The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-03-03

search out the soft horses, vet slow
enough to guard against cruel riding,
which will not be permitted.
The proposed race had been arranged
to take place this week. with the finish
at the Hippodrome, when the Rough
Riders association and the Norwich
alumni attended Wednesday a benefit
performance. given for the purpose of
raising funds TO build new riding
hall at the university, but the crisis in
international affairs caused postpone
ment OF the endurance ride. Norwich
is the only exclusively cavalry college
in the United States. 1t is modelled
closely after the military academy at
West Point and. aside from the regu-
lar collegiate courses, its important
work is to train men who can serve
as officers in the army in time of need.
Five hundred and seventy-two Nor
wich men served as officers in the civil
war, fifty-two of them becoming gem
erals, and one, the late George Dewey.
an admiral.
All the military men and breeders
Of horses Of the military types will be
keenly interested in the test which is
being arranged in connection with this
year 5 Horse Show. If measures are
taken to ascertain and verify the breed
ing of the horses entered in the con
! test il should throw much needed
light on the disputed question. ''What
horse for the cavalry
! Major Frank Tompkins, United
States cavalry, who is now stationed
at Norwich university as commandant
will enter the race on his Arab. King
fisher, that ne rode 200 miles into Mex
leo and back in pursuit of Villa, after
the Columbus raid last year This lit
tie horse-he is 1913 hands high
crossed the boundary on March IS
1916, and between that date and Apri
l. he was ridden 575 miles across deS
erts, over mountains and through III,
wilderness of Chihuahua, carrying hi.
rider, rations for himself and master
besides the usual pack an officer mus
carry when operating i'll a hostile coun
try far from the base. Major Tomp
kins says kingfsher had little grain
and that was corn, which he had neve
before eaten, no hay, and only wha
grass he could get when taxed on
FOR the night. He lost a little flesh
but never lost his courage, never re
fused his feed and was an inspiration
to his rider. He went lame once. whel
thorn was in his frog, but he di
his work just the same
Kingtisher was bred bv Colonel Spcn
! Ger Borden, of Fall River. Mass, VIII
presented him to Major Tompkins. Hi
dam, Halcyon, won the endurance rae
! given under the auspices OF the MOI
gan Horse club few years ago fror
=, Fort Ethan Allen to the Vermont stat
fair, al White River Junction. dom
: her ia miles in thirty hours and foi
ty-one minutes. Her dam, Heiress, ur
der 10 hands, won the high jump at tn
: Crystal Palace, i'll London, in 1885,
lieiress was by the famous Frenc
Arab horse Madam. whose grandson
Hail, out of Lady Anne Blunt 5 Haga,
was the sire of Halcyon, So that She
I, inbred to Madam. Imazada, the sir
of kingfsher is a pure Arab.
After his experience in Mexico, M
jor Tompkins is an enthusiastic part
| san of the small Arab horse for tn
cavalry, notwithstanding the fact tina
thoroughbred race horses are favore
by many army officers aud usually ca,
ny off the blue ribbons when Judge
by army officers in the show ring. A
Major Tompkins S column covered tn
: distance from Columbus TO Parral i
/, two days less time than any other co
t umn of General Pcrshing s expedition
| he speaks with some authority on tn
:. subject of cavalry horses.
"Of all the horses in the four go
/ umns that did the hardest and mo,
continuous marching to Parral,'' i
t said the other day, "there was not
!. single thoroughbred that was riddle
n all the time, and to the best of m
! knowledge and belief, every Thorough
/ bred horse in the four columns was {
!. the sick report from time to time al
) from one cause or another.
"In my own particular command Il
/, horses under l5.2 hands stood no be
s. ter under the hardships than did Il
taller horses. and all Of the blockY bui