Evening star., 1932-03-31
SOCIETY CIRCUS
, ENDS REHEARSAL
Performances at Fort Myer
to Be Open to Public To-
morrow Afternoon.

Final rehearsal for the Fort Myer
society circus was held in the Army
post riding hall this afternoon at 2
O'Clock. Public performances will open
N the inclosed ring tomorrow afternoon
at ESQ O'Clock and Will be repeated to-
morrow night at BIS O'Clock and Satur-
DAY twice at the same hours. Proceeds
OF the circus will go to Fort Myer
CHARITIES and a percentage to the Dis
rlct unemployment fund.
Outstanding among the events of the
1852 society circus program will be the
acts staged b. the Troop F Sd Cavalry
rooeo riders and the Cavalry Machine
Gun Troop equestrian gymnasts. These
Two troops combine the best features of
the old Wild West shows and the Co.'S
sack troopers who have visited Amer
lean horse shows in the past.
Fifteen men comprise the rodeo SQUAD.
leo by Sergt Mof1t. who has been
teaching trick riding for years. Mem
persnlp In the organization is voluntary
and competitive. There are always more
applicants than can be admitted. No
caValryman is permitted to try out until
ne has had two years experience in
equltatlon. Likewise. horses seldom are
useful for stunt work before the age of
D, Two years after breaking Both horses
and men usually remain in the squad
until time compels retirement
Taught Man Stunts.
Newcomers learn to handle them
selves on standing horse They ad-
vance through the successive stages of
walk. trot and slow canter before at
tempting to perform at full gallon.
After period of intensive prepara-
don, the squad. is ready to present a
program of a score or more stunts
There Is the Russian drag. Turning his
horse into the hall lane at wild gallop
the rider crouches in his saddle, slips
his right foot through strap and drops
over backward. arms free. body swing
ing and head less than foot from the
ground. There is nothing to help him
get up again. He must make a quick
grab, catch some part of the saddle and
right himself. If he jerks heavily. the
horse may be thrown off balance and
fall.
Discovery of trick which is incor-
porated into the regular repertoire of
the troop is regarded as a greet honor.
Two have been originated bv Pvt. Hal
cash. One is called the falling off
tail drag" He sits in the saddle. reaches
back, catches hold of the horses tail
somersaults himself off backward hold
mg TO It, For a moment his body is
suspended straight in midair behind the
galloping mount. Then he drops to the
ground. drags behind the animal until
II stops at the end of the hall.
The second of his inventions IS the
so-called flip vault He runs beside the
horse, leaps into the air. somersaults
and lands astride its neck
Accidents Are Rare.
Sergt. Brigante, a veteran of the
troop, long ago developed a jumping
trick which never fails to thrill an audi
ence. 1t involves that almost impos-
Sible feat, judgment and control within
fraction Of an inch a horses lump.
Two men stand on table about feet
high. They hold another man prone
over their heads. Brigante puts his
horse through the human loop. So
close is the squeeze that Brigante's coat
invariably fiicks TIE knees of the arch
supporters, his head misses the top man
by less than inches.
Accidents are rare. Stumbling is not
the only danger. A support strap may
break under sudden strain, a rider
swinging free from the saddle NAV
swoop too low and strike the flying
hoofs. Perhaps the greatest threat is
that horse may fall on man doing
the Russian drag
Coordination with the movements of
the horse and agility are requirements
for both the rodeo team and the euues-
tr1an gymnasts. The latter group, how
ever, have their particular talents. of
which vaulting Is the major feature
They become known in the Army for
their ability to vault, and success as an
acrobatic team performer is largely
based upon that qualification
To vault 5-foot fence is one thing.
To land in a saddle set on the top rail
is another. Set the fence to galloping
and you have the Army gymnast's
problem. A 16-hand horse is S feet 4
inches tall
The men who present the gymnastic
ride have further complicated their
task. Not content with leaping into O
saddle easier than the hero of a West
ern film thriller, they land backward.
leap over two horses and light on a
third, and stage every possible variation
of the stunt.
Jumping in pyramid formation leap
ing through burning hoop and Roman
jumping are among other events the IL
acrobats show. Cub, white, horse who
will sit at table polite as you please, and
Don, who jumps through another form
Of human hurdle in which the cross
bar is the body of a trooper, also belong
to the gynnast troop.