The Washington herald., 1912-05-30
Washington Society Woman Denies
Nine Hundred Mile Ride Was
an Endurance Test.
JUST WANTED 10 SEE
WHAT HORSES COULD, DO
Says Inexperience Of Miss Helen
Taft Caused Much Loss
Of Time.

bert wadsworth, who holds the woman's
championship for long distance riding,
and who at one time outdistanced for
mer President Roosevelt in a cross
| country ride through Virginia, is indig-
Rant over the reports that have gone
/ out over the sOO-mile ride from Wash
| ington to the Genesee Valley, which she
completed Monday afternoon. Mrs.
Wadsworth says positively that she was
not making an endurance test ride, but
was simply anxious to determine what
the thoroughbred horses, bred on her
own magnificent estate at Ashantee, will
do.
Mrs. wadsworth started from Wash
ington on the morning Of April IS, ac-
companied by Miss Helen Taft, Lieut.
Geibel, naval aid to the President and
Maj. Allen, of the general stan OF the
army.
Miss Taft Delays Riders.
During the first ten days we had to
take 1t easy was the way Mrs. Wads-
worth spoke of the ride to-day. Miss
| Taft was not as experienced in the saddle
as the other members Of the party were,
/ and until she left US at Hot Springs,
| Va, We were only able to make an
average Of about twenty miles per day.
The average for the total trip was
| twenty-nine and one-haf miles a day,
| the best time being made through the
lower Virginias and in New York State.
| I want to correct the idea" contin-
ued Mrs. Wadsworth, that these trips
| are made for the purpose Of endurance
| tests. On the other hand, I am making
! them simply TO see for myself what the
horses raised here will do under the most
| trying conditions. This is the seventh
time I have ridden from Washington to
| Ashantee, and each time invite a num-
Der of friends and select a different route
in order to see the country. Neither Miss
Taft nor the naval officers who accom-
panied me on my last trip were compelled
to drop out, although I admit some OF
them felt like it.
supply Wagon Upsets.
AT Hot Springs, after leaving Miss
| Taft, we were Joined by Miss Mather,
of Philadelphia, and Lieut.. Long. of
the navy. The trip from there on was
one of the most beautiful have ever
| taken, and yet one OF the most haz-
ardous that we could have picked out.
The third day out on the second lap,
while riding through the beautiful
| Jackson Valley, in West Virginia, we
| encountered our only mishap OF the
entire trip. Two of the grooms and
jured when the supply wagon fell over
| an embankment, in an endeavor to run
| clear of a motor saWmill which we met
on the road, coming in the opposite di-
| rection. With the exception of this
one accident, the ride was all that any
| lover of sport could look for.
Before I started from Washington I
had carefully laid out my plans, arrsng-
ing with farmers and residents along the
route for accommodations overnight.
With all these precautions, we were
obliged in many cases to double up fire.
quently, owing to the croTSed conditions
in the farmhouses. All the men Vere put
in one room, including the groOms and
my guests, and the ladies in the party,
including myself, were in another. We
ate our meals in kitchens, on porches,
or any place that our hosts saw ft to
serve us. The horses were often shell
tered in drafty and damp stables, and
under these conditions showed a remark
able fortitude, in that every one OF them
finished the trip in almost perfect condi-
ton.
Roads Prove Very Bad.
The roads. on the whole. were very
bad. In some places we Travelled over
miles of solid sharp rocks. which was
very hard on the horses feet In other
stretches the mud would be up to the
horses tails We did not encounter any
real good riding roads until we were in
New York State.
For the last section Of the trip 1 had
invited Miss Janet Allen. Of New York:
Norman Van Vorhees, of Buffalo, and
Lieut.. Rowcliffe, OF the Navy. Miss Al
len is an expert horsewoman and the
only woman 1 have seen in the saddle
who is graceful and capable of riding
astride.
Favors Side-aaddIes.
Il am strongly opposed TO the new
fashioned way Of riding astride for wom-
en-. believing It unnatural and no aid
whatever to the horse. l have a saddle
which I designed myself, and il every
woman rider would select a common
sense side-saddle would recommend the
oId-fashioned side-saddle method every
time.
The best time on the whole ride was
made during the last few days. One
day we made BIZ miles, and / truly
believe that If We had started out to
make a record we could have done much
better. Both the horses and the riders
were almost as fresh when We arrived
at my home here as they were at the
start. The weather in many instances
was not the best, but, dressed as we
were, who would care? All of the ladies
wore dark brown khaki riding habits.
while the gentlemen in the party wore
the regulation army riding uniforms"
During the early fall Mr.. and Mrs.
Wadsworth have arranged to continue
their famous Genesee hunts, returning
to Washington in time for the Christmas
holidays.