New-York tribune., 1921-11-18
Miss Lanier. In
Spite of a Fall,
Takes a Ribbon
She Uses a Side Saddle in
Vaulting Obstacles, and
Is Victim at Final Jump
of Strap That Snapped
Army Horses Admired
Artillery Steeds That Served
at Unknown Soldiers
Burial Are Prize Winners
By Harriette Underhill

Nearly the entire morning, starting
at o'clock, was devoted to the judg-
ing of polo ponies yesterday at the
armory OF Squadron A, where the Ma
tional Horse Show is being held.
Promptly on the hour the bugle sum-
moned into the ring the polo mounts
owned by officers of the regular army
or by the United States government.
There were four entries in this class,
where r. E. Strawbridge had offered a
rich trophy, and first choice fell on
Countess II, brown mare from the
Military Academy at West Point. This
competition was for polo ponies up to
carrying 165 pounds.
The heavyweight class was won by
another West Point entry named Gar
Then followed the judging of the
open classes for polo ponies and the
breeding classes for the same handy
little animals, and the number and
quality of the entries was most graft
fying to any one interested in polo.
D. S. Inglehart, who Judged the polo
classes, was very enthusiastic over the
horses which he had placed in all of
the classes. He was especially inter
ested, however, in the entries of the
army which had been bred in the army
studs. He found it difficult to under
stand how such quality had been pro-
duced in such a short time from such
difficult material as the racing thor
oughbred.
Miss Lanier's Fall
Miss Becky Lanier, one of the clever
est riders at the Show, had q bad fall
in the afternoon in the class which
called for women's hunters to be rid
den by women. The conditions also
specified that side saddles must be
used, so Miss Becky put side saddle
on Silvercrest and mounted him. 1t
was the first time she had ridden that
way, her preference being for cross
saddle The old copy books used to
teach US that pride goeth before fall,
but in this case it was reversed, for
just after her fall Miss Lanier had the
blue ribbon handed over to her.
As far as we are concerned we do
not see how any woman can take the
jumps on a cross saddle, but we also
know that those who prefer that seat,
and their name is legion, have no use
at all for the side saddle with its nice,
comfortable pommels.
So we can imagine Miss Lanier's
frame of mind when she agreed to use
a side saddle in that class and then
had the stirrup strap break the first
thing. For it was through no fault of
such a bad fall. Silvercrest had
cleared all of the fences and finished
with q clean performance, when, just
as he landed over the final jump Miss
Lanier swayed in the saddle and then
fell. She was so shaken up and suf-
fered so terribly from the shock that
she could not even enjoy her victory
Mrs. du Pont rode two ribbon winners
They were Witchcraft and Nancy Pansy
from the Foxcatcher Farm. Filth Miss
Lanier's victory went aIso the beauti-
full cup presented by Colonel Sir Adam
Beck.
Miss Lanier last night had recovered
sufficiently to ride again. She ap.
peared in hunters class event ir
which horses were shown in groups OF
three. Her Silvercrest, Boiling anc
Down East took first prize. Miss La.
nier rode Silvercrest.
How true it is that every one Is in
terested in celebrities even if they are
equine celebrities. In Glasses 1875 and
1874 which were exhibitions of six
horse gun teams, with chief of section
it got about that one of the teams hao
carried the unknown soldier from the
Capitol at Washington to his last rest.
ing place in Arlington. Immediately
every one wanted to see those horses
They won in the preliminary exhibi.
ton of the competition for the cuT
presented by j. Ford Johnson jr. anc
were second choice in the class fol
artillery teams. The winning team az
we'll as the second choice in this clas:
were from Fort Myer, Va.
Cash Prizes Awarded
Pierre Lorillard jr., R. Fl. William,
jr., Victor c. Mather, S. Bryce Wing
John .. Wing and r. Penn Smith jr