The Taranaki Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, JANUARY 18,1900. THE HORSEMANSHIP TEST.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9941, 18 January 1900, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1900. THE HORSEMANSHIP TEST.

Much disnalu>factiun -"id disappointment has boon caus:d by the drastic lest those voluiiteeiing for service in the New Zealand Mounted Infnnhj' Odiitirgents have hech subjected to, lesultliijr in niany undoubtedly gocd hor&emen being lejccted What goes down best with the military authorities in AVellington, wo aio told, is fine physique and dull. A man of six fcol has beeli passed who oould not hil a haystack with a rifle bullet at 500 yards, and a splendid shot of lessor statin c .md weight lciected because he could not stick on a. baie-backed biukjumper th.it could not have perfrimecl his circus tucka under the 18 stinio Son of Annk above rofevled 10. Tho fiisfc consideration nl ijdecliiiE; the men should bo ability to ride over rough oouiitiy On fairly well bioken-in horses. There is no need for insisting thnt the men shall pass the military riding school test, which is not one that is calculated to givo tho men a good seat or pioper command of their hone, in fact tho "diasjoon scat" is tho worst that could bo devised, and is prolific of injury to the rider who is forced to conform to its thief lcijuircment, \iz, a long stirrup which can only ue reached by the ball of the big too, and which pi.ictically affords httle or no assistance to llio rider. Hunting men, steeplechase mid stock rideis u.>e short stirrups and got a good grip of tlicir 3,uVllco v. itli their kiicei and thighs, and havo a po'uuful fulcrum to a'&iut thoin in restraining the efloita of a ie-,tive lior=o to either get nd of its nder or bolt with him. If our men are good stock-riders, they are quite able to do all the riding they will have to get through in South Africa, and need not bo knocked about by having to go tlii'ough the bare-backed agony on a luu-bcmed, ill-tempered brute of a tioop horse specially selected for its trukiness and \icious determination to (job rid of its lidcr. The number of men that havo boon injured by vicious unbroken biutea they have been given to ride in Wellington sinco the second contingent went into camp is sufficient proof of tho uniitnoss of many of tho animals selected or accepted for their Übe, and of tho necessity for greater care being exercised in the matter, as it is evident that many utteily vicious, useless brutes of horses havo been "donated" by people who have evidently preferred getting rid of them that, way, and posing as donors of animals sot down as representing £'20, in preference to giving even a five-pound noto in actual cash. Such brutes would bo dear at anything over their raluo as dog's meat. Of course thero is no time to mend matters, so far as tho second contingent is concerned, but thore is ns regards the thud which ia to follow it later on. The latter should bo, in tho first place, first-c'ass horsemen — men who can stick in their saddles over rough country, through bush, or anywhere that a horse can manago to make its way. This docs not moan that they should be able to perform tho fonts ol horsemanship said to bo common among fho Texan cowboys and Mexican vaqueros, who, in their high demi-peaked saddles and with ciuel and powerful bitn, quickly master the unbroken mustang or Mexican "plug" by shoor brutality and ill-usage. Oui men Bliould not bo oxpectod to do smU things, or to get up on known 1 n luiis and untamed, if not unbroken, hoi-aea. Next to good horsomanehip of Uio kind indicated, thu mon thould be of sound constitution and a"orage physique, ranging from oft. Gin. to sft. lOin. in height, and trom 9st 71bs to 12st in weight proportionately to thoir inches. This would allow a lot of roally good mon to bo accepted, and onablo tho colony to send a third contingent that would reflect the highest credit on it, as they would be just the kind of men badly wanted in South Africa at present. Thero are hundreds of young mon of this type in the colony who are both willing and anxious to be allowod to go, but who are deterred by the refusals so many have mot with in Wellington from sending in their names. It has been suggested to us that the riding test should bo carried out under the supervision and to tho satisfaction of men like Mr John Stevens, M.H.R., himself an old colonial cavalryman, and others of liko knowledge and ability as horsemen, of whom there aro no dearth in New Zealand. An Examining Board of such men would allow no candidate for aotivo military service to pass who was not a capable horseman. The result would be that a largo number of very suitable bush-trained riders would tender thoir services, and pass the required' test. These young men would do credit to New Zealand and those who selected them. Perhaps the Government and the military authorities will consider the advisability of giving the matter their early and favourable consideration ?