Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-11
Horsemen of Washington In
vited to Join in Ride
Through Country Sunday.
INVITATION EXTENDED
TO ALL WITH A mag"
Melvin C. HAGEN Selected as Leader
and Suggestions Are Welcome
From All.

You are invited by the horsemea OF
Washington to ride with them. This invl-
tation is extended to men. women and
children 1t Is not necessary to own a
horse to accept the invitation. But.
| everybody interested in preserving health
or recovering health, In keeping Young
and staying young. in keeping the color
of youth in the skin and the light of
youth in the eyes. In shooting out The
! crowsfeet and other lines Of years. in
getting the fullest joy out of life and
in breathing the tonic airs and odors
of the woods and fields should read why
and how this invitation comes TO be ex-
| tended by the horsemen Of Washington
to all their fel,ow-c tizens. They should
] follow the announcements that will ap-
| pear day after day in The Star until
the great day Of riding comes.
This is the beginning of big move
ment to draw many persons or ooth
sexes and all ages back into the saddle
1t was the sport, pastime and open-alf
exercise of the ancestors or thousands
of Washingtonians Nearly everybody
has ridden at some time. Many VINO
never have been on a horse feel that
| they would like to ride and ANYBODY
can ride If he wants to or If she wants
! to. The physical beneht OF riding is
| known by many and admitted by all
There Is nothing like it for keeping the
i liver active and the spirit, face and hg-
ure young. 1t wards off many of the
| ills Of flesh and cures many of the all
mentS of men. The men and women
who stick to horseback riding are
| keeping young and active. They are
full of pep. None of them has slug
gish liver. defective circulation or pasty
and blotched skins. They may be free
killed. and sunburned. but their cheeks
are rosy and their eyes are clear. Look
them over for yourself.
| AS a starter II should be said that
this Is not q money-making scheme
There is no hidden graft in it Nobody
starting this movement and inviting
the people Of Washington to ride with
them wants to make a cent. There
are no dues. assessments. collections or
contributions. There are no badges or
buttons or anything else for sale. 1t is
lust public movement set afoot or
a-saddle by bunch Of good fellows
and good women to hand out .'outh,
health and happiness to anybody who
has the sense to receive them.
Not Experience Of Hikers.
When the community hikes were
Istarted two years ago by distinguished
men and women, naturaiists and sci
entists mostly in government employ
in Washington. and who invited every
body to walk with them and study
birds, flowers, trees. rocks. weeds and
the like a good many skeptical men
believed that it was a real estate ad-
vertising scheme OF some kind or that
somebody concerned in 1t had some
thing to sell. Ask anybody who wa lks
with the wanderlusters or any Of the
many thousands who got their walking
start with the wanderlusters about
this.
Men and women used TO outdoor life,
skilled in botany. geology, ornithology,
woodscraft. and SO forth, just volun-
teered to take out anybody interested
in health and nature and lead them
along trails and paths through the
wonderful country around washington
There are in Washington rather a.
large number of men who keep one or
more horses for use under the saddle.
The list of these riders would be sur
prisingly long to persons who have
not been interested in the subject.
Some of the men are army and navy
officers and some are civilians. Some
of the horses are thoroughbreds of
more or less worth, some are hunters
Z, with or without thoroughbred blood in
them and some Of them are plain or
fancy saddlers.
One of the chief Fairgrounds of the
riders is the upper jumping field in
| Rock Creek Park above Pierce Mill.
Yesterday a crowd Of these men gath
vite the people of Washington to ride
| was brought UP. One of the speakers
said:
Saddle Probably Lying Around.
I'm many Of the attic storerooms Of
this city are old and well worn sad
dles One was used BY grandma, an
other by Aunt Mollie or Uncle Billy.
| Perhaps there is a saddle which ma
used when she was a girl. Pas old
saddle is somewhere about the place.
I Some stables have a collection Of old
saddles.
| in Washington that work In buggfes.
| wagons and carts during the week. 1t
| would DO these horses good to get off
the hard streets and stick their feet in
the turf and soft earth Sunday. Nearly
| any man or woman can get q horse.
| He has an uncle or cousin or a
| brother or q friend who has horse,
and who will trust him to ride that
horse under the supervision Of skillful
horsemen. No reckless or careless
riding would be permitted. There are
also many women who would ride II
| they had an escort. Some persons do
not ride because they haven't up-to-
date riding clothes.
! Now, the thing to do is to Invite all
| these people TO meet US. get into a sad
| die, ride with us and get the riding
| fever. They want to do II and II will
| be good for them. We will show them
where to ride and guide them over the
| trails"
| Another rider who trots and runs and
| jumps every day no matter what the
weather. said:
! The great difficulty with some per-
sons is that they feel that the horse
! they can get is no match for our
horses. and that perhaps they may not
cut as shining figure. or get as many
| falls. az horse show riders, but q little
matter of this sort should not deter
| them when they understand that we
| earnestly invite them, and sincerely
! wish them TO come along with US"
All Claim the Best Horse.
| Another mer-and-winter rider
asid:
| There Is a good deal Of bunk in this
talk about the best horse. Melvin Ha-
zen thinks that Richmond and Virginia
Boy are the best horses. John Evans
thinks that Semp is the best hunter
that ever climbed a fence. Capt. Mitch
ell of the general stan of the army puts
his faith in Highland Chief and Sir Dix
| on; Tom Bones says that White Socks