FAMOUS RIDES

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11772, 7 March 1924, Page 11

FAMOUS RIDES

FEATS OF HORSEMANSHIP. SYDNEJI, January 31. The recent achievement of a New Zealander in ,England f riding from York to London—'2ol miles—in a little under three days and a half has revived memories of some remarkable feats of horsemanship in the Australian bush. One who knows wild Australia probably as well as any living man—Sir Sidney Kidman—in discussing the matter remarked that “No horse in any port of the world would endure «r kmg journey and live on little, feed better than the Australian. X have known plenty of fellows to ride • ? T > mile© in' a day, and after a night's rest cover a similar distance the next day." This opinion is well supported with facts. Australians were stirred in. the early sixties when Mr W. A. Horn—who died in London a little more than a year ago—undertook his famous ride from Moonta to Adelaide, a distance °f 164 mileay in 23 hours without a spell. . In this instance, however, ho had five horses. But it served to indicate the stamina . of : the Australian. -fcfr A. Poynton (formerly ■ Federal 'Minister for Home and Territories) reoounts how, on one occasion, owing to a dispute at Oakden Hills Station, which is about 100 miles from Port Augusta, South Australia, he was requested during the time he was secretary of the Shearers' Union to go there and settle the trouble. After J am. he rode 60 miles without a break or a drink of water to the Gib-; son's camp. He obtained some food for the horse, and after three hours’ Sell he rode on and reached Oakden ills early next morning. After a day he rode the same horse back again. In 1874 Mr N. A. Richardson rode from Euro Bluff to Elizabeth Creek, South Australia. 86 males oyer heavy sand, and then© was not a drop of water between the two places. He started out at 4 p.m., leading a buckjumper. At noon on the following day, which was terrifically hot, the horse he was riding knocked up, and was left to die. He was reluctantly compelled to mount the outlaw, whioh' had no shoes on. He took the wild creature down to the bed of a stony creek, mounted it there, and rode it for six miles up the creek. The rocky going curbed its desire to buck, ai d ke arrived at has destination* at 6 p.m. These achievements, chosen at random, have been accomplished under veiy different conditions from those which prevail in England, where good roads and water supplies at frequent intervals make riding a luxury comnod with the waterless tracks of tralia. Sir Sidney Kidman says that many bushmen would take no notice of covering 70 or 80 miles a day from sunrise to sunset. Mr J. Watts, popularly known as “Galloping Jack," rode from Norley Station to Bulloo Downs, 108 miles, in a night. Archie McLean left Lake Nash at 8 o’clock one morning and arrived at Camooweal, 90 miles away, at 6 o’clock, to attend! a wedding—and he had to hold the horse while he boiled the “billy" on the way. Mn Winton (manager of- -Yaoidama

FEATS OF

Station) rode on one occasion 50 odd ™ußs from Dbbbo Downs to Aunandale in four hours and a half. Mr A. A. West, a well-known bushmall, contributes an . interesting item to the controversy by narrating two remarkable journeys on camels. “The best ride over a distance that I know' of,” he says, “was when Akbar Khan rode from Yandama Station, in New South Wales, across to Copley and back —approximately 200 miles of rangy country each wav —practically without a stop. Faix Mahomet rode from Beltana to Port Augusta and back—2Bo miles in all —in 27 hours. Mrs Phillipson was dangerously ill, and he was sent to get medicine for her. Tho camel was subsequently pensioned off, and presented by the late Sir Thomas Elder to the Adelaide Zoo. This was the first camel seen at the gardens.