Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-05-17
aTfJT CLUBMEN HERE COULD ADD
NOTABLE FORCE TO u. s. CAVALRY
8. Least $50 Men, All Good
: riders, Soon Might Be
shaped Into Strong Mill
tsry Detail
o.home of Hunters Forming
Fighting Troop Favorably
Received - $50 of Best
Horses Available

-. .nsctacie Of hundreds Of society and
.,sn riding into battle on horses that
~ hest in the nation may not prove
:. the dream it now seems II war should
4. ouicorne of the Governments nego-
E.inna with Mexico or any other country,
papV"h ~, has been suggested that the men OF
NgMn.aSenf Ng wealth who ride over the hills
hesp.ssnlt ~ Reynard in winter and play
N pt. w s,,,nrner could enlist and organize
ras r.s y -ssoinent of cavalry, using their own
slnfs for the purpose
esS suggestion was received with much
1s6F by the men of the hunting ana polo
~ in and around Phiiadeiphla touay'
~ ..ss,, nna accord they approved 1t, and said,
wv w tbA careful training of regular army
a.s,s they could be organized into regi-
eDls9 a. cavalry which would prove as
..seus and as efficient as the old Rough
nqeaI TNsIr horses, they pointed out are bred
~ the hardest Kind of usage, and could
.ssiiy stand the hardships OF miii,ary ,,,le pIe
.s,sT having once been nccllmated. The
~ 'sysaAsinhia men voiced their approval
r.an.r,rnousiy, and should the sporting set
sssnssshout the country take the same view.
= ~ y aid several regiments OF crack cav
s,rv oould be formed to reinforce the regu-
~ cavalry, which, like every other unit in
ihs military organization Oh Nn's country
4 small and weak.
EFFICIENT MOUNTS.
rba plan as outlined is simple, In the
.vsnt Of war, say with Mexico, the men
sr,ld ship their horses to the border under
IA snpervison of the Government. Both
Az men and horses would be trained and
s.u,sd 10 a high state Of efficiency. Many
~ ,ha men, such as william j. Clothier,
sn,intain stables Of 80 horses and more.
The. extra horses 1t Is pointed out, could
A. ridden by the grooms, farmhands and
sssble boys in the employ of the man,
nader his personal supervision. Thus
raster and his men would be riding into
tattle as in the olden days with the only
shanee that they would be of the same rank
private,
Tho horses, aside from the fact that they
ara too valuable to provide targets for
tnArny gunners, are ideal for the purpose,
IA huntsmen say. They are accustomed to
Al sorts of rigor and hardships and would
bsar up wonderfully well, even better than
sums Of the horses used by the regular
eayalrymen. The average distance trav-
sfsed by the hunting horses in the course
n A days fox chase at the suburban hunt
clubs is from 20 to 80 miles. on some
tccasions the hunt totals 40 miles.
During the chase the horses are con-
r.antly gallopng and jumping over fences,
brooks and all kinds of rough ground At
Intervals they are given short rests or
walks The polo ponies 60 at a terrific rate
during hard contest They are accustomed
"a falls violent collisions and other hard
fhps SO 1t can easily be seen, the hunters
eont out that these mounts could stand
ne hardest kind of use! rs.@
WOMEN COULD HELP
Many of the women hunters, who are
ns, as good riders as the men and who
have Just as good horses, could send their
horses to the front under the wntchful eye
q tAer stable masters. The horses you'd
Be RIDDEN by their employees This idea was
also fAsorably received. Many of the horses
could not rustic" (get food for themselves
from the plains) but it was said that hay
and feed could he shipped to them from
fome Southern base
They are seven hunt and polo clubs in
% suburbs close to this city. Their mem
arship lists contain the names of men ia
hous in every branch of industry, profess
son and sport. officials of each of these
tubs voiced their approval of the plan of
shuntmens cavalry" and explained how the
Exposition could be carried out. The clubs
are Chester Valley Hunt, Pickering Hunt,
Eadnor Hunt Rose Tree Hunt, Whitemarsh
Hunt, Bryn Mawr Polo and the Devon Polo
clubs.
According to the figures given by officials
Of the clubs. the combined membership
Hseo5 lOuBHly hbOul OOu iilti hNliNtly
sAged In hunting and polo. The number of
horses owned by the huntsmen totals about
$50
CONFLICT AT PLAFTSBURG
The only objection the men had to the
entire plan was that 1t might interfere
With their plans for Plattsburg, or the
battleship reserve. Many of. the men be-
long to. the City Troops, too. W. @. Will
on secretary of the Chester Valley Hunt
Club Of which r. Penn Smith is president,
heartily indorsed the idea. 1T is excel
lent If It can be carried out" he said. The
men employed in the larger stable could
ride the extra horses. We have about go
msn and 100 horses connected with our
club"
An offcial of the Bryn Mawr Polo Club
aiao approved of the suggestion, and said
mere were about 80 men and as ponies
barry W. Harrison secretary of the Rad
lof Hunt Club, thought the idea feasible,
while BENJAMIN Chew. master of the hounds,
so indorsed it. with the tutoring Of
sasuiar army officers, there is no reason