Evening star., 1941-02-16
Sandy, Fort Myers Great Jumper of Unknown
Origin, Retired From Show Ring at 20, but
Carries On With His Army Chores
By LARRY LAWRENCE.

this locality. no longer will be seen
in competition at Fort Myer, Mead
owbrook. Madison Square Garden,
Devon and other celebrated arenas
where he has amazed thousands by
his sterling performances.
Sandy is trooper at Fort Myer
and his superior officers say no more
competition for you, boy, but you are
not to be relieved from active duty
as a member of the Sd Cavalry's
Machine Gun Troop. The old cam
paigner is nearly 20 years of age.
he has but one good eye and is only
Is hands high, just tall enough to
escape being classed as a pony. But
despite his years his peewee size and
his affliction, Sandy is as tough
as Billy the Kid, as pugnactouS as
James Cagney is supposed to be and
as hard headed and stubborn as
Old Hickory. Within his close
coupled body is a world of pent up
energy and he has the courage of
a whole flock of lions. He is the
perfect cavalry horse" said his troop
commander, Capt. David Wagstaff.
and added, SANDY is so fit right
now that We couldn't take chances
with his being injured in the show
ring and besides the old fellow has
earned retirement from schooling
and competition
Sandy Wouldn't Admit 1t.
If Sandy had the power of speech
his reply to that probably would be
a shorty "Baloney!" or its equine
equivalent, and he might continue
with, They're preparing this Army
to fight, amt they, and they need
good cavalry mounts? Well-?"
So it's no immediate soft life in
green pastures for Sandy and many
other sound Army horses of ad-
vanced age. The Army takes just
as meticulous care of its horses as
it does of its men That is why
many military Steeds, like Sandy,
of an age comparable to Is or 80
years in a man, still are going strong
in Uncle Sans service. while
younger horses in civil life long
since have passed on to the glue
factory.
Life in the Army has not been all
choice hay and selected oats for
Sandy. In fact he has had some
thing Of Horatio Alger career and
has taken plenty Of hard knocks and
undergone great discouragementS
before he achieved fame and became
glamour horse of the show ring.
Absolutely nothing is known of
Sandy'S background and his parents
probably came from the other side
OF the railroad track. Breeding
unknown always has followed his
name in horse show programs.
Where and when the spectacular
jumper was born still is a mystery.
1t is SurmiSed that some of his Youth
was spent in the great open spaces
Of the West.
Caught Attention of Militiamen.
SandyS military record is believed
to have started with an enlistment
in the Colorado National Guard.
where. so the saga runs. he attracted
the attention of some jump minded
militiamen, who for their own
amusement now and then would put
the high-spirited bay over an auto
mobile or some equally unsports-
manllke hazard. That might have
happened. provided of course that
Sandy. at that particular moment
felt like taking tall leaps. Army
officers serving with the Guard
noticed Sandy's ability to negotiate
the high ones and ,relayed the news
to Fort Riley where the faculty of
the Cavalry school. like other insti-
tutions of learning always are look
ing for talent. The pint sized geld
ing might be developed for the Army
Horse Show Team. So, Sandy even
tually entered the sWankieSt and
Snootiest equine finishing school in
the country. but there. sad to re-
late, our hero funked. None of
the great horsemen and riders at
the famous school could do anything
with Sandy: he was too tough. too
headStrong, too other things so they
sent the little rebel to Fort Mver
in the spring of 1885 when he was
about l3 years old.
At the Virginia Army post, Sandy
was just another horse. He hadn't
made good at Riley so they assigned
him to the Machine Gun Troop as
a pack horSe-carrying young cam
non where tanks and trucks couldn't
go. However. sheer merit always will
ha rnnnnroizaI i,, I'm, =
Alger form an understanding soul
appeared upon the scene and saw
in Sandy what others did not see.
Lit. Col. then Major James Duke
had been to Riley before Sandy and
came from that institution recog-
nized as one of the best horsemen
in the Army. After Col Duke met
up with Sandy, the little gelding
became an officers mount and soon
it became known that the Colonel
was one of the half dozen humans
in whom the little rebel ever had
had an abiding confidence.
Quickly Wins Stardom Here.
A bit later horse show fans about
Washington noticed that the Duke
Sandy combination was moving
them down on the Maryland, Vir-
ginia and District circuit. They
were taking blues away from the
greatest fencers in this locality and
there is no sportier cline for open
jumpers than this.
In recent interview, when asked
how he worked the metamorphosis
| in Sandy, Col. Duke replied, Il found