San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-16
INJURIES To
WALES DUE To
! HEAVY HORSES
Prince Insists on "Riding
Over His Weight"
Say Horsemen.
NOT A "BORN" RIDER
Lack Of Strength Prevents
Control Of Big Mounts
He Affects.
NOT A BORN" RIDER
By PERCY M. SARL.


.hunting-field accident to the Prince Of
Wales has revived the popular clamo-
that the heir to the throne should not
run so many risks, and from the plain
horseman's point of view there Is
something to be said for the national
desire that the prince should take
more care of himself and avoid un-
necessary risks.
q collarbone did not greatly alarm
horsemen in this country, for that is
one of the ordinary possibilities of a
ride over obstacles. Anybody accus-
toned to riding horses is accustomed
TO falling off occasionally, and nice
Clean break in a collarbone, once prop
.erly healed, makes that part all the
safer to fall on next time. / be-
lieve 1t is a medical fact that q
broken bone is stronger ever after
wards. At any rate / know many
riders who have broken collarbones
and other bones. without subsequent
discomfort, and j have known ANA
teur jockeys who have actually ridden
in steeplechaSes with broken collar
bones, all nicely set in plaster of Paris
and arm boInd stiffly to the side.
The difficulty with the Prince OF
Wales, however, is that he is too ell
thusiastic and "rides over his weight
in many cases. Such is the opinion OF
many expert riders. his most enthus-
jastic admirers do not contend that
The prince is a "born horseman. By
Gint of constant practice he has made
himself very excellent rider but 10
use @horsey" expression. he is mot
part of the horse"
He Likes Big Horses.
Like all keen .horsemen, the prince
las a liking for big horses, but his
riding weight cannot be much over
126 pounds, be really ought to be con-
tent with smaller mounts. According
to the British horseman's axiom a
snine stone" (126-pound) man ought to
be satisfied with a mount about 14.2
or 10 hands high ("hand" is four
inches but the Prince of Wales likes
them around 1872 or 16 hands.
There are no technical difficulties
about small ran riding big horse,
and in the case of born" horseman
size makes no difference, it being d
rather than physical strength. Riding
win a lDIlNicu Oll u
is almost impossible to control big
excitable horse even if one rides about
16S pounds weight. At 10 pounds less
weight, the big horse will take con-
troll except in the case of really ac-
oomphshed and born horsemen.
- / have seen the Prince of Wales
riding on many occasions, in France
Under shell-fire. on ceremonial occas-
ions, at polo, and over stiff hunting
country and steeplechase courses, and
frankly, do not like his seat" He
always gave me the impression of rid
ing by balance" instead of "grip."
may be wrong. but j am not alone in
this impression. l have heard many
line horsemen say He'll break his
neck, one of these days over jumps.
It Can't Be Done.
In further support Of my own i'm
preston, the pictures nearly always
show the prince apparently standina
in his stirrups over the jump. This
simply cannot be done with any safety
for any length Of time. Compare pic
lures of an expert steeplechase jackey
taking a jump, with pictures of thu
Prince Wales .essaying a similar feat
The former looks like part of thu
horse, sitting forward on rising at OBJ
stacle and not too. far back on land
ing. Some of the pictures of thu
Prince of Wales jumping make it b,
no means certain whether horse OIL
rider is coming first.
As ] have stated, the prince is ar
excellent rider. but there Is worlC
of difference between being first
class park rider or even huntingmaI
and a crack steeplechase jockey
IL = kat h. avid ont O.,
aims at being. In his enthusiasm, tht
prince wants to compete on ever
Terms with cracks like Jack Anthony
Frank and Harry Brown and othel
amateur knights of the pigskin," but
the handicap is too great. He has no
the physical advantages, and with 81
many other spheres of princely educa
ton to be covered. he has never hat
. chance of becoming a born" horse
man.
A Coel1ney's Criticism.
have done much routine and un
conventional riding, and do not claim
TO be one of the worlds leading horse
men. A Cockney Army "roughrider
once told me. in wartime. "Your fee
IS good but your lands is bad"
y In an ordinary sportsman, no par
-ticular attention would be paid. b.
friends or public. to a huntIng-flcl'
fnishap. Certainly not to broke
.collarbone. But in the case Of the hei
~ the throne, the smallest acciden
receives widespread publicity. and tn
public, rightly or wrongly. is distinct
ly alarmed over the "risk"-perhap
more apparent than real-that tn
Prince of Wales is running The gen
eral impression is, that, in his IN
thusiasm, he tries to do too much. Is
being a very human man. he natural.
wants to excel inc every thing Il
takes up.
In my opinion. King George is th
soundest hOrseman in the royal fam
lily. There is nothing SNOWY about hi
riding, but he always looks part o
The horse" The Prince o. Wales trit
tc do too much. and oyertaxes HI
Physical strength in riding as in mos
other things.