ACCIDENTS AND THE STEEPLECHASE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 53, 2 March 1907, Page 9

ACCIDENTS AND THE STEEPLECHASE.

SPORT JHAT REQUIRES A COOL HEAD AND A STEADY KERYE.

It is generally understood among Englishmen that any recreation -which can claim to be classed under the heading of ." sport " must essentially have an element of excitement and danger associated with it. Now it is possible to get even more excitement and a- greater element of daring than is met with in the hunting field; there is even a greater chance of a heavy fall, with subsequent tender bruises and . possibly a broken limb in connection with steeplechasing, which represents the best class of horse-racing during the winter months. This form or- sport; presents all the risks ef the hunting field, though there, are two additional reasons why the rider may court disaster. In the first place, ' the horses are travelling at much: greater pace when traversing a racecourse, and the jumps are usually much stiller on the made track than those i natural obstacles met by chance in the hunting field. CROSS-COUNTRY EIDERS' KISKS. As a, matter of fact, very few severe accidents occur during the " chasing" season, and when there is an acident the extent of the damage done is usually greatly a matter of luck; but no seasbn goes by without some incident occurring but it will be invariably found that they predominate during the opening portion \of the campaign. Luckily the present season (says a London newspaper) {has been wonderfully iree from .disaster, but keen race-follow-ers are still in a state of great anxiety over the condition of Arthur Birch, one of the best English horsemen, who met ■with a terrible accident at the beginning of December, and has hovered between life and death ever since. _ His disaster was due to his horse fallfence, in-a- steeplechase race. Horses can generally manage to ate;a. hijrdleV.caiirke,^hiit tjajp: ger in this v cross-country racing may 'be traced to steeplechase events in the first month of the jumping season, which roughly lasts from October to March. During the opening five weeks horses " come out " apparently as much for the sake of learning their work as for any other reason. They start to negotiate a steeplechase course, only to topple over like so many ninepins when they meet an obstacle that is .at all inclined to be " stiff." As a mater of fact they

(From a Photo.)

should have done all tills Iα their training quarters long before making their appearance in public. Therefore, the chief danger in steeplechasing lies in the inadequate " schooling" and training which some horse receive before being rushed out to take a chance in an early race. The " schooling " of a> steeplechaser is a very intricate business, and calls for the acme of patience and tact. In many cases horse learn their early work as well in the hunting field as anywhere else, but a change has to be effected in the later stages, for a " chaser " must " fly " his jumps in his stride, whereas a jumper has time to steady himself in his stride. However, to pass beyond the training stage, accidents are not altogether unavoidable, however clever the horses and riders may be. The chief danger undoubtedly that a jockey has to contend with in a fall is that presented by the i horse or horses that following him. Arthur Birch's terrible injuries are due to this cause. His horse made a half-bearted attempt to take the jump, and tumbled over on the other side. This fall was a typical one, for here, as is usually the case, the rider managed to fall free of his horse. Moreover, it is ; a well-established fact that horses are I wonderfuly sensitive with regarld to

ANOTHER SPILL. (From a Photo.)

human beings, and a thrown rider seldom gets trodden on by his own inpiifat. Alas! as Birch rolled clear of his horse, and was preparing to rise, and get away, : other competitors in the, race were riding, at full gallop behind him .at the same obstacle. Before he could rise another , ;horse, had risen in,the air as it" "flew" -the jump, and landed right ontop of the-unfortunate man, inflicting the ihojst terrible injuries. This, indeed, was a typical example of the;most common accidents that occur on the steeplechase course. A jockey rides at. a'fence and falls, as Birch did, only to be jumped on before he can rise by those who: are following. . Ini most cases the latter are unaware that the leader has fallen, being unable to see through the dense fence, while in many other cases, they are too close on the victim's heels' to turn aside, r even if they had time to realise that such a course is imperative. So far the dangers nave only been dealt' with in eases where the jockey falls clear of the horse.. One of the dangers 'which past generations chiefly feared was • that 'of being "dragged." This occurs when the rider in falling 5 from the horse fails to get both of his feet clear of the stirrups. Such accidents are now, happily, of rare occur- ! rence, but if should happen that a jockey gets his foot wedged in the stirrup a terrible disaster must almost inevitably ensue. Freed of its rider the horse immediately rises again and gallops away at random, dragging the unfortunate victim with it. Frightened and unable to account, for the burden dangling round its hoofs, the further the animal goes, with its fear increased, the faster it careers on its wild course, and the mangled rider invariably gets his head kicked beyond recognition. Cases have been known of severe accidents occurring in the earlier stages of ! big steeplechases, and in these cases the thoroughbreds, excited and in their freshest condition, are in such good fettle that they can race at their first fences at a terrific pace.. Suddenly there is a crash. One of the competitors fails to altogether clear the top of the fence, and such is the impetus with which horse and rider are travelling that the pair of them turn a complete somersault. In this case the rider may have no time t» get clear, and lands on the ground with a sickening thud, with the horse on top. If a horse falls in the later stages of a race the consequences are usually less severe, for by that time the "field" has got singled o*ut, so that there may not be another competitor -at hand to "jump into the pocket" of a fallen man, while should the horse fall, he is by this time travelling at a slower pace, and hence must come down less heavily*