The New York herald., 1921-05-15
An Expert of Riding Schools
Tells What He Ought to
Be and Do.
by BARRETTo DE souzA.

ny bAhhEIIo Dh SOULA.
Now that the horse show season is
here IL may interest some OF THE HER
AIDS readers to have an opinion on sad
die horses for park use from one who
during the last half century has special
lied in this class of animals, and this
purpose OF riding. both as trainer and
teacher.
Such an opinion may also prove of.
some value as much because decisions
in saddle horse classes have been discon-
certing from time to time as because
the apparent one track nindedness OF
the devotees of the thoroughbred have
led them to inject such animals into
park saddle classes whether they suited
the purpose or not.
Now Why is the park saddle horse?
The person who rides in the park does
so not only because of love of the horse
"a purer love than the hunting mans,
who loves the horse because Of the hunt
but also in order to indulge in the
one exercise which, especially IL cor
rectly performed. develops the whole
body as well as the mind. a double func-
ton which no other exercise fulfills
neither to the same extent nor in the
same manner.
Because the art of riding is not one
which can be acquired in Just few
lessons; because to ride correctly re-
quires q conjunction of qualities which
but few possess to marked degree.
and because the use of horses denotes
a taste which has nothing common or
vulgar about 1t, the ladies and gentle
men who indulge correctly in this ex-
ercise set upon themselves a stamp of
elegance. intelligence and distinction
which no other exercise can bestow on
them and which the use of the costliest
automobile will never rival.
Qualities of Park Horse.
In order. then, to fulfil the three con-
ditions alluded to--health, intellectual
pleasure and elegance-it is necessary
that the animals used for park riding
be endowed with qualities, both natural
and acquired, which fully adapt them TO
the desired purposes.
Many of those who ride in the park
start in the equestrian career at an age
when the acquisition OF ''sticlsingonness"
is out of the question; and as most Of
those who ride for pleasure as well as
for health, If even good "sticlSers on"
want to enjoy themselves with q sense
OF perfect Jecurity for themselves and
for others, one of the first qualifications
for a good park saddle horse Is reli-
ability.
This essential quality being absent
from the makeup of the vast majority
Of thoroughbreds. these horses are, with
few exceptions, undesirable for park
riding, however good many Of them may
be for hunting purposes.
Proper and complete training undeni-
ably transforms a horse both morally
and physically, and consequently fits
him for the pleasures offered by park
riding. But while results in physical
transformation are sometimes very
quickly obtained, results Us to reliability
are oftener than not very much tardier,
and lapses into fits Of temper and of un-
reliability due In thoroughbreds mostly
to heredity or to defects acquired in
early handling can be warded off. and
then not always completely except by an
expert, experienced horseman.
Action Is Essential.
Among the points of elegance in a
park horse-or in fact in any horse--is
the quality and style of his action; and
as differences in these two conditions
make him comfortable. and consequently
agreeable or otherwise, quite as much
as they make him elegant or inelegant.
1t is absolutely necessary that his man
ner of going at the trot and Of comport-
ing himself generally at all three gaits.
of perfection In those two desiderata-
comfort and elegance.
But, as an infinitesimally small pro-
portion of thoroughbreds are naturally
endowed with all round hook, shoulder
and knee action-knee action OF the
saddle order. of course-1their conforma-
ton being exclusively for speed, only
few rarer specimens among them can be
singled out on those grounds for park
riding
The park action. which the innocent
bystander" instinctively considers the
condition deserving most attention, Is the
point which has created, and stili cre-
ates. the topic of discussion between
horsemen containing the greatest
amount of seed for dissention. The word
action" suggesting harness" in the
mind of the lover of tlIoroughbreds. he
will Immediately react by extolling the
smoothness OF the daisy cutters trot,
dragging their feet along a If devoid OF
the slightest energy, and consistently
showing pebbles around until some rea-
son, or perhaps no reason apparent TO
any but a crackbrained individual. will
send them hurtling through the air by
a series of more or less uncouth antics.
which may or may not unseat an In
different rider, and under certain cir
cumstances may even land pretty
good rider on an unexpected visit to
those selfsame pebbles.
The real park saddle horse, then, must
be ono which lifts his foro and hind
feet when trotting IN diagonal pairs,
as high the ones as the others, at