were touched AZ the neck and
waist, and then rolled everywhere over
the floor, to the great delight Of all
the children. But Il was not serious
jumping. The horses simply did not un.
derstand what they had to do. The rid
ers tried with whip and spar--sometimes
the only time the whip was raised IN
the sound ia get them to rise at the
line, but tho result was always the same.
was amusing II Il was a little irritat.
ing. 10 watch the way the horses came
up 10 the line The animal dropped down
the five feet over the stone wall. and
then suddenly became the live embodi-
ment Of a question and a protest what
IS thisY A line Of soldiars-and vet
they are not exactly sodiersg What
am ! to do2 lie can't mean me 70 jump
over soidiersg I've never done such a
thing Perhaps he means me TO knock
them over Wei, here goes" and there
they went an over the floor. Then the
obedient creature took his last fence. a
real one, and eantered out.--London
Spectator.