The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-06

mare cOlC, L continued. IL
phone me later. | told him
if it was a horse colt I'd
name him George Washing
ton and if a mare colt Mar
tina Washington"
The Prince was chuckling when
I went on: ut seemed to me. sir,
nothing could be fairer than that:
here was the foal of a mare owned
by an American living in Canada
and out of a thoroughbred that
the King of England had given
his son, the Prince of Wales, and
born on the Fourth of July"
Fair enough the Prince
agreed. well, what was it, any,
way?"
"a horse colt" I answered.
And of course he's called George
Washington"
Il Il
THE Prince laughed. 1t was
Il the sort of thing that ap-
pealed toshis sense of humor, and
besides, it was about horses.
And one way and another
horses have had lot to do with
his life. Time and again he has
narrowly escaped death when
they've fallen WITH HIM.
Fifty or more no, ses have fallen
under him, but he never had
fallen off a horse.
For years, the public was mis-
informed by such headlines as:
THE PRINCE FALLS AGAIN"
AS a matter of fact the Prince
was an intrepid, fearless rider, far
above the average in country
famous for splendid horsemen.
The Prince can barely remem-
Der the first time he was put in
saddle. AS a child and then on
his holidays from naval school. he
was taught to ride and ride
properly.
A S it is practiced by the coun-
"A try squires and cavalry
officers and young gentlemen of
England, fox hunting is probably
the most death defying pastime in
the world.
To call 1t dangerous is almost
missing the point; it is constant
gamble with life and limb.
Along with dancing and the gay
company of women, it was for 10
years to furnish him the relief
and thrilling excitement that his
high-strung and restless system
demanded.
1t was in 1919 that he carefully
began buying horses for his pri-
vate stable.
In 1921 he really began to ride
regularly. On March 4 of that
year he rode in his first point-to-
point, or steeplechase race held by
the Grenadier and Coldstream
Guards.
At the very first fence his horse
fell and he was thrown. But he
caught his horse and finished the
course.
Three weeks later, wearing his
own colors and riding his own
horse, Pet Dog, he won the Welsh
Guards Challenge Cup at Haw-
thorne Hill, and was congratu-
lated on the spot by his proud
parents.
TN November, 1922, he suffered
i a bad fall and a sprained
ankle.
On March 1, the year follow
ing, his horse fell and the Prince
had a badly wrenched knee. Two
weeks later he had his tenth bad
fall. He had been riding four
years.
In February of the next year
while he was exercising his favor
tie chestnut at Billingston Manor,
the horse failed on flve-foot
jump, breaking the Princes
shoulder. 1t was his first serious
accident.
Six weeks later, wearing No.
IS arm band and riding his bay
gelding, Little Favorite, at an
army point-to-point race. his
horse fell at the last fence. throw
ing the Prince and kicking him
squarely in the face.
The following year his horse
went down at a hedge jump and
the Princes left collar bone
snapped. Again the papers and
the public pleaded with him to
give up the mad sport.
His arm was still bound to his
side when, eight days after his
accident, he attended a dance of
the British Legion at his country
place at Melton Mowbray.
1t was a dance of all ex-soldiers
of the neighborhood, regardless of
rank. Most of the men had been
privates and they came with their
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