YORK TO LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18663, 20 March 1924, Page 9

YORK TO LONDON.

RIDE by NEW ZEALAND ER.

HORSE'S FINE PERFORMANCE

ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

The performance by a. New Zealander of accomplishing the journey from York to London on an English-bred horse in faster time than the reoord established by 411 Arab horse is recalled by the return of the New Zealander, Mr* G. N. Bell, *1 Palmerston North, who arrived on Tuesday by the lonic. • Discussing the performance, Mr. Bell said the remarkable feature about it was that his ride was accomplished in January, under extremely adverse weather conditions. The journey made by Mr. Tyr-whitt-Drake, on the Arab horse was in July, during a favourable summer. The road is tarred macadam, and Mr. Bell made the journey in four stages. On the second stage he encountered a blizzard, and there were four inches of snow on the ground. The going was so bad that it took him an hour to do the first mile, and he managed only 33 miles that day. The next day, still on snow and ice, he rode 50 miles to Buckden, and on the fourth stage covered 63 miles, the horse finishing in * great style. The object of the ride was to prove that English hunters have just as much, if not more, staying power than the Arabs. The performance of Mr. Tyrwhitt-Drake and -his Arab m compassing the journey from London to York m 104 hours aroused great - interest in Yorkshire, particularly among farmers and 6tock breeders. Mr. *i_ W ? 3 not S reai; ly impressed with the Arab horse's performance, and told his Yorkshire friends that there were plenty of horses in New Zealand that could do better. His friends were sceptical, and to convince them Mr. Bell undertook the journey on his own horse, Yorkshire Boy, a sturdy, well-balanced hunter he had purchased from a tenant farmer. Yorkshire Boy is by a thoroughbred stallion from a hackney mare. He completed the journey 20 hours under, the time occupied by the Arab, notwithstanding the ad- . verse conditions. The citizens of York were highly enthusiastic over the success of the locallybred horse. Mr. Bell was. entertained by the citizens at a banquet, and was presented with a silver cup and a medal to commemorate the performance. Mr. Bell went to England about 15 months ago, and purchased some dairy Shorthorn stock. Owing ,to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in England, he was unable to have the stock shipped to New Zealand.