SUMMER HACKS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 8708, 2 February 1894, Page 2

SUMMER HACKS.

G. G. in the Illustrated Sporting and

Dramatic News. m Some men do not ride in summer, and let their liver take its chance. After live months' hunting, with all its rapturous excitement, and up-and down adventures, they do not care to hack about, and if they attain greater prominence in the district of the stomach, they don*c seem to mind. They desire to enjoy other pleasures for a change, and in the summer saddle exorcise has no charms for them, and they put ou weight alarmingly. But they are nob alarmed. November, they argue, Ih yet a long time off, and let us, they probably add, gather roses while we may, aud begin to get off the too, too solid just about the first week in October. It is not pleasant for a man who rides list .lb at the end of the season to reflect that, if he does himself conscientiously duringthe summer months, he will take the field again weighing about 16st; ana, alas, it is so much easier to put weight on than to take it. off. To do without anything is never pleasant—especially long drinks and fancy dishes. On the other hand, there are men who ride consistently throughout the summer, as they do not wish their figure to expand in the wrong places, and like the beneficial exercise for itself alone. These belong to the order of wise enthusiasts who, on fine summer mornings at about six ot the clock, while the air is sweet and fresh on the breezy downs, or in the fragrant fields, mount their favourite hack and enjoy a couple of hour- pure contentment—also acquiring incidentally an appetite for breakfast, the delights of wh/ch the J/e-a-beds can never experience.

Our sympathies, then, are with the man who rides in summer, and we like to see him on a good hack. Yet how rarely that pleasure is vo .chsafed either to him or to us 1 Most men, of course, know what they want when buying a hunter—something that can gallop and jump; or when buying a trapper—something that is quiet in harness, and can do his twelve an hour if wanted; or when buying a pony for the children—something that will stand being pulled about all day, and galloped hard on the road, when Master Tommy's spirits are exuberant. But with a hack, how different! The thoughtless purchaser then probably thinks that the same generous bea. c that draws the carriage or carries him hunting—he does not go much oft the road but goes really hard therewill make him a capital summer hack. The idea is a delusion and a snare—that is if he wishes to enjoy himself. A really good hack is born, not made out ot a cross ot the carriage horse and hunter, witb slightly worn fore-legs, no shoulder to speak of, and a mouth on which you may safely " try your strength." Indeed, there are hacks and hacks, many bad, tevr good, some positively shameful. One otten notices that even men ot good taste and sound discretion in other matters, make spectacles ot themselves on a hack of their own selection, and apparently prefer a beast quite unsuitable in every respect. The reason of this unfortunate choice is, in most cases, not far to seek; everything in a hack is sacrificed to quietness. We all know the style of the ordinary or domestic rider of every day life. He hangs on by the mouth, his seat is ot the convulsive order, and he can grip a little sometimes where he touches, though he does not touch any particular spot tor long. It a horse sniffs without premeditation he makes a violent start, apparently apprehensive of earthquakes, aud clutches at the bridle to save his life. In purcha./og a hack, a rider ot this stamp stipulates for ".manners," and insists upon having something perfectly '•confidential." He is, therefore, not easily suited, and has often to shake himself up on an ugly beast, with no style or action, that rolls instead of canters, expects the rider to carry its head in his arms, and trots about as pleasantly as a rheumatic policeman.

Then, of course, we see the heavy .man on the small horse, and the light weight on a ponderous animal up to 16st. . This seems to be an inexorable law ot nature that puts the square pegs into the round holes, and the large person on to the wrong saddle—that also invariably inspires in the bosom of a mere male of five feet stature the determination to espouse a lady ot vast dimensions; while a giant naturally prefers a slight and fragile beauty. Nature thus works to strike an average. But it Is not fair to the individuals—certainly not to the horses. A l_st man _ does not look well on a polo pony, and a tat person might easily find something to carry him more pleasantly than can a. heavy animal of the coach horse stamp that ought tb be drawing coals.

It has been remarked that a heavy man who requires a horse to carry 15st, or more, never really experiences the perfect enjoyment of riding, since he is obliged to bestride a. coarse, heavy animal, whose action certainly does not realise by any means the poetry of motion. But this is a matter that cannot be helped. The | welter weight must make' the hest of the situation, and is lucky if he can find anything for love or money—especially money —that can carry him at all smoothly.- It I says much for his pluck and energy that he continues to disport himself in the 1 pigskins, despite the disadvantages that nature (or probably a devotion to tbe flesh I pots) has imposed upon him, and 1 that he derives a vast amount of enjoyment from ' what does not appear to a disinterested spectator to be an easy method of taking the air. Still, we all have our likes and | dislikes, and there is no Act of Parliament, lor commandment, or byelaw. which prohibits a man from bumping the saddle because he is excessively developed in the wrong place. If it does him good, it does no one else harm, and we have no opportunity of Interviewing the horse on the subject. One need scarcely say that a heavy man should above all things he careful to get a thoroughly sound hack, for if fcl____ be. an* w .»_____- (ll _f_6 jflltl.B Qfl -_-._ie-%-r_, !____ is nofclikely to ln-atloncr. ___.»,■-. __cx_e resardto the t-v_.r_._n_ I _____ posed npon. _a________ \ AT. tie have good Icneeactio-i &x__cL can -yaDc wmMimiEiiMmi the better, and a-saminK the poeses'Slon ol snclt qualification*, ow -weUef ttlen-i ! must be prepared to open his purse.strings pretty widely. He should Indeed, reSSect J th»t this to him mar be « qnes.idn otlite I or death, an—, it ■—rill 60 »x_-cely i~__-_t_ a.' X-.— r I • ia__tly>. to l_ee_> __r___i jJlv-e. *' v: * j --J_et _c • explain my raeatxtafe oa~~~tTils j $oiat & little mow clearly, What do we read in the papers every day % A common \ ! accident occurs like this:—A middle-aged gentleman baring made money and .en- / la_c__d his liver irordered ridfog exercise by Ilia ei-_li.ei-Ltpliyßiciaci.axid. thoush he 1 has never been cm a horse in __._____]__» at I once Arranges for that performance to\ begin. He takes a course of lesaonsat a I , school, and when with great difficulty he 1 I ha. acquired tbe art of just hanging od, chiefly hy the reins ol coarse, he buys a i quiet hack, and proceeds to enjoy himself | :_ _ hi* own -__v_s_.u__.ea fancy dictates. \ All -nay go well lor a timej the Quit, hack may continue quiets/And che neophyte on. . board may hy greafrAgood luck, avoid tho cf.U.ttop_- olMUng off. Mm _____ _J j time, thanks to a superfluity ot beans and f a want ot work* feu __: confidential hack becomes fresh aad Above himself; he] . stiles at aomethlog, ot!bio.__l_r nothing,! I and his rider ____<___. ait. Ma mouth .0 hold I himself on. Then follows a.plunge and f perhaps a play tai buck, and these movements being quite novel to the untutored 1 equestrian, he comes, aa .hei.opu.aY saying lis, undone. Now, one need not remark [ that for a heavy mat. to f&Uj.percbance oa I his head, on a not tammer'. day into the __._&._ of the hard high road, Iva dangerous experiment which may even bring hia adventurous career to a close. -Thus we see how careful he should he lathe selection ot hia hack.

I Or take another case. We also find this lln the pmperts almost every day. Oar mature friend, who is ordered horse exercise aa though It were as easy to take as "the mixture as before," la fortunate I enough to get, we will assume, a cons_s_en_/y quiet beast, Incapable of any but perfectly orthodox movements, and , warranted not even to blow his nose un I expectedly. Verily there are such animals, but whether their existence should be encouraged is an open question. ...hat Yvappen.. .Ont ___-&-__<_ ttl.nd. I enjoys many pleasant rides in the Bummer sunshine, and felicitates himself on tbe possession of & treasure. Alks I not for long. The time comes when the priceless I hack gets fat and lazy, and when trotting down a slight descent with hia owner holding on anyhow, he blunders badly on to his head, and great is the woe thereof. . An unfortunate middle-aged gentleman la I soon afterwards discovered lying In an unconscious condition by the side of the road, bleeding from a serious scalp .wound, and the cause ot the calamity is grazing with much contentment a little farther on. Such accidents may- sot end fatally, though the papers tell us that they very often do.

We may next shift the lights a little, ' and consider a different sort of rider and another kind of horse. The disturbed reader may say, if be has been good enough I to axcite his mind hy the perusal ot the foregoing, "Sue what then Is a good summer haefcf' I will try to describe my ideal ot that precious quadruped. I will j 1 assume tor the salt, ot empha.Ulug the moral that yoa are a moderately light

weight, can go to scale at nofc mo,; .. I twelve .tone, and have master-,.«. ***% I mentary principles of equlutlon _. *"' I get a goocf blood hack, aud be rL# T S I obtain the genuine article. I _f„ ,?"*» t» i one bred on the Hues of tho o_d._L__ _*•_ f «< blood " hunter by a { out of a half-bred mare; b_ Jo 2 * .*« I nothing less than a perfectly $"?!* 1 animal, whose rM.___.rr tony bf*?"«_l i step by .tap lv the .tud-hook. Th_. rftsw . 1 of course, good half-bred hack*__"**) I quick sonna polo pony with * D * K M luxury to tho fortuuate person __ l * 4 if blessed with a frame not \veit_hln» l * I tban about tat. Bat. above all «. _?■ m6f « 1 intimated, I esteem mo-it highly -fo. ****' M pleasurable paddle-.serci..;* J M bred horse, though ho must poia J?! i essentials, such na hi.and le«s * rta ** If mouth, satisfactory action, _ a 6t ton * ro ? <! H able temperament, and manner*. Itf* 6 || always easy to obtain these d_».ai* a 5 » except at a fancy price, but wlfcb U and a little peracverai.ee it is to b„ __ * fl Now, in matters of this klud S II nothing like profiting by the pr.cth?. l| § perience of others, the idea _e_» « **• I what they have done and then " __ ■**» if better," and I am delighted to otfc. „»!. _ § as a __ctU-ce ia this noble cau.e 'n_ l ft system I have adopted to get good „tb I has always been marked by s_mpffi!!9 § economy. I have vhlted the SS* 8 * I stables aud the racecourse on the?* ft for raw material, and whenever Ik ft| if seen a likely two-year-old for sale __ !_!** If thing lifco _3300r*;.0-one that jS&S. I four good logs, some bone and aub*t___f ! aud unmusical respiration—l Ws2!*» H chased him. knowing that, if there Wv_ I chance ot getting a race out of _fo»f*_7 M three or four-year-old, he would _» a, 1 v i saying la," grow Into money" ana__ii___ B light-weight hunter. Some, 7S I have turned oufc bad, others hare i_»{t7 Jf be passed on quickly, but a few havTkJ_ B treasures, and these are au aa«n___ It reward for the timo and trouble •xpe-.rfJ? m When a young one cornea oatofareS H stable he is not a pleasant hack. B« |__ if beeu so constantly galloped andinw_*S R off that he is naturally very H has probably no mouth and no action _3 M is frightened by the qulverluaot a4_. H he is apt to jump round very auddinV WL then, if he be not nicely handled, be __l H cross his legs, and—over goea tJ.as.i_. if These are a tevr ot the difficulties that _». H have to be encountered, and they _i_tr_tf « surmounted. The excitable youisjaX. H must be quietly hacked about for a e<_te_ H of hours a day, with, of course, nogajioa §2 log; he must be gently and kindly w£ H both in aud out ot the stable, a tt d Si H manners wiil quickly,improre. He .m m ftoon target the acquired vice. 0 ( *l m earlier youth." He will gradually \a_.j_\ ft hia action. He will ce*se to __.__ % violently because a little bird takes Jb« ft liberty ol soaring Into its native etnpyr___ M He will getj used to traffic, audi m_a\ m judicious management aud Rood hjv fi may grow Into an exceedingly pIe&MM m and valuable hack. m

Many people who ride do not like blood i horses, because of an impression that ft. _ 1 are not quiet and sate. Foolish .o__A 1 absurd and childish prejudice! Myexpt. 1 ience is that a thoroughbred ia quiver i taking him all round, than a | has tar more senae and pluck. He standi 1 his corn better, and give him two bona I steady exercise per diem, he will bs *t& I enough for anybody to ride who csb hel? I on just a little, and does not necets»nh t shiver when a horse sueezes. QrwUi 1 that some are awkward to ride, but wa 1 know that there are many awkvtti J riders who are more at home la a pants. 1 bulator, and for such tho bloo_ (or m I otber) horse should be proscribed with 1 extremo care alter the lite insurance hu I been effected. For myself, I like a e__i I bred one, tbat possesses grace, aud elttl. 1 city, snd a vivacious mind, that o&ncsstei I five miles an hour on tho road, aod t_ 1 walk aa fast without tailing on his _._»• | and, believe mc, while I can ride agyt-tag | at all, X shall ride nothing else. |