OF SPORTS AND PASTIMES EDITED BY HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT, K.G. ASSISTED BY ALFRED E. T. WATSON RIDING PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREHT SQUARE if RIDING BY CAPTAIN ROBERT WEIR RIDING MASTER R.H.G. WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT, K.G. THE EARL OF SUFFOLK AND BERKSHIRE THE EARL OF ONSLOW, G.C.M.G. E. L. ANDERSON AND ALFRED E. T. WATSON POLO BY J. MORAY BROWN ILLUSTRATED BY G. D. GILES, FRANK DADD AND J. STUART ALLAN LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1891 All rights reserved DEDICATION TO H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES BADMINTON : May 1890. HAVING received permission to dedicate these volumes, the BADMINTON LIBRARY of SPORTS and PASTIMES, to His ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES, I do so feeling that I am dedicating them to one of the best and keenest sportsmen of our time. I can say, from personal observation, that there is no man who can extricate himself from a bustling and pushing crowd of horsemen, when a fox breaks covert, more dexterously and quickly than His Royal Highness ; and that when hounds run hard over a big country, no man can take a line of his own and live with them better. Also, when the wind has been blowing hard, often have I seen His Royal Highness knocking over driven grouse and partridges and high-rocketing pheasants in first-rate RIDING workmanlike style. He is held to be a good yachtsman, and as Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron is looked up to by those who love that pleasant and exhilarating pastime. His encouragement of racing is well known, and his attendance at the University, Public School, and other important Matches testifies to his being, like most English gentlemen, fond of all manly sports. I consider it a great privilege to be allowed to dedicate these volumes to so eminent a sportsman as His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and I do so with sincere feelings of respect and esteem and loyal devotion. BEAUFORT. BADMINTON PREFACE A FEW LINES only are necessary to explain the object with which these volumes are put forth. There is no modern encyclopaedia to which the inexperienced man, who seeks guidance in the practice of the various British Sports and Pastimes, can turn for information. Some books there are on Hunting, some on Racing, some on Lawn Tennis, some on Fishing, and so on ; but one Library, or succession of volumes, which treats of the Sports and Pastimes indulged in by Englishmen and women is wanting. The Badminton Library is offered to supply the want. Of the imperfections which must be found in the execution of such a design we are viii RIDING conscious. Experts often differ. But this we may say, that those who are seeking for knowledge on any of the subjects dealt with will find the results of many years' experience written by men who are in every case adepts at the Sport or Pastime of which they write. It is to point the way to success to those who are ignorant of the sciences they aspire to master, and who have no friend to help or coach them, that these volumes are written. To those who have worked hard to place simply and clearly before the reader that which he will find within, the best thanks of the Editor are due. That it has been no slight labour to supervise all that has been written he must acknowledge ; but it has been a labour of love, and very much lightened by the courtesy of the Publisher, by the unflinching, indefatigable assistance of the Sub- Editor, and by the intelligent and able arrangement of each subject by the various writers, who are so thoroughly masters of the subjects of which they treat. The reward we all hope to reap is that our work may prove useful to this and future generations. THE EDITOR. CONTENTS RIDING CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION . . . . . 3 By his Grace the Duke of Beaiifort^ K.G. i2rV. I. RIDING TO HOUNDS . . . . . . 12 By the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire II. THE SADDLE-HORSE . . . . . -43 By Alfred E. T. Watson III. TRAINING THE YOUNG .HORSE . . . . 63 By Robert Weir IV. HINTS ON HORSEMANSHIP . . . . .86 By Robert Weir V. HANDS AND SEAT 133 By Robert Weir VI. RACE RIDING . , .139 By Alfred E. T. Watson VII. THE COLONIAL HORSE 158 By the Earl of Onslow, G. C. M. G. ( Governor of New Zealand] VIII. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP . . .211 By E. L. Anderson CHAPTER RIDING POLO By J. Moray Brown PAGE INTRODUCTORY 235 I. THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 238 II. POLO IN ENGLAND . . . . . . 254 III. POLO IN INDIA . . . . . . . 266 IV. RULES AND BY-LAWS OF POLO . . .287 V. GROUND, BALLS, STICKS, GOAL-POSTS, &c. . . 299 VI. BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO . . 306 VII. THE TRAINING OF PONIES . . . . . 321 VIII. SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES . .332 IX. How A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLAYED . . 355 APPENDIX LESSONS IN RIDING . . . . . . 371 By Robert Weir BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RIDING . . .. . 393 INDEX . . . . . . 405 ILL USTRA TIONS REPRODUCED BY MESSRS. WALKER AND BOUTALL, J. D. COOPER, AND G. PEARSON, AFTER DRAWINGS BY G. D. GILES, F. DADD, AND J. STUART ALLAN. FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS ARTIST THE EARL OF GLAMORGAN (AFTERWARDS] ., EIGHTH DUKE OF BEAUFORT) AT TEN -^ . an Oli \ Front. YEARS OF AGE J P**S > A GOOD START. . . . . . . G. D. Giles To face p. 16 STIRRUP NOWHERE TO BE SEEN . G. D. Giles ,, 18 JOINING THE ROAD RIDERS . . G. D. Giles ,, 22 His LAST FENCE G. D, Giles ,, 38 'CORRECTION TO BE USED AGAINST RESTIFE- "1 ~ ^ ., NESS 'J } G ' D> GlkS " ^O DECLINE TO GO QUIETLY A DOZEN YARDS . G. D. Giles ,, 58 HIGH COURAGED AND IN THE PLENITUDE) /- i /> OF HEALTH AND SPIRITS . . .J . " M2 A ' ROUND UP ' .... . J. Stuart Allan ,, 180 A HUNTING JUMP IN NEW ZEALAND . . J. Stuart Allan ,, 196 MAJOR-GENERAL J. F. SHERER 'THE~1 FATHER OF POLO' J ' EARLY POLO . ,, 240 POLO IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY : EMPEROR AKBAR PLAYING WITH HIS . . , 246 COURTIERS .J xii RIDING ARTIST POLO IN THIBET (FROM 'TRAVELS irn KASHMIR, LADAKH, AND THIBET,' BY } . . TO face p. 266 VIGNE) I A QUICK TURN . . . . . . F. Dadd , 286 A SCRIMMAGE 'THE BALL HANGS' . . F. Dadd . ,, 326 A GOAL < WHOO-WHOOP ! ' .... F. Dadd . ,, 356 ARCADES AMBO' ' RIDE HIM OFF' . . F. Dadd . ,, 362 ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT ARTIST PAGE * IT CAN'T BE DONE ! ' G. D. Giles . 25 SIGNS OF DISTRESS G. D. Giles . 27 *THE STREAM RUNS WIDE ON THE TAKE-") ~ ~ -,., OFFSIDE' J G - D ' Gll6S ' 33 TATTERSALL'S G. D. Giles . 40 FRESH FROM GRASS G. D. Giles . 64 LONGEING . . . . . . . . G. D. Giles . 73 TAKE HOLD OF HIS SNAFFLE AND MOUTH \ ~ _, ~. 7 HIMSELF }G. D.Giles . 78 NOT BEEN JUDICIOUSLY TREATED . . . G. D. Giles . 84 OVER AN OBSTACLE BY HIMSELF . . . G. D. Giles . 107 AVOID GETTING IT CAUGHT . . . . G. D. Giles . 109 OUT OF DOORS G. D. Giles . 119 A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TROUBLE . . G. D. Giles . 122 DEPEND MORE OR LESS ON THE HORSE'S"! ~, ~ -,., MOUTH jG.D. Giles . 134 PULLING AT THEIR HORSES' HEADS AND) ~ _ .... SAWING AT THEIR MOUTHS . . . / ^ n - Gtles J 43 THE GRIEVANCE OF A LOST BET . . G. D. Giles . 149 EARLY DAYS G. D. Giles . 157 ILLUSTRATIONS xiii ARTIST PAGE HUNTING IN AUSTRALASIA . . . . J. Stuart Allan . 160 THE TOTALISATOR 170 STOCK SADDLE AND WHIP . . . . J. Stuart Allan . 179 HORSE-SHIPPING J. Stuart Allan . 183 To USE HIS HIND LEGS . . . . J. Stuart Allan . 192 THE FLEA J. Stuart Allan . 200 CRASH IN THE NEXT STRIDE . . . J. Stuart Allan . 201 THE VERY BABIES COULD JUMP ON HIS BACK J. Stuart Allan . 203 PERSIAN CHAUGAN STICKS OF THE SEVEN-"! TEENTH CENTURY / POLO STICKS ....... .... 302 THIBETAN POLO STICK OR ' BYNTU ' " . . . . . 304 BARB PONY AWFULLY JOLLY . . . F. Dadd . . 309 SYRIAN PONY ALGIERS F. Dadd . . 311 INDIAN COUNTRY-BRED PONY 'A BAD] ^ ~ ,, SORT' ]F.Dadd . . 313 Otium cum dignitate. BROOD MARE AND \ FOAL : ABBESS, AND JOLLY NUN BY L F. Dadd . . 319 AWFULLY JOLLY J ARAB PONY UMPIRE . . . F. Dadd . . 340 A THOROUGHBRED PONY DANCING GIRL, BY 1 p ~ , , A MODEL TYPE OF PONY FRITZ, BY) r ,, KINSMAN ^F. Dadd . . 344 A 'NEAR-SIDE' STROKE . . . . . F. Dadd . . 347 A ' BACK-HANDER ' F. Dadd . . 349 INDIAN COUNTRY-BRED PONY, POLESTAR ~l - r, ,, 'A GOOD SORT'. .... ,} F - Dadd - 353 WITH A LEAD OF THEM ALL . . F. Dadd . . 359 PUTTING PLENTY OF POWDER INTO A | ,-, n ,, STROKE. Vires acyuirit eundo . . ./* MISSED F. Dadd . . 365 REMOUNTS F. Dadd . . 368 RIDING RIDING INTRODUCTION BY His GRACE THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT, K.G. &c. IVERSE are the opinions of experts in the art of riding, and of the teachers of the art, as to whether it is not easier to teach youth of either sex in their teens, who have never sat upon a horse pre- viously, than those who have lived in the saddle from their earliest child- hood. The advocates of early practice hold that early famili- arity with ponies and horses, and the habit of riding them, give advantages to the very youthful beginner that no teaching or practice in after life can ever supply. It is chiefly from instructors of the art that objection comes to these childish 4 /. : : : .;.-. RISING riders, because, as triey'aver, they have first to break their pupils of the bad habits they have learnt as children, before they can put them properly on their horses, and make them use their hands and legs as they should do. Which of these opinions is right? After many years of experience of both classes of riders, I really cannot decide, but I cannot help thinking that the objection to very early riding can be entirely overcome by the pupil being properly put on his or her horse, and properly taught ab initio the use of hands and legs ; and, if this is done, the chances of excelling in the art of riding should then be very much in favour of the pupil who has begun as a child. In a long experience of riders I have come across three or four of both sexes who, though not such finished horsemen or horsewomen as those who had ridden from childhood, were hard to beat over a country, notwithstanding that they had begun late in life. In some cases beginning to tumble about very early makes some people over careful, on the principle of the burnt child fearing the fire ; and those who have not had so much experience of falling have a certain advantage ; but this can only be considered as regards riding over a country, and not in relation to sitting properly on and riding a horse with hands and legs as he should be ridden. On the good old principle of place aux dames, I will begin with a few remarks on the way to put a little girl on her saddle. Further on in this volume will be found full instruc- tion in the art of riding, by one of the most highly trained and finished masters now exercising that calling, and, this being the case, I shall treat the subject as briefly as possible. The young lady, aged from five to six years, must be, when put upon her saddle, told that she can never become a good and graceful horsewoman unless she sits with her shoulders perfectly square to her pony's or horse's ears ; that she must neither hang over to the off (right hand) side of her pony, nor, doubling herself up towards the left, incline to the near side. Fortunately, vanity is a general attribute of womanhood, and, when not ex- cessive, it often becomes a good quality. The excellence to INTRODUCTION 5 which women attain in riding, and in many games of skill, even in walking and dancing, takes its first growth from vanity that is to say, the desire to do whatever she does better than other people ; and to be admired when riding or walking, or whatever she may be doing, is a great incentive to her to arrive at excellence in any pursuits she takes up. The instructor has only to show a little girl how ungraceful and ugly is a woman sitting badly on her horse, and he may depend upon her doing all she can to sit so that those who see her will express ad- miration and approval. Having got our young friend into the saddle, we now come to fitting her stirrup. Some ladies ride with a very short stirrup and bend the left leg short back, so that the whole of the sole of the boot is visible, if the habit flies up in the least, to those behind her. This is very bad, and the greatest care must be taken to avoid it, for fear it should become a rooted manner- ism, all the more difficult to overcome afterwards. It is almost an absolute certainty that a lady who rides in this fashion will give the horses she rides sore backs. The stirrup should be so adjusted that the left leg should hang easily and nearly straight down from the knee, being very slightly bent back, just enough to allow the top of the knee to touch the under side of the pommel, called by saddlers 'the leaping head.' The stirrup should be under the ball of the foot \ and should not touch the ankle or leg. When so placed the lady sits with freedom and strength combined, for she has the power to grip the two pommels, and she is not cramped and stiff in position. She is carried with greater ease by her horse, and she avoids the risk of making a lump upon her ankle from the pressure of the stirrup against it. Once she gets into the habit of this seat, perfectly square to the front and quite perpendicular, and with stirrup adjusted as described, she will not require the pad put on the end of the stirrup leather and the top of the stirrup iron, which of itself may produce the lump on the ankle, which is a token of something being wrong. Before proceeding to the question of how to put the inferior 6 RIDING sex, the boy, on his saddle, I will digress for a moment to dis- cuss the pony which either the boy or the girl should ride. There is no doubt whatever that, as regards the boy, he will either bully the pony, or the pony will bully him. The young lady is of too kindly a nature to bully, and therefore she re- quires a more docile animal to ride than the boy. It is far better for the boy's future proficiency in riding that he should bully his pony than that the reverse should be the case ; but when the boy has these inclinations he requires looking after and repressing. There is no animal so artful as an old pony that has carried several young beginners. His craftiness is re- markable. He will pretend to be tired long before he really is so. He will take his rider home against his will, or will refuse a small fence, or go in the contrary direction to the one he is directed to go ; and therefore the boy must have sufficient confidence in himself to coerce to a certain extent, but should on no account ever be allowed to act cruelly to him. Bullying is a vice that grows upon boys. If he can do it successfully with his ponies, the lad will follow it up by bullying his sisters,, and other boys ; and as he gets older will go on bullying every one he can, till eventually he may come to bully his wife. Therefore, though it is necessary that he should be master of his pony, he should be carefully watched and prevented from ill-using him. A nice docile pony is one of the most intelligent and kindest creatures in the world, and should be cherished and petted accordingly. One that carries a little girl well is worth all the care and kindness that can be extended to him. We now come to putting the boy on his pony. Some people like to put him up first of all without stirrups, and to make him ride for a year or more before furnishing him with those aids. I am decidedly against this system ; there can be no doubt that the effect of such practice is to make him cling on and ride like a monkey on a dog, and to completely spoil his hands. With a recruit joining a cavalry regiment it may be all very well. He is from eighteen to twenty-three years of age, and has strength enough in his thighs to grip the stuffed saddle INTRODUCTION 7 in which he is put but it has always struck me that the reason why so few cavalry privates have any hands at all on a horse is on account of being taught on this system. To keep in the saddle they must hold on by the horse's head, whereas I am convinced that, if they were first taught to use the hand lightly,, and to sit well in the saddle, and then after three months were taught to ride on the blanket with only a snaffle watering bridle, they would be better horsemen and have better hands on a horse. Now a boy has not the same grip of a horse as a young man, and I am most strongly of opinion that he should be instructed to ride in a saddle and with stirrups. The first thing to impress on the boy is that he should sit square to his front, and very upright without stiffness. Dif- ferent ponies, like different horses, require to be ridden with stirrups of different lengths. A long-actioned horse or pony, very strong in his hind quarters, will need to be ridden with stirrups a hole shorter than a quick-stepping, short-actioned animal. But a good rule which is generally applicable is to make the boy quit his stirrups, and then to put them at such a length that the bottom of the stirrup just touches the ankle- bone j then teach him to ride with the ball of his foot in the stirrup and not to 'ride home,' which means not to thrust his foot as far into the stirrup as he can. Above all things teach him not to turn his feet out, and to sit as easily as possible. The saddle should have no padding in front of the knees, and the less padding there is under the flap the better. The rider, with nothing between his legs and the horse's sides but the leather flap, can sit much tighter and closer, and can grip his horse much firmer, than he can if he has a quantity of stuff under the flap between him and his horse. I strongly recom- mend both for boys and men the perfectly plain-flapped saddle, which gives so much more freedom to the rider's legs, and the stuffless saddle invented by two first-class riders, Messrs. Mere- dith Brown and William Harford. Having got both the girl and the boy into their saddles, we now come to the handling of the bridle. Some people are 8 RIDING born with hands and some without, and to some all the teach- ing in the world will not give hands. Those who are gifted with natural good hands require no teaching. An apt pupil with bad hands may acquire better. He may be taught that to keep a constant firm pull at a horse's mouth both deadens it and tires the rider. Many a fall over a fence, or even over a mole-hill in the open in galloping, is due to the bad hands of the rider, and not to the clumsiness of the horse. Explain to the boy that when his pony pulls at him, and he is obliged to pull against him, that by every now and then dropping his hands and letting go of his pony's mouth he will ease his arms, and at the same time relieve the deadness of the pony's mouth. This advice is applicable to both girls and boys. Delicate as girls' and women's hands are as a rule, I have known some with very bad heavy hands, as on the contrary I have known many strong men with very fine light hands. As remarked before, the most difficult thing to teach a beginner is to ride with light hands, but when the pupil is willing to learn bad hands can be greatly improved. What has been written as instruction for boys and girls need not be repeated for the benefit of adult beginners. As the boy is said to be the father of the man, that which will instruct him as a child is equally applicable to him if he begins to learn when he is a man. Let him treat his pony or his horse kindly, and never ill-use him. Let him establish an under- standing between his hand and his horse's mouth, and he will find that he can turn and twist him where he likes and when he likes, without having to take two hands to him. A boy should be taught to use his legs as well as his hands, and by gentle, or on occasion by forcible, pressure he will find that his horse can be guided as much or more by the legs than by the hands. When he arrives at combining the two he will have become a proficient horseman. He will escape many collisions in a big field of horsemen, he will avoid a tree in a fence, and he will be able to open a gate in half the time, and save his knees from many bumps by this means. A lady or girl is heavily INTRODUCTION 9 handicapped, sitting entirely on one side of a horse, but by using her left leg on the near side, and by a dexterous use of the whip, very gently applied, on the off, she can to a great extent make up for the disadvantage of having no right leg to apply to that side. There is a point of considerable importance in the teaching young girls to ride on which we must touch. There is no doubt that if they ride daily and for long hours, and always ride on the near side of their ponies, it will not improbably result that the right hip will get higher than the left one. No doubt that it is less comfortable for a lady to sit on the off than on the near side of a horse. Custom and habit, however, reconcile people to many strange things, and young ladies may be recommended to acquire the art of riding as well on one side as on the other. I could name one family of ladies, all celebrated horsewomen over a country, on Newmarket Heath, or in Rotten Row, equally well known and admired as the best specimens of English horsewomen, who certainly up to eighteen years of age, if not later, used to ride alternately on the one side or the other. I allude to the aunts of the present Earl of Craven, Lady Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Wilton, Lady Evelyn Riddell, Lady Blanche, Countess of Coventry, Lady Beatrix, Countess of Cadogan, and Lady Emily Vande Weyer ; all of them sit straight and well on their horses, and all were brought up to ride equally well on either side. I have no doubt that learning to ride on both sides tends to prevent the habit of getting the right shoulder forward, and as a consequence facili- tates the sitting perfectly square, which is such an essential feature of perfect horsemanship in a lady. It also prevents the medical attendant (if by chance he is rot a fox-hunter, which most country doctors are) of the family from frightening mothers by saying that young girls who ride much may grow up crooked. Whilst on the subject of hands it would be as well to make some remarks upon horses' mouths. Ninety-nine out of every hundred men have bad hands of various degrees, and I know several ladies similarly afflicted. Those bad hands are io RIDING the cause of most of the bad mouths in horses. In grooms and second horsemen bad hands are in some cases caused, in many made worse, by the habit of taking horses to exercise in a watering bridle ; they have to pull at the snaffle as hard as they can, and they get such a habit of it that they fall off if they cannot hang on to a horse's head. They then do just the same when a horse has a double bridle on, and they bring up the second horse, who may naturally have a light mouth, with a mouth quite dead, and who, having had his head carried for him by the man on his back all the morning, expects the other man to carry it for him all the afternoon. I have had many horses that were charming to ride and quite light in the mouth as first horses, who if they happened to drop into being second horses were detestable to ride, and hung and bored on your hand all the rest of the day. It has already been said how difficult, how almost impossible, it is to give a man good hands or to improve them when really bad. Whatever may be done with horses that have bad mouths, it will probably be found that a constant change of bridle (both in riding and driving) is the only real and effectual remedy. To change about con- stantly during the day from the bridoon to the bit and back again to the bridoon keeps the horse's mouth fresh. Often a man cannot hold his horse on the bridoon, but there are moments when he can do so, and if he drops the bit for ever so short a time he will find it of benefit to himself and his horse's mouth. If you ride a horse that pulls hard always in the same bit, he gets a groove in his mouth and gets accustomed to it. For a puller you must have a strong bit, but change it often. Sometimes a bit with a port sometimes one that shifts up and down on the cheek sometimes one with playthings on the tongue sometimes with only just bend enough to allow of the tongue passing comfortably under it, but always a good long cheek. Unless absolutely necessary the curb should not be tight; that deadens the mouth very much. With a nice-mouthed horse a snaffle, or, better still, two snaffles; if he gets his head down, a gag and snaffle. Many a hard puller in a bit will go INTRO D UCT1ON 1 1 well in this bridle. A gag and curb is not a bad bit, and for a light-mouthed horse that is rather too much for you in a snaffle, a plain bridoon and Tom Thumb bit, with a very short cheek to it, makes a good bridle. I am happy to think that the sharp twisted bridoon of our youth has died out. Bad hands and bad temper spoil many horses, and bad mouths, in revenge for having been spoilt by bad hands, retaliate by spoiling the temper. AZquam memento rebus in arduis servare mentem. If you substi- tute a hard mouth and keep your temper with that, as well as with other rebus in arduis, and the ordinary disagreeables of life, it will be well for both horse and rider. Everyone who rides has his own fancy about the best and most comfortable saddle and the best bit. It is therefore only a waste of time to make recommendations. I have in previous pages stated my opinion as to the most serviceable sort of saddle, and have indicated one or two useful sorts of bits. Most horses go well in a plain curb bit, with just sufficient bend in the mouthpiece for the tongue to go under comfortably, and a plain bridoon ; but if they will not go pleasantly in that, I can only recommend the reader to try other bridles till he finds one which suits his horse ; also to remember that a really hard puller soon gets accustomed to a new bit, and that, as soon as he can pull comfortably in the new one, a change should be made. A gentleman, celebrated for the excellence of his hands and horsemanship, who was first-rate as a rider over a country and excelled in the riding school in breaking and teaching horses, gave it as his opinion that not one horse in a thousand had a mouth good enough to be ridden in a snaffle, and that not one man in a thousand had hands good enough to ride in a curb bridle. Probably he was about right in his opinion. It is therefore evident that the selection of saddles and bridles must be left to the taste and fancy of each indivi- dual. Though riders may try something that they find recom- mended in these pages, they will in all probability prefer some- thing else of their own selection. 12 RIDING CHAPTER I RIDING TO HOUNDS BY THE EARL OF SUFFOLK AND BERKSHIRE CHAPTER on riding to hounds might easily be condensed into a few words of excellent advice : ' Read all that Whyte Melville has written on the subject, read Davenport Brom- ley's "Fox-hunt- ing " in his Book of Sport, and you shall know as much as printed words can teach on the subject.' Yet must the volume of the book of Badminton be filled, though on this well-worn theme a man might despair of being original, were he as indefatigable as an Athenian of old in his quest of the rt i/eov. As surely as every Englishman is convinced in his own mind that ' Between two horses which doth bear him best ' he RIDING TO HOUNDS 13 hath rather more than * some shallow spirit of judgment,' so surely does every man who hunts feel serenely confident that, given the start, the horse, or whatever he may deem to be the embodiment of opportunity, he is as capable of showing the trick to the d d Quornites, or to any other hunt in the United Kingdom, as was erstwhile the self-assertive Dick of poetic memory. Alas ! how many of us would fall in our own esti- mation could we but realise the fact that in truth we belong to the majority (some seventy per cent.) who, if by accident left alone in their glory with hounds running hard, could not live with them four fields, not even if four open gates on the line spread wide their friendly portals to indicate the way we should go ; while, for taking the first bloom off a fence, the minority must shrink by at least another half score. However, with the best intentions, we cannot all be first. There are, luckily, many ways of riding to hounds, and so long as each exponent of the various phases is satisfied that his method is the correct one, who shall cavil at him or say him nay ? He hunts for his own pleasure, and it is presumable that after his own fashion he is pleased. But in dealing with these dif- ferent styles we can hardly be blamed for following what seems to be an order of natural selection, by giving preference in these pages to the front-rank men the Uhlans of the cavalry who pursue the sport declared by Mr. Jorrocks to be the image of war, with a liberal discount for absence of guilt and diminu- tion of danger. It has often been remarked even in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, those centres of attraction to which yearly gravitate the very pick and flower of our flying horsemen that when hounds have been running straight with a breast-high scent for some ten minutes, not more than a dozen or fifteen riders, out of the immense field which congregated at the meet, are ever seen really on terms with the pack, each man cutting out his own work, and forming the apex of a small pyramid of followers, or, to use a simile which must not be deemed un- flattering, like the leading wild goose of a flight. So well is 14 RIDING this known that the men who habitually form the vanguard, having once settled down into their places, are wont, after the first few fields have been traversed, to glance to right and left in search of the familiar faces of their friendly rivals, to exchange cheery words of recognition or encouragement, to remark on an absentee, and above all specially and, it is to be feared, not without jealousy to note the presence of a stranger, or of a how-the-devil-comes-he-here intruder in their ranks. If this is the case in the shires, on whose green lists fresh knights errant are constantly appearing, still more does it hold good in the provinces, where the local champions are less accustomed to see gage of battle thrown down by new combatants. Amongst this leading division there are again degrees of merit, or rather degrees in which the graduates are worthy of honour for being where they are. Out of the dozen to whom we have assigned the pride of place, fully half are tolerably sure to be the fortunate possessors of both * fiddle and bow ' men who, through their own judgment or that of their friends or grooms, have found really first-class horses, and have had the money to purchase them when found. The perfect hunter perfect in shape, strength, speed, activity, courage, and handiness\& the fiddle. The nerve, quickness, hands, knowledge of pace, and that indescribable gift which is known as 'an eye to hounds,' are the constituents of the bow, which calls forth the powers of the instrument, and between it and the performer awakes com- plete harmony. Whyte Melville, in ' Market Harborough ' (it is impossible to write about hunting without quoting Whyte Mel- ville), describes Mr. Varnish, the horse-dealer, handling his young one over the fences in masterly fashion, 'sitting far back the while, with the air of a man playing some favourite instrument in an arm-chair ; ' and no words could more accurately or admir- ably describe the perfect ease and grace with which the accom- plished horseman solves what is nevertheless the most difficult of all problems, viz., getting over a strongly enclosed country at a high -rate of speed. ' I wish I was a h'eagle,' said Mr. Jorrocks, ' 'overing over 'em, seeing which 'ounds 'ad the scent, RIDING TO HOUNDS 15 and which were running frantic for blood.' Jorrocks's whole soul was with the hounds, and he cared nothing about the riders so long as they ' 'eld 'ard' when bidden, but the ' h'eagle,' taking his bird's-eye view of the whole situation, would doubtless have deemed the customers worthy of his attention. Let us suppose ourselves, if not a 'h'eagle,' that which is at any rate more pos- sible, a follower at a distance respectful, yet not too far for observation of one of the men mounted and physically gifted as we have endeavoured to describe ; we shall not be badly placed after all ; nor, as the Frenchman said of himself in the saddle, need we grumble if we can only remain. Our pilot has got a good start ; this, by what he openly calls good luck, and in his heart knows to be due to strict attention to business, he usually obtains (by the way, if poor Archer had ever seriously turned his attention to hunting, he would no oftener have been left behind at the covert than he was at the post), and he has accentuated his position by nipping over a low stile, a footboard on the taking-off side of which has been the sole reason for the digression of the main body to a gate some fifty yards down the fence, where they crowd, struggle, swear, and ' 'ware heels ' at each other to their hearts' (dis)-con- tent. As we watch him gliding over the first pasture, taking the ridge-and-furrow slightly aslant, and sailing over the first fence without the semblance of an effort, we could almost per- suade ourselves that there is 'nothing in it,' though the way in which our own steed pitches, the strength of the binders and the width of the ditch in the obstacle we were inclined to despise-. our horse luckily taking a juster appreciation of the difficulty go far to dispel the illusion. Strange to say, as field after field is thrown behind us, our leader shows no more sign of faltering, no more symptom of 'coming back to his horses,' as they say on the turf, than he did when he topped the third fence a few seconds later than the leading hound. Nor does the pack gain on him ; on the contrary, they have made a slight deflection in his favour, and he is barely going at half speed. His horse never makes the semblance of a blunder, taking off always ;it 1 6 RIDING the right place, spreading himself "as he does so, yet withal land- ing with hind legs well under him, ready in a moment for a second effort, should false ground or trap lurk concealed by the blackthorn. Can this be the animal that, ere he came into his present owner's hands, had the character of a bold but some- what rash horse, and a trifle inclined to chance it both as to distance and height of jumping ? Endued with some marvellous instinct, our customer seems rarely if ever to come down to a big place ; as he lands in each field the exact spot where he is to leave it reveals itself as by magic ; the narrowest part of the ditch, the weakest binders, the lowest rails, lie right in his line though falls are beginning to be numerous, and steeds who take some getting down may be seen galloping riderless or with besmirched head-stalls. 'Oh dear! oh "dear! where do they find these dreadful places? /never come across them,' said Lord Wilton (the father of the present peer), with his usual deprecatory moan, on hearing, during a dinner at Egerton Lodge, some of his guests narrating their deeds of valour. No one had a better right to express such surprise, for, as far as the spectator could judge, Lord Wilton never went out of a canter, and never jumped a big place, though, , however fast and far hounds ran, he was always with than. . Neither must it be supposed that our pioneer disdains the occasional accommodation of a gate. Not he ! he sees in. a moment if hounds falter sufficiently they have never really checked to allow of his opening one, and then it is done in a moment ; deftly is the crook of his whip slipped under the latch, and with a clean backward sweep of the arm, or a well- timed push of his hunter's chest, the timber flies open, a quick 'Have you got it?' jerked over his shoulder to a possible follower he does not stop to see, for a run such as this hardly admits of the nicer courtesies and away he goes again, con- gratulating himself that the ' puff of wind ' thus obtained may be worth a quarter of a mile at the finish. Once, and once only, do we see him apparently go out of his way to court RIDING TO HOUNDS 17 danger. A gap, the first well established ' Shuffler's hole ' we have come across, smiles wide -mouthed in front, when he sud- denly diverges sharply to the left, and goes faster than usual at what is certainly the next best place, but a forbidding lonely looking spot in a bullfinch notwithstanding, his head slightly bent and right arm raised athwart his face ; the faint swish of the thorns as they close behind him, followed by an ominous rattle and crack, warns us of that most unnecessary appendage, an ox-rail on the far side, and through the tangle we just catch a glimpse of him as he saves a fall by sitting back and giving lots of head-room not by holding on to the bridle under the impression that by that process he is ' picking his horse up Now for the first time our faith fails us, we waver in our allegiance, and, trying to persuade ourselves that his keen vision has for once been at fault, we speed our way towards the alluring gap, when alas ! we see, though too late, that there was method in the seeming madness of that leap. Some three or four hundred sheep of the mighty Leicester breed, the most perverse and wrong-headed that ever wore wool or were pos- sessed of a devil, scared into action by the cry of the hounds and the rush of approaching hoofs, have just broken up the military phalanx into which they had formed on seeing the fleeting apparition of the fox, and are charging madly up the fence ; their point is evident ; they know of the gap and are making for it as for a haven of sure refuge. We are yet ten lengths off when the leading ewe turns short and dashes head- long into the ditch, our easy get-out is choked by a struggling heaving suffocating mass of fleece, forming a barrier more com- plete than any devilish complication of oak timber and wire rope ever devised by the ingenuity of an anti-fox-hunting farmer. The owner of these sheep, by the way, will riot be greatly enamoured of the chase when he comes to reckon up the casualties which will result from this panic. Well ! the mischief is done now, we have hesitated and must perforce accept the penalty of hesitation ; with stomach for the fray materially weakened we resolve to have a go at the place through 18 RIDING which our pioneer has vanished, hoping that he may have done more for us in the way of cleavage than is outwardly apparent, so with such resolution as we can muster we sit down and drive to our doom ; our drooping spirit has in the inevitable but mysterious way been communicated to our horse, he scotches a bit as the impervious looking blackthorn frowns upon him, then makes a sort of half-hearted jump which has just suffi- cient force to land him with forelegs in the ditch and chest against the rail, which is cracked but not (till now) broken, and over which we turn as imperial a crowner as ever dinted the elastic sward of a fifty acre grazing ground. What business had this child there to ride ? But little or none at all ; Yet I held my own for a time in the pride That goeth before a fall. 1 Beggar my eyes, what a buster ! ' was the first articulate groan of a celebrated whipper-in as he lay prone and gasping for breath after a slight misunderstanding between a four-year- old and a blind ditch. Such too is the nearest approach to an idea which presents itself to us during the five minutes succeed- ing partial recovery and an erect position, while as in a dream we mechanically occupy ourselves in the process known as 1 picking up the pieces,' which consists in extricating a dazed and battered head from a shapeless hat, and in endeavouring to make it less of a hood and more of an ordinary topper, in ascertaining if both collar-bones and all our ribs are broken, or if not how many of each, in retrieving a hunting whip, and digging a spur out of the ground. These little matters attended to we limp to our steed, who has hobbled himself with fore feet through the reins, and is standing a few paces off with a very rueful countenance, and a turf sod neatly packed under his brow-band as if he had been out catering for a caged dickey bird. With many a ' Hold-up, horse,' we disengage his hoofs from the bridle, throw it back over his neck, and prepare once more to clamber into saddle, when lo ! we observe with dismay RIDING TO HOUNDS 19 that the near side bar is empty and the stirrup and leather nowhere to be seen ; the abysmal ditch is once more searched and in vain, we are about to give it up, concluding as Air. Jorrocks did of his lost fox that it ' must have vanished into h'air or the earth swallowed it h'up,' when a gleam in the hedge catches our eye and reveals what has happened. Firmly wedged in the cleft of a strong grower, which has been split open some six inches from the top downwards, hangs the miss- ing iron, and a numb aching in the left knee is now fully and satisfactorily accounted for. We are at once on rather better terms with ourself, for here seems proof positive that a fair amount of steam had been turned on, and that we had not charged the fence in the pusillanimous manner which usually ensures such catastrophe as ours. After much struggling and wrenching, this important item of equipment is regained and adjusted on' the saddle not such an easy matter to manage while holding a horse who has recovered his wind, and who, recognising in the bullfinch a dreaded acquaintance, objects vehemently to again approaching it and we at last remount and look about us. Thank goodness ! we have not been the only failure, nor of us alone has the oxer taken toll. Fifty yards off another victim is standing, gazing in despair at his horse who is holding up a leg as if he wanted to have his pulse felt ; and still farther down, two grooms, a rustic, and a scarlet-clad figure hovering round a spot where four bright shoes are fitfully waving in the air, show where a hunter has got fairly cast in the ditch, and to this group we betake ourselves (after a passing word of encouragement to the owner of the dangling limb, to the effect that he will be all right in a few minutes, though without the faintest notion of any ground for such assertion), with as much of the Good Samaritan expression as we can manage to muster. The chase has, of course, rolled far away over those swelling uplands ; as we can no longer play at follow-my-leader in reality, neither do we greatly care to do so in imagination. There can be little doubt that our pilot pursued his bold and C 2 20 RIDING steadfast career to the end, whether of killed, run-to-ground, or lost ; that he jumped the inevitable brook in his own masterly fashion, though without previously announcing his contempt for it in Lord Gardner's historical formula of ' a fig for the Whissen- dine,' and that having procured his second horse he would be fully equal to any emergency provided by an afternoon fox. So fares it, and so may it ever fare with the true fuglemen of the hunt, the favoured few who, mounted on the best horses the world has ever seen, have the requisite nerve and know- ledge so exquisitely combined that they can brave and suc- cessfully overcome dangers which, to a man in whom either quality unduly preponderates, would be insurmountable. * He doesn't know his danger ' is a remark frequently heard, apropos of some ardent and rash beginner in the art of riding to hounds, who is seen attacking well-nigh impregnable fortresses of timber or thorn, when neither pace nor other circumstance call for such display of heroism ; sometimes getting over by a fluke, sometimes ' meeting his friend,' but always with equani- mity, and always rising unhurt. No, he does not know his danger, but he very soon learns it, the luck cannot last, In a rattling gallop with hound and horse You may chance to reverse the medal On the sward, with the saddle your loins across, And your hunter's loins in the saddle. And he ultimately blends his valour with the necessary amalgam of discretion, in which case he developes into the real artist, or he overdoes the discretion part and becomes a hard funker, or sinks into the ordinary line rider. Mr. Walter Little Gilmour, 1 one of the best known and boldest heavy weights who ever crossed Leicestershire, speaks with the authority derived from more than fifty consecutive 1 Mr. Gilmour excelled in all sports, being as skilful with rod and gun as he was strong and resolute in the saddle ; yet if we had to describe him in one short sentence, it would be ' he was the Bayard of the hunting-field.' He was the last survivor of all the knights who rode in the Eglinton tourna- ment, where, on account of his size and strength, the role of the Black Knight was allotted to him. Coeur de Lion could have had no fitter representative. RIDING TO HOUNDS 21 seasons at Melton. He shall stand forth to bear witness how greatly a master of the art of riding may dare at a pinch, and yet how impossible the feat may be to all but to him whose mind first grasped the opportunity. Mr. Gilmour says : The most impossible fence I ever saw jumped was by Wilbra- ham Tollemache, a brother of Lord Tollemache ; it consisted of an ox-rail, a very tall bullfinch which no man could see through, and which looked and was as solid as a house, a very wide ditch, a strong flight of railings three feet and a-half high beyond, into a road. It was the first fence from Glooston Wood. Wilbraham got the best start of anyone, but I and many others were not more than sixty yards behind him and saw him do it. The field soon became full of horsemen, I need not say we were all pounded and had to go to a gate a long way off, and saw Wilbraham and the tail hounds disappearing in the distance, going towards Langton Cald. well ; unfortunately for him, there was not much of a run. There appeared to be no part of the fence from which a horse could have struck back with its hind legs. I have not exaggerated this fence, rather the contrary. Sterling Crawfurd at that time lived at Lang- ton ; we went from there more than once to look at the place after- wards, and could not have believed that any horse could have got over it unless we had seen it done with our own eyes. Wilbraham rode a pulling little horse we called ' Emperor.' Atkinson (the Emperor) bought him afterwards. This I should say happened about forty years ago. Wilbraham Tollemache is still alive, and has a son, who like himself is a capital rider. 1 Mr. Gilmour adds : ' If you think this fence big enough for the next volume of Badminton Library you can put it in.' We do indeed ; if any reader is dissatisfied he must complain to the Editor. Precedence except over a country is held in small account by horsemen ; they stand not on the order of their going save when hounds are running, else it might have seemed more fair to accord first place in print to those riders to whom money is an object, but whose love of the sport is so keen, i Not long after this letter was written, Mr. Gilmour, then eighty: years old, died of pain and the sleeplessness caused by pain, which he bore without a murmur, almost without a groan. 22 RIDING and their skill and courage so great, that though mounted usually, if not habitually, on animals comparatively inferior to the flyers of the hunt, they always make a good fight of it, and are almost always seen at the finish, whether of twenty minutes up wind at steeplechase pace, or of a couple of hours gruelling through deep ground and over strong fences. They get there somehow, certainly to their own satisfaction, though with what struggles, what hair-breadth 'scapes of deadly peril, is known only to themselves, and in a lesser degree to their amazed quad- rupeds, who must indeed wonder at finding themselves ' in that galley,' since bestridden by ninety-nine men out of a hundred instead of by the special hundredth by whose scientific hands they have had the luck to be steered, they would have been like the gem'man in pink Who swore at his tail we should look, Not in the next parish I think, For he never got over the brook. These bruisers to whom nought comes amiss, One horse or another, that country or this, are recruited from all sorts and conditions of men, frequently from the farmer class, while the medical profession supplies one if not two examples in most hunts. They make young horses and often ride them for sale, thereby conferring great benefit on the sporting world, since the confidential hunter, unlike the poet, is never born but always made, whatever the hard riders over the dinner-table may say to the contrary. ' Mount me on what you like, my dear fellow,' says Sir Brag over his second bottle of champagne ; ' so long as he can go the pace, we shall get over the fences somehow, and speed will always make up the lost ground.' Not the less when he reaches the covert side the following morning does he privately interview his friend's groom, and most closely cross-examine him as to the jumping powers of the borrowed nag. He looks the gift horse in the mouth and in the manners too. Does he pull ? Does he rush ? Is he bold at water, and careful at timber ? Does he ever turn RIDING TO HOUNDS 23 round ? &c. &c. You would suppose he was going to buy at a fancy price, instead of contemplating a gratuitous ride of a few hours : and when all is said and done he probably joins the road-riders as soon as hounds find, on the plea that he has not the nerve to risk hurting another man's horse-flesh. Not so one of our real all-round men, for they reap the reward of their bravery in being often mounted by their richer friends not perhaps quite on the pick of the stable, but on a horse maybe that is just a trifle rash at the first three fences, or on one that wants a little more squeezing at water than his lawful owner feels quite competent to give ; but they are rarely except by a fool or a ruffian put on a bad one ; they find him out too soon, and show him up too completely. Short is the ceremony of getting into saddle with these men, they run a searching glance over the animal, perhaps just ask the groom in charge if there is any special trick or peculiarity to be guarded against, then mounting quietly and quickly they draw the reins lightly, feeling the mouth with a touch that at once inspires confidence, and trotting gaily along with the pack than which nothing puts a horse into a better humour a perfect mutual understanding exists before the gorse or woodland is reached. It was said of the late Lord Clanricarde (the father of the man who has been the object of so much polite attention on the part of Irish patriots) that he could take a horse out of a post- chaise and hold his own in any run ; and though there is no actual record of his having ever performed this exploit, he was so undeniable a follower of the chase that there is little doubt that he would have attempted it, had the alternative between machiner or no mount presented itself. He would at all events have had the pull of condition in his favour. In a game such as riding to hounds where there is so much brilliant rivalry, distributed over so large an area that the picked champions of the various localities rarely meet, it may seem invidious to select a living illustration, yet as Leicestershire is still more or less the focus of the hunting world, and Captain Arthur Smith of Melton for as of Melton he will always be 24 RIDING known to fame has by public consent been for so many years recognised as having no superior and hardly an equal over a country, there can be no heart-burning caused by mentioning him as the exact type of what is here meant by the man who will be with them, and of whom it may be safely predicated that whenever he gets astride of a horse good, bad, or indifferent, in the hunting-field, it will be his misfortune, not his fault, if he . does not see all that is worth seeing of the performance. One of the rare instances of men whose nerve has remained ab- solutely unimpaired into middle age, he yet was never even in hottest youth what is called a foolhardy rider. Perfectly devoid of jealousy, his one object in hunting is to see the run, while he has always been ready, ofttimes even at the sacrifice of that laudable ambition, to assist his friends, a term which in- cludes the wide circle of his acquaintance, if his help could avail them during the vicissitudes of the chase. He was seen once sprawling on his back after a fall at the Beeby Bottom, whose treacherous banks had given way as he landed, gripping the reins of his struggling steed, but otherwise unmindful of his position and cheerily shouting to his followers, * Come fast, come fast, the bank is rotten.' Lord Scamperdale would have remarked, ' Hold your tongue you fool, and you'll have it full presently.' Though, as aforesaid, Captain Smith was never foolhardy, knowing full well that the less exertion a horse is called upon to make at his fences, the more of them he can be trusted to clear, yet who so bold as he when desperate circumstances required desperate decisions ? On one occasion he and another man got together in a corner, hounds running like smoke, and no apparent egress. A glance convinced the friend of the im- practicability of the place and, ' It can't be done, Doggy,' he cried, as he saw the latter turn his horse for a run at the uncom- promising obstacle. ' It can with a fall,' quietly replied the Captain, who forthwith proceeded to put his design into exe- cution, took his fall, remounted nimbly, and was after the pack with scarce two seconds delay, while his friend went away very sorrowful to look for a gate. RIDING TO HOUNDS 25 Captain Smith is the possessor of a bow which can squeeze a tune out of the most unpromising fiddles. The professional rough riders, the men who earn their living by schooling hunters in the hunting field, may seem hardly to come under the denomination of riders to hounds, yet those who know their business are amongst the very best we have. For it is obvious that if a horse is to be trained till he is worthy ' It can't be done ! ' of the much-used, oft-abused appellations of ' Confidence,' or * Perfection,' he must learn not only how to jump fences when he is fresh, but also how to go on and get over them when tired, and this lesson can never be learnt unless he is occasionally ridden right through a run in the best available company. It is as easy to teach a hunter to ' chuck it ' when he has had what he considers enough, and his ideas of enough contract very speedily, as it is to teach a race-horse to retire gracefully 26 RIDING from the contest a furlong from home. Downe, who for many years did for Mr. Behrens professionally what Captain Smith assisted in as a labour of love, 1 is a brilliant exemplai of the horse tutor ; he knows exactly the amount and nature of work requisite for his pupils, is as prodigal of his person as an undergraduate, and if he fails to attain the immortality of Dick Christian, it will be but for want of a 'Druid ' as his vates sacer. The item of education on which the rough rider specially insists, and in which his services are most valuable, is that his- horse shall always know how to go first, not necessarily first in the sense of being nearest to hounds, for a servant cutting out the work is almost sure to arouse the ire of the M.F.H. who pours forth the vials of his wrath very freely on the head of such an offender, if the pack is pressed upon ; but in. the sense of going resolutely just at the particular spot in each fence chosen by his rider, who should go out of his way rather than follow anyone. The horse of the rough rider is supposed to be handed over a hunter totus et teres to his employer.. All men who have any claim to the title of ' good to hounds ' habitually ride their own line, not disdaining the friendly lead on occasion of necessity, but as a rule and as far as practicable picking their own places, to avoid the chance of a collision which produces certain disaster, and to escape the annoyance of having to pull up, or pull off, in the event of a friend falling just in front of them. A first flight man would always rather find himself on the back of an animal somewhat casual as to his taking off, so long as he went where he was put, than be mounted on a horse brilliant and accurate, while he can see another be- fore him, but scotching, hanging, shifting, and looking nine ways, for company, when he finds himself leading what he evidently considers a forlorn hope. Hands will cure or mitigate rashness ; spurs are but an untrustworthy corrective of a failing spirit. Whilst on the subject of going first, it may be opportune to 1 Since the above was written the Newport Lodge establishment has been, broken up by the death of Mr. Behrens, and Captain Smith has migrated to the Crawley and Horsham country. RIDING TO HOUNDS 27 mention that the advantages of the proceeding differ very mate- rially according to the nature of the country to be traversed. In the shires, where the blackthorn grows luxuriantly on the Signs of distress. level of the ditch's lip, and is artistically cut, staked, and bound, often to a height of four feet, or when, in default of hedge, two or three strong rails make good the deficiency, it is evident that the chance of having a binder eased or broken, a rail cracked or 28 RIDING carried away, furnishes strong temptation to follow instead of to lead, not to mention the obvious convenience of being quite cer- tain before committing oneself to the leap that neither quarry nor cattle-pit yawns on the hither side ; and the value of these privileges is never more highly esteemed than by one whose mount is from the pace, or want of condition, beginning to show signs of distress. For some minds too the unknown is devoid of charm. ' Now Sir H.,' shouted Lord Gardner in a quick burst from Ranksborough gorse, as they approached a nasty overgrown hedge with but one feasible spot anywhere near their line, ' which is to be first, you or I ? ' 'If you put it in that way,' replied Sir H., ' I should greatly prefer your going first, as I should like to know what's on t'other side.' Over went his Lordship, and over went his complacent follower, both perfectly satisfied. It is always well to have the courage of one's opinions. On the other hand in many countries, such for instance as the Blackmoor Vale, and parts of Gloucestershire and Wilt- shire, where banks predominate, the man who goes first (bar quarries and pits) generally has very much the best of it. Either because the soil is not so congenial to the quickset, or because providentially the art of training it is not so highly cul- tivated (Leicestershire basket-work on the top of Gloucester- shire banks would set Dr. 'A. Grace road-riding), the binders, where there are any, are lower and weaker, and many places are not bound at all, so that the ditch (often a blind one), the bank, and brush thorns, form the obstacle. The first comer therefore has the firmest foothold, and the leverage of whatever strength there may be in the bank, but as in his transit he displaces a certain quantity of the earthwork, and possibly kicks or rakes brambles over the already sufficiently obscure ditch, his immediate successors have matters made worse instead of better for them. Similarly, at a brook or wide open drain, except for the en- couragement given to a faltering horse, and it must be granted that most horses do falter at these chasms, the worst plan that can be adopted is to follow, since at every hoof-stroke the banks are RIDING TO HOUNDS 29 more or less shaken or broken, so that the last man who comes hustling and ' Come-uping ' in the rear is actually, though all unwittingly, attempting a greater feat than any of his pre- cursors. Vain words ! Whatever may be said, the majority of every field of horsemen will go stringing after each other over a country, and if they find pleasure or profit therein who shall upbraid them ? There is yet another section of pursuers which deserves special notice to wit, the cunning men of the hunt, the riders to points and to fox, rather than to hounds, though they would be mortally offended at being told they did not ride to hounds, arguing that, as they are during a great part of every run guided by ear, the cry of the hounds is to them what the sight of the fleeting forms is to the more ambitious competitors. The late Earl Fitzhardinge was wont contemptuously to summarise them as 'wind-sinking beggars from the West ;' his autocratic Lordship being of opinion that the Berkeley Hunt was the 1 Ultima Thule ' of legitimate sport in the direction of the set- ting sun, and he vaguely believed that all ' wind-sinkers ' came out of Devonshire or Cornwall, and being outside the pale, were unworthy of his august countenance- not that he himself was by any means a straight goer, or one who could afford to despise the advantage of being down wind, as in his later years, when deafness was growing upon him, he was followed by an attendant known as ' my Lord's hearer.' Some such dialogue as this was of daily occurrence when the pair were thrown out : ' D'ye hear 'em ? ' { No, my Lord.' ' D d fool you must be/ A pause. 'I hear 'em now, my Lord ' (allegro). 'So do I, you d d fool ' (staccato). As a matter of fact, the point riders are for the most part men bred and born or ascripti gleba in the county over which they pursue, numbering many of the oldest inhabitants in their ranks, knowing every yard of the ground, and as the season progresses, getting almost on speaking terms with a fox which has given them two or three gallops. Sometimes they recognise 30 RIDING him as he breaks, 1 but in any case the first few fields afford the clue; they know they are after the old customer, and if they see hounds mean running, away they hustle on the familiar conducting lines, sure to be there or thereabouts at the death, if death ensues, when a feeling of regret as at the loss of an old friend seems to mingle with the sportsman's natural de- light at seeing a fox handsomely killed. Perhaps of all men who go hunting they most thoroughly enjoy a run, since they see nearly as much of it as the thrusting brigade, and being seldom in danger and their attention wholly undisturbed by feelings of rivalry, they observe and appreciate the working of hounds with a more critical eye than do any but the real pro- fessors of the death or glory division, to whom, indeed, they are ofttimes a very thorn in the flesh ; for what can be more disheartening to a man who has gone his level best for twenty minutes over a cramped or strongly enclosed country, than to see, on approaching a road at the expiration of that time, a bevy of cool veterans turning out of it through a bridle gate a hundred yards in front of him, and by so much therefore nearer to hounds; or to hear subsequently at dinner that his performance has been scanned not always with admiration, and his little aberrations duly noted from the serene security of a parallel lane ? Let it not be supposed, however, that these wary ones are invariably safe men to follow for one who has made up his mind that nothing but a rut or a rabbit-hole shall have a chance of putting him down. Even the Homers of the chase sometimes nod, they now and again get cornered like other less enlightened mortals, and are known on emergency to do very mighty deeds of valour, some- what after the fashion of the Squire's second horseman in Leech's celebrated picture who, having led Tom and Harry through a delicious succession of gates, finds the last one into the road chained, and hops over it like a bird. i Mr. Henley Greaves was noted for his acquaintance with foxes. On one occasion while he hunted the V.W.H. country, on viewing a fox away from the Purlieus gorse, he remarked in his slow solemn way : That's a Folly wood gentle- man,' and galloped off. Straight as he went by road and lane to the Folly wood some four miles distant, the hounds went straighter and were there before him. RIDING TO HOUNDS 31 To whichever category of riders to hounds a man may choose to belong, whether he means to take pride of place amongst the top-sawyers, or, though in the second flight, to be as near them as he can ; to struggle manfully in a third division, or toil wearily in the heterogeneous ruck ; to join his fortunes to those of the short-cut and point riders, or to avow himself honestly an adherent of Macadam quickness and decision at the start will best enable him to fulfil his aspirations, however lofty or however humble. In this, as in most human affairs, it is even better to decide wrongly than not to decide at all, since the very habit of making up one's mind in a moment is a discipline which soon conduces to forming right determinations. A man who hesitates when * Gone away, away, away ! ' or sound of horn or whistle gives the devil-take-the-hindmost signal, may occasionally have a good start forced upon him, but rarely if ever gets one for himself. Having once decided, go at once whether it be for gate, gap, or hog-backed stile. It is marvellous how soon a quick man finds himself comparatively clear of any crowd, and able, if need be, to reconsider the position or to rectify a false move without let or hindrance from jostling fellow-sportsmen ; he will be half way to Overton fishponds or Rocart spinney ere a quarter of the field have emerged from the well-known bridle gate at the top of Ranksborough, at which portal more cursing and confusion annually takes place than at any other bolt-hole of similar size and inconvenience in the United Kingdom. Various articles of faith, all more or less dogmatic, and therefore all more or less misleading, have been handed down from generation to generation, till they have almost attained the dignity of a cross-country creed, of which two of the best known doctrines are, 'Never ride fast at timber,' 'Always ride fast at water.' Not bad general rules either, if frequent exceptions are admitted ; but the idiosyncrasies of each individual horse, whether they be the result of education or instinct, must be a potent factor in determining the best way of. sending him at any sort of fence, the best being always whatever is easiest to 32 RIDING him, which a good horseman will very soon discover. Then, again, circumstances alter cases. Take timber, for instance, at a naked flight of rails in a field, or at a queer stile in a corner, going slow is usually the preferable method, though some horses gallop over timber as safely as others do it at a trot, and many riders like going fast at it on the principle that you may break what you may not clear ; but when there is a wide ditch on the far side, or where the gleaming ox-rail is but the antecedent of other blessings, unless a horse is .allowed some swing, his chances of a safe deliverance are exceedingly remote. What- ever applies to timber applies equally to walls, though these are seldom supplemented by a ditch, owing to a merciful law of nature which causes them to crumble into it, thus affording the convenience of a wholesome gap, if not of an improvised bridge, for the behoof of all comers, and the farmer, though he may be willing enough to let the mounted trespassers out easily and so be rid of them, does not see the fun of building dry walls and then undermining them, an act of folly from which even the idiot ' Balbus ' of our early Latin exercises would have refrained. Sometimes, however, in stone-wall counties an impediment is encountered such as that described by Lindsay Gordon in his 'Legend of the Cottiswold,' perhaps the most spirited rhymes that were ever written in record of a quick thing. The right-hand man to the left-hand said, As down to the vale we went, ' Harden your heart like a millstone, Ned, And set your face as a flint ; Solid and tall is the rasping wall That stretches before us yonder ; You must have it at speed or not at all, 'Twere better to halt than to ponder, For the stream runs wide on the take-off side And washes the clay bank under ; Here goes for a pull, 'tis a madman's ride, And a broken neck if you blunder.' The whole of the right-hand man's advice is excellent, and RIDING TO HOUNDS 33 his conclusion is earnestly commended to the thoughtful reader, especially if he has attained middle age. A brook is the obstacle for which the large majority of horses have the most instinctive aversion, the one above all ' The stream runs wide on the take-v. T side. ' others which, if they do at all, they will do after their own fashion. * Drive him at water ' say the sages ; but supposing he objects to being driven, the driving only renders his refusal the more resolute, and the driver being usually in quite as great a funk as his horse, by sitting down and finishing as D 34 RIDING soon as he sights the willows, not only pumps the animal, but confirms his previous impression that there is something dreadful in front of him. The best way with a faint-hearted one (unless there is a bridge handy, which is far the easiest solution of the difficulty) is to give him very little notice indeed, but to trot or canter at the abyss in an indifferent manner, as who shall say, ' These rivulets are hardly worth troubling ourselves about, but we may as well pop over this one.' Occasionally a horse will jump standing what he will neither trot nor gallop to, but this is always an agonising effort for both parties to the transaction. Of course, if the width of the water is such that it is really a case of 'having it at speed or not at all,' the pull for bridge or ford is the only resource, unless the horse is one of those few and far between equine angels who can be trusted to go down at the glittering streak with ears cocked and the muscles of his back hardening under the saddle, till he throws what Daven- port Bromley calls the ' entrancing parabola,' and, landing well beyond danger of yielding banks, strides over the adjoining meadow cracking his nostrils and rejoicing in his strength. The knack of MAKING a hunter, whether going fast or slow, get every fence high or wide exactly in his stride is simply a matter of hands ; but even men celebrated for their delicate manipulation of horses' mouths accomplish the balance trick better on an animal they have ridden two or three times than on one to whose stride they are unaccustomed. Of ' Doubles ' there are several sorts, and their negotiation must be attempted according to their species. The first, the most inhuman, and luckily the rarest, is the double pure and simple, a stake-and-bound hedge with a ditch on each side, such as exists or did exist with unpleasant frequency in the Brixworth Vale. Getting over such a fence as this is pretty much a question of scope l in the horse, and pluck in horse and 1 Every horseman knows what is meant by the expression ' scope,' though it is not easy of exact definition. ' Length everywhere, except in the back,' is the best, though not altogether an ample, rendering. RIDING TO HOUNDS 35 rider ; cleverness may be worse than useless on the part of the former, for though he may in striking back have the luck to hit a grower and so obtain additional impulse, he is just as likely to kick his hind feet between a couple of strong binders, and get hung up for his pains like a hare in a larder. The second form of double, the narrow bank with a couple of ditches, is common enough in some countries, and as a boundary fence is met with in most. It is a nasty trappy impediment, but as there is a bank there is also a fulcrum for a second effort ; certainly it is not advisable to take it at a fly, though it is wonderful at what a pace horses who have been taught to ' cop,' as they call it in Cheshire, may be ridden with safety at one of these obstacles. The third or big roomy double, such as prevails in the Blackmoor Vale, consists of a very big broad bank, with a ditch and a fence of some sort on either side, and there being space for a horse to ' change,' i.e. take a half-stride in the middle, it is well to approach it with considerable deliberation, and this is all the more necessary inasmuch as ofttimes you cannot jump out exactly opposite to where you jump in, so that a perfectly handy hunter who will stop in a second, walk along the terrace between the hedges, and pop out the instant his head is turned to a weak place, is a boon and a blessing to the resident Blackmoor Valian. Here, if anywhere, ' Go slow ' might be laid down as an axiom. Never- theless startling exceptions have been given to the rule. Sir Henry Hoare, who bought his horses for Leicestershire, and rode them indiscriminately in any county where it suited him to pitch his tent for awhile, had one or two hunters, notably a celebrated chestnut called King Pepin, on which he charged the doubles of the Cheriton and Wincanton Vale as if he was riding at a Midland oxer, and though it must have been touch-and-go in more senses than one, he rarely if ever came to grief. Take it all round, half or quarter speed is the best pace to ride at all ordinary fences under any circumstances, and certainly when hounds are running, the horse can spread him- self without sprawling, and he takes off more accurately. In a D 2 36 RIDING single-bank country too, when the ditch is away, the ground usually trends slightly upwards for some little distance before the thorns, and a horse must be made to go nearly into the roots in his fences, as, if he takes off at the beginning of this rise r though he may make two or three marvellous jumps, he cannot possibly go on doing it, and unless he can go on jumping, he is of no use to a man who means seeing the end as well as the beginning of a run. Blind ditches mean bad falls and generally bad farming. Racing at them is not considered orthodox, but as to this matter many riders are freethinkers, holding, and perhaps rightly, that what a horse cannot see he is as likely to put his foot into it at one pace as another. If Mr. Jorrocks did not add to his hunting commination, ' Confound all farmers wot don't clean out their ditches,' he would be the first to acknow- ledge and to apologise for the omission. Another well worn bit of technical advice is, * Keep inside hounds when they are running hard,' meaning if they are cheeking the wind, ride slightly down wind of them, so that the turns may be in your favour, and you may save distance by going on the chord of the arc. Excellent in theory, excel- lent in practice, if foxes would only run on scientific principles,, which in an uninhabited country they might perhaps be ex-; pected to do ; but unfortunately it is not possible to lock up shepherds, sheep-dogs, cow-boys, and plough teams on hunting days, nor can traffic be stopped on the highways, so that everywhere there are ' lions in the path ' to deflect even the most straight-necked fox from his proper course ; in addition to all this his primary object being to save his life, he performs such deviations as he thinks most likely to answer his purpose. 1 Keep your eyes open and your wits about you,' is after all the only unimpeachable counsel which can be offered to those who aspire to ride in the first flight. * I rode the old horse to a standstill.' ' I could hardly raise a trot at the finish.' ' I regularly got to the bottom of the young one,' are sentences which often conclude the viva voce RIDING TO HOUNDS 37 description of a run uttered too with an air of triumph instead of with the shame and remorse with which, if at all, they should be spoken. For the huntsman and whips, sometimes even for the master, every allowance must be made if they occasionally overmark their horses. Hounds have to be taken home, and the staff must if possible keep with them coiite que coiite. But the unofficial followers of the chase who hunt for their own amusement, and are at liberty to pull up when and where they please what excuse is there for them if they ride the willing horse to death ? Absolutely none, unless extreme youth and ignerance can be urged in their favour. Simple vanity prompts the plea, * I was determined I would see the end of it, happen what might.' The determination fades away quickly enough in the face of a wide fence, where the danger to their own lives is equal to, or greater than, that of their horses. We are, of course, speaking of cases where the animal has shown premoni- tory symptoms of exhaustion, for some horses collapse suddenly and without warning, when no blame can attach to the rider. Under such circumstances it is well not to take it too readily for granted that it is all over with them, even though they fall apparently lifeless. The following story is an instance in point. Once upon a time, not many years ago, two intimate friends, who shall be called A. and B., were riding together in a good run. Both were undeniable horsemen, they had come fast and far, and had had the best of it throughout, and being well mounted had made liberal use of their horses, on whom, though in high condition, the severity of the pace was beginning to tell. ' Side by side these chiefs of pride ' went down at that greatest of uncertainties a bottom one of those places which, a yard wide at one spot, may be thirty feet at another close by, the hairy straggling fence in front precluding all possibility of choice save to those who look before they leap, in which category could neither of the friends be included. B., slightly favoured by luck, got over with a peck and a scramble, but, as he recovered himself, a thud as of falling earth, and a splash on his left caused him to glance round, when he saw A. rolling 38 RIDING unhurt in the field, while -his horse lay with forelegs just resting on the bank, and hind quarters dangling an inert mass down to the bottom of the ditch. Trusty pal as he was, B. pulled up at once and returned to the rescue the pair were soon joined by one or two other riders, perhaps not altogether sorry for an excuse to stop ; the rest of the chase swept on. The usual rustic, whom a special Providence ordains shall always in case of an accident arise as it were out of the earth, speedily cropped up, and a committee of investigation into the extent of the calamity was at once formed. There appeared but little room for doubt. Deaf to all exhortations to 'come up,' and insensi- ble to sharp application of the whip, the steed remained as he had fallen, immovable, helpless, though seemingly without pain. The verdict ' Broken his back and must be destroyed at once/ was arrived at in less than no time. The rustic was forthwith despatched in search of a gun, with which he in due time returned an ancient muzzle-loader, looking as if it had been loaded and laid by for a twelvemonth. Then arose the momentous question of who was to do the bloody deed. ' Not I,' said A. ' Never shot a horse in my life,' said B. The others were equally reluctant, the labourer averring that he ' had never so much as fired off a gun in all his born days ; ' and so the discussion went on till it was decided by a majority of votes that, as the victim was A.'s property, on him devolved the necessity of performing the odious though humane duty. To A. accordingly was handed the instrument of death, which he cocked with trembling hand, and taking prolonged aim just behind the ear, pulled hard on the rusty trigger. Bang ! went the cap with a splendid detonation, but no puff of smoke or answering report followed. The weapon had missed fire ! The effect, however, was far more startling than anything they had imagined, for up jumped the horse, sprang nimbly out of the bottom, careered. wildly around the field, and his bridle having been prudently removed lest the headstall should be cut by the shot, it took four men a quarter of an hour to catch him. He was only a bit blown, and finding himself in difficulties had taken RIDING TO HOUNDS 79 the opportunity of recovering his wind, while his death-warrant and the details of his execution were being decided upon. Moral. Always snap a cap before you begin serious shoot- ing ; it affords time for reflection to all parties concerned. The public mind has of late been greatly exercised by the question of how to obtain an adequate and permanent supply of the raw material in the way of horses for purposes of warfare. The question f how to procure the perfected ' and manu- factured article in the shape of hunters is one of perennial inte- rest to riders to hounds. ' Buy from the farmer in the hunt- ing field, where you see what the animal can do and where you can almost always get a fair trial,' is the idea which perhaps naturally suggests itself, and is the advice usually given. No better plan could be adopted if only you can discover in the hands of a farmer a horse combining all or most of the qualities of which you are in search. Unfortunately there is a very big 'If in the way. 'What we want to breed is a big brown horse, what we usually get is a little chestnut filly,' said a farmer who had paid some attention to breeding, and the little chestnut fillies being in a ratio of something like 20 to i against the big brown horses, and taking the latter as the type of our heart's desire, it is obvious that in the hunting country of our choice or abode it is the merest chance if we meet with one or two specimens, at the outside, in the course of a season, and even these may not in all respects satisfy our requirements. Few men have the means or incli- nation to move about from "one hunting quarter to another, and a man must light upon a land where the inhabitants are singularly simple if as a stranger he can drop in and pick up equine plums from under their noses. There are still several courses open to the would-be buyer. He may, if a decided Home Ruler, and as such not over- 1 The system of buying young ones and making them is here purposely left untouched. Either by self or deputy it is a method within the reach of but few people ; coming, moreover, rather under the head of ' breaking,' than of ' riding to hounds,' it will be dealt with elsewhere. 40 RIDING scrupulous where his interests are concerned, get a boycotted hunter cheap through the medium of his allies on the other side of St. George's Channel, whence the flowers of the (hunting) field seem mostly to emanate. He may, if sufficiently rich, tempt some poorer friend to part with the pick of his basket, a noted hunter whose prowess in the field has excited his envy ; or he may, as most men do, betake himself to the dealer's yard, where, if he is a good judge, is contented to pay through the nose, Tattersall's. and can extort a trial with hounds before the bargain is finally concluded, he is as likely to suit himself as elsewhere. The best plan of all for a man who does not mind putting his hand in his pocket and cheap horses are usually the dearest is to go to Tattersall's when a celebrated stud comes up for auction ; owing to accident, ill-health, or other causes such sales take place occasionally throughout the season, and are frequent at the end of it. He can have the animals 'vetted' as much as RIDING TO HOUNDS 41 he pleases, though he is not likely to get one passed absolutely sound if he does it will probably turn out a hopeless cripple ; but he can without much difficulty find out which have been the owner's favourites, and in what repute they are locally held ; a judicious tip may extract the secret of any serious crab (the yard-men always know if such exists), and when satisfied that he has seen the stamp of horse he requires, and that the -character from the last place is unimpeachable, let him boldly take his stand under Mr. TattersalPs eye, and nod till he reaches the end of his tether or till the hammer falls to his bid. Are good hunters scarcer now than formerly ? It is the fashion to say that they are ; yet Mr. R. Chapman of Chelten- ham, no mean authority, declares that the supply of first class horses is very much the same as ever, though the difficulty of procuring them is augmented by the ever increasing number of men who hunt, and who mean being well and comfortably carried if money will do it for them. This influx of good buyers notwithstanding, top price remains pretty much what it was fifty years ago. Five hundred was then, as it is now, considered to represent the value of the highest order of merit, though seven hundred is given in exceptional cases. Do men ride as hard now as they did in days of old ? Our own opinion is that they do, and that being on the whole better mounted, there is in every hunt a larger average of riders who will not be denied than there was five-and-twenty or thirty years ago ; but here again Mr. Chapman, whose hunting career has extended over a still longer period, may well be quoted. He says the young ones don't last at it as long as they used. A very few years generally sees them out as first- rate horsemen ; after that time they decline having anything to no breaking tackle of any kind, but they would show us next morn- ing how they caught and broke in Grace Darling. The chief then gave orders to the women to dress a little native flax, and to plait two very thick strong mats of undressed flax, the use of which in horse-breaking we could not understand at all The women went to work very cheerfully, and were evidently much amused at the curiosity of the ' whity man ' as to the use of such mats for horse-breaking, and in bursts of laughter seemed to enjoy the thought of what we were to be shown in the morning. The next morning the herd of about fifty horses were driven into an adjoining paddock, and all but two were turned out of the paddock through a gate and across the river. One of the two that had been kept back at the river gate was an old quiet thing that was easily caught, the other appeared a wild unhandled colt. The herd of horses ran up the river on the north side, and the old horse was ridden up inside the paddock at nearly the same pace on the south side, followed, of course, by the colt. Near the house they were let out of a gateway, and went near the river, opposite to where the herd had been stopped. The women and children now surrounded the old and young horse. The ground became softer as they neared the river, and we thought that both horses would get swamped. The boy got off the old horse and led him to where a woman was standing with the strong thick mats. It was a strip of bulrush swamp, which is always soft at the bottom. The woman laid down the mats and shifted them to the front of the horse as he walked alternately on each. Attracted by his companions in full sight on the other side of the river, and deceived by the success of the old horse on his flying bridge of mats, the colt took the same direction, when his legs disappeared in the swamp, and all further progress for him was rendered impossible. Rarey's plan is nothing to this. There were no legs swinging about to hurt any one ; the colt could not batter his head on the ground ; the very babies could jump on his back with perfect safety, and they were not slow to avail themselves of the opportunity. Their little naked feet danced along him from mane to tail; the women sat THE COLONIAL HORSE 203 on him ; the men got astride him, and put a little log under his tail, and handled his head and ears. When all had had something to do with him, and a great deal to say to him, the chief produced a very ugly-looking overcoat, made of rough shaggy flax, and took it to the colt's head. He first rubbed his head and body all over with it, then beat or dusted him with it. The women shook their dresses in his face and put their hands over his eyes. The chief opened his mouth and put his hands in it, and sat on his neck. Two men were now put to dig a road for the colt to get out, and others to fetch brushwood. Whilst they did this, the chief put a The very babies could jump on his back. piece of long, strong flax fibre into the colt's mouth and tied it loosely round the lower jaw. Another piece was put over his head and tied to the mouth piece, so as to form a complete bridle. A long line of the raw flax leaf was tied to the loop round the jaw, for lunging line. As soon as a few feet of the soft black earth was removed from the front of the colt, and brushwood and clay substituted, the old horse was brought up to the river end of the road with a naked boy on him, and the colt driven after him, the chief holding the flax line. The boy took the old horse into a deep quiet part of the river 204 RIDING and brought him round again. The colt followed, getting a com- plete wash, which he much needed. They were then taken down the river bed to the gate, where the horses had been first separated, and entered the paddock, after which the old horse was taken away. The colt was now half led and half lunged, and was kept mov- ing, not with a whip, but with a tree called a ' gin-tree, 3 which grows twenty feet long without a branch, and not much more than an inch in diameter at the butt, with thick narrow leaves at the end more than a foot long. This was first shaken at him, then put on him, then under him, then between his hind legs, and when he would no longer take any notice of it, a short stick was used in the same way, and then the hands. The old flax overcoat or cape was again produced and was used in the same way that it had been in the swamp, after which nothing seemed to alarm the colt. A saddle was put on, as easily as on an old horse, the old ugly cape was fastened to it, then a number of other soft materials, and finally one of the barefooted boys that had danced upon him in the swamp. No attempt was made to throw anything off, and we were obliged to confess that we had never seen a wild horse broken so thoroughly and so well in so short a time, and that without a scratch or a single whip mark. The same sensible treatment was followed up. All the tribe had something to do with the colt. Small branches were tied to his tail, and then larger ones that dragged on the ground, until it was impossible to frighten him with anything, and we saw at once why Grace Darling had hauled the logs so quietly. Another common practice of the Maories is to ride an old horse into a river and lead an unbroken colt after him. As soon as they get into the middle of the river, or say up to the girths, they jump on to the back of the colt, who is unable to get his head down in order to buck, on account of the water. This method is best adapted to summer weather and Maori costume. Horses in New Zealand are specially trained to ford rivers. There was a few years ago a noted old horse who could be relied on to convey a man across the Buller River in the highest flood, and who, when released on the other side, would quietly THE COLONIAL HORSE 205 walk back to the stream of his own accord and swim home again. Mr. Saunders says : In many parts of New Zealand horses are kept by the Govern- ment for the express purpose of taking travellers across rivers in which fords will often change every week, and it is beautiful to see how bold, and yet how sagaciously cautious such horses often be- come. ' If you have got the sense to let the old horse alone he will take you over all right ' is the marching order usually given to the traveller mounted on one of these horses, to cross a river in which no man and no boat could live, and in a country where more colonists have been drowned in fresh water than in any other part of the world. Too rapid and too full of timber and rocks for any boat, too benumbingly cold for the best swimmer and the best human lungs in the world to live in them a quarter of an hour, these rivers, flooded with snow water, can often only be crossed by a very powerful, surefooted, courageous horse, that knows where to swim and where to walk, or by one that has a rider on his back that can show him and consult him by turns. Those who have horses for sale, as a rule can afford neither the time to break them thoroughly themselves nor the expense of employing others to do so ; the consequence is, that few horses are good hacks or have perfect manners. As a rule, they have tender mouths, but being ridden in plain snaffle bits will stand having their mouths pulled about to an extraordinary extent. Several horses which I have ridden hung on their bits, or pulled in a snaffle, but when ridden in a double hunting bridle showed that they possessed naturally delicate mouths, and were perfectly light in hand. It is too common for those who break horses to be rather desirous of showing their undoubted skill in backing and sitting a restive horse than in turning out a well-broken quiet animal. Many a buck -jumper would never have learnt the habit had he been carefully trained to carry a saddle before he was mounted. Often the horse is taken up one day and mounted the next, thus producing an inveterate buck-jumper, whose evil propen- sities will return after each time he is turned out to grass. Colonists ride very short, and either leave a horse with a 206 RIDING loose head or ride with their hands close up to the bit on either side, an attitude which is certainly not graceful, but in which they seem able to maintain an exceptionally firm seat. This firmness of seat is the great aim which they have in view ; if a horse falls, instead of falling clear of him, without, if possible, letting go of the reins, a colonial rider endeavours to part company only at the last possible moment. The knee- pads of the colonial saddle are an assistance in attaining this object, besides affording support when descending a steep hill, But many experienced riders are discarding the knee-pads in favour of saddles made after the English pattern. Of cart-horses the Clydesdale is the most popular breed in Australasia, and it is probable that the number in New Zealand does not fall far short of that in Scotland itself. At a small country show held in a very fertile district, inhabited principally by Scotchmen, I have seen in the cart-horse classes over sixty entries, of which forty-four were mares or fillies, seven geldings and ten stallions, the whole being a collection which few country shows in Scotland could have approached. For the last thirty years the New Zealand farmer has been breeding draught-horses of a superior quality. At that time a number of Shire horses were imported. These have been constantly crossed with the Clydesdale with excellent results, and though there are a certain number of pure Clydesdales, the bulk of the so-called Clydesdales in the colony have some of the Shire strain in them. The causes which combine to give a tendency to weediness among the horses of Australia seem to operate to some extent in the draught-horses also. After a few generations there is a tendency in that warm dry climate for cart-horses to get lighter, with less hair on their legs, and finer. Some of the pure-bred Clydesdales are quite equal to those which may be seen in Scotland. Yet the prices which they command are trifling compared with those which would be obtained at home. The very best are bred from horses which have been noted prize-winners in England, but will not fetch THE COLONIAL HORSE 207 more than 35o/., where at home they would easily command i,ooo/., and the same proportion holds good for young stock. Three-year-old strong, active cart-horses, which would be well bought in England for 6o/. to yo/., do not in New Zealand fetch more than 2o/. to 307. The transplanted cart-horse seems to acquire the strength to do heavy work at a great rate and without receiving anything like the care which we bestow upon them at home. The authority which I have previously quoted states that On a large farm, on which twelve thousand acres are cultivated, in the south of New Zealand, these horses work in teams of six, drawing a treble furrow plough, and turning over five acres of good wheat land, six inches deep, in eight hours. The lands are more than a mile long, and the pace so fast that men cannot be got to walk behind the horses. This is met by a simple contrivance of a little one-wheeled carriage, fixed behind the plough, in such a posi- tion that a man can ride within reach of his steering handle. The teams start at 8 A.M., and leave the field at 5 P.M., getting a feed from nosebags and water from buckets between twelve and one. No whips are used or carried ; the slowest horses are put behind, where they may be touched with the reins, but that is rarely neces- sary, and there are far more complaints of the horses being too fast than too slow. Each horse in the winter gets eighteen pounds of oats and fourteen pounds of cut straw a day, with a pick of rough grass on Sundays, or any convenient opportunity. First-class oats on the farm are only worth about one shilling and fourpence a bushel. During the coldest and wettest months of winter the horses are worked within reach of a stable, but during the greater part of the year they are turned out in rugs made of canvas lined with felt, in which they do quite as well, if not better. In considering the relative excellence of the horses of the two countries it is impossible to express any decided opinion as to the relative speed of English and Australian racehorses. The test of time would be utterly misleading. The race- courses in Australia are mostly flat, there is no Tattenham Corner, no hill in the race for the Victorian Derby. On English courses a race is frequently run ' through the dirt ' in very 208 RIDING heavy ground, often in heavy rain, sometimes in a snowstorm. At Flemington the going is always ' on the top of the ground/ and that difference alone is quite sufficient to account for the few seconds' difference in the average time between the English and Victorian Derbies. Between the average time of the Epsom Derby and the Derby in New South Wales for the past ten years there is a difference only of the smallest fraction, the English is nearly 2 min. 45^ sees., while the average of ten Flemington Derbies is two seconds better, or 2 min. 43^ sees. Until some Australian crack has measured speed with English horses in some of our big races, or an Australian youngster, having achieved success on the English turf, returns to run in his native land, or until an English sportsman, attracted by the value of some totalisator-aided stake and the prospect of a good sale in Australia, sends out a horse who would be accurately handicapped with the English cracks of the day, we shall have no ' line ' through which to judge. It appears to me that, considering the far greater number of horses in training, the wide range of blood which every owner of a brood mare in England has to select from, and the large sums of money there lavished on all the accessories of a training establishment, it is reasonable to suppose that the Australian animal has not yet acquired superiority over his English compeer. In Australia, as in England, there is a tendency to curtail the length of races ; nevertheless, on the average, the length of colonial courses is greater than at home. It is probable that faeforte of the Australian racehorse lies in his staying powers. I have been particularly struck with the general leg soundness of colonial horses ; not only an absence of curbs and spavins, but a freedom from ' bursal enlargements ' which usually figure so conspicuously on an English veterinary surgeon's certificate. I attribute this entirely to the great number of days and nights in the year during which the colonial horse is turned out ; even those who habitually keep harness-horses in a stable make a point of giving them a run during part of the year. THE COLONIAL HORSE 209 Many horses in training, especially steeplechasers, are daily turned out for a couple of hours in a field where the grass has been closely cropped down. Trainers have great faith in the efficacy of this practice to freshen up the legs of their horses. Even hunters in regular work on the days when they are not hunted are commonly allowed to run in a paddock with a fawn rug covered by one of the common canvas rugs of the colony. Though clipped or singed, no ill effect seems to result from the practice, provided the horse has his regular feeds of corn given to him. It is certainly not to the treatment which the common hack of the country receives when in use that this freedom from unsoundness is to be ascribed, for the canter or ' lope ' is the invariable pace for an Australian hack, and it is always a case of ' 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer on the 'ard 'igh road/ and in the mountainous parts of the country some of the roads are iron in their hardness. When considering the difference between colonial hack and harness horses, and those used for similar purposes in England, great allowance must be made for the appearance and condition of the former. The extreme scarcity and dearness of labour make it necessary that the farmer should himself do what grooming and tending is necessary ; mares and foals are allowed to roam in the fields all the winter without the shelter to which we accustom them, even in the warmer European latitudes, and the feed they receive is entirely the grass they can pick . up in the paddocks. In the north island of New Zealand, owing to the warm winter and frequent summer rain, this fortunately grows all the year round. The result is to produce an animal hardy though not showy, to escape the unsoundness of wind and blemish of broken knees so often found in English horses, though, on the other hand, a result of the use of barb wire is to mark for life many a young horse with ugly scars and scratches. All the disadvantages, both in breeding and rearing, from which the foal suffers in Australia but escapes in England, could equally be avoided in Australia by a mere expenditure p 210 RIDING of money and labour. The materials are to hand ; it is but a question of what the marketable article will bring to determine how much shall be spent on its production. The racehorse, upon the breeding and preparation of which expense is not spared, strikes a new-comer from England as equal in con- dition, and generally larger in frame, than those he left on the racecourses of Newmarket, Epsom, and Ascot, while he is impressed with the higher trial to which they are subjected in running long distances at an early age, and in travelling over steeplechase courses where the manufactured fences are more formidable than those provided in England. In the hunting-field he finds that the barbed wire and split logs compel horses to jump bolder and bigger than at home, while he is struck by the number and class of the population who never think of going out except on horseback. He misses only in the capitals of Australia the smart pairs of stepping carriage-horses, to which his eye is accustomed in Piccadilly, the Champs Elysees, and the Prater ; but, on the other hand, he remarks how general is the average excellence of the horses in hansom cabs and public conveyances. The conclusion which he must inevitably arrive at is that the Australian soil and climate are capable of producing from the parent stock any class of horse, for which such a demand may exist as will make its production and preparation for market a remunerative undertaking. 2TI CHAPTER VIII EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP BY E. L. ANDERSON THE FIRST RIDERS THE BIT UNTIL quite recently we have been taught to believe that Western Asia was the first home of the horse, and that the animal was probably domesticated by the Shemitic tribes who poured into the Euphrates valley at the beginning of those times when our knowledge of history has its source. Late dis- coveries, however, show us that at a period long anterior to the earliest records of Shumir and Accad horses were known to mankind in various parts of Europe. Naturalists have described these animals as forming three races : Equus fossilis, Equus speleus, Equus caballus. The latter is the true horse of our times, the others appear to have differed very slightly, if at all, except in size, from the true horse, and they may have been prototypes, or varieties, or simply smaller examples of the true horse. Be this as it may, the remains of the horse of our times are found with those of the extinct mammals of the quaternary period ; and, as far as I can discover, our horse has an antiquity as great as that of any existing quadruped. The primitive man who dwelt in rock-shelters and caves, and who is supposed to have flourished in that division of the world's history called the 'reindeer period,' certainly used the horse for food. In the caves of the Dordogne in France, in Switzerland, and in other countries, great quantities of the bones p 2 212 RIDING of the horse chiefly of the race called Equus speleus, but some- times those of Equus caballus have been found, under circum- stances which prove that they were placed there long before the times of which we have any historical knowledge, and that their presence was due to a primitive race of men of whom we know little. In the Swiss lake dwellings the bones of the horse are rarely found under circumstances that suggest a date earlier than the bronze age, but during and after the bronze age the true horse was well known to the ancient Swiss. It is in the caves of the Dordogne that we find the earliest representations of the horse, scratched upon the surface of the rock, or carved upon pieces of horn and bone ; and these rude sketches often show much skill in the prehistoric artists. Between the times of the cave-dwellers of the Dordogne and the earliest accepted fixed date (3800 B.C.) of the appearance of the horse in history thousands of years must have passed ; and it does not seem to me that it is probable that during these ages, when a constant though slow improvement was going on in the social condition of the peoples of Middle Europe, no effort was made to domesticate an animal so well known as the horse. When the horse makes its appearance in the valley of the Euphrates the wheeled-chariot had come into use, for Sargon I., king of Agade, whose records are ascribed to about 3,800 years before our era, was rolled along in a bronze chariot. How many centuries had passed from the time the horse was first put to service before the perfect chariot was developed ? It is true that the ox might have been employed in the evo- lution of the wheeled vehicle, but the ox is too slow for war or chase, and the man who first dared to measure his strength against the horse was a warrior and a hunter, and probably agriculture received little or no attention for ages after man began the domestication of animals. I do not lay any stress upon the point ' that horses must first have been used for riding, because roads would be necessary for wheeled vehicles ; ' for if the horse had been first domesticated in Western Asia, the vast plains of EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 213 that region made roads unnecessary, and \ve know that the Assyrians and the Babylonians did not wait for roads upon which to take their chariots. I have other reasons, which I will explain later, for believing that the horse was first used for riding. The Egyptians undoubtedly received the horse from their Shemitic conquerors, the Hyksos, or shepherd kings. The earliest known representation of the horse in Egypt is of the eighteenth dynasty, a tessera now in the British Museum, representing a chariot with two horses, completely harnessed, and ascribed to the reign of Amenhotep I. The first mention of the horse upon the monuments is made in the inscriptions of Thothmes I., his successor, who captured a chariot and two horses in a Mesopo- tamian campaign, and gives a lasting record of the glorious event. In Genesis xlvii. 1 7, we read that Joseph, who served a Hyksos king, 'gave them bread in exchange for horses.' After the reign of Thothmes I. the horse frequently appears upon the monuments of Egypt. Although we are assured that the people of Western Asia had employed the horse long before its use was known to the Egyptians, we have not yet found any very early representations of the horse upon the monuments of the Euphrates valley. The earliest figure of the horse upon the Assyrian remains belongs probably to the ninth century before our era. But, as I have said, the records of king Sargon, and other proofs, show us that the horse had long been used in Asia before it was known in Egypt. The probabilities, so far as we have any evidences, are that the Egyptians received the horse from their Shemitic conquer- ors ; these latter received it from those warlike tribes which, for want of a better name, we must call the early Aryans ; these last-named having received the gift, through the lake-dwellers of Switzerland and a long line of unknown and unknowable donors, from the cave-dwellers of Central Europe. Had the primitive man of Central Europe not been active^ hardy, and energetic, he could not have maintained life under 214 RIDING the difficult circumstances in which he was placed. We are told by De Quatrefages that the cave-dwellers of the Dordogne were of a race ' belle et intelligentej so that as early as the qua- ternary period we .find a people having a knowledge of the horse, and able no doubt to subjugate it. Can we not, with no very great stretch of fancy, picture one of these strong and hardy men vaulting upon the back of a captured horse, and, with the aptitude for dominating animals that must have been developed by his mode of life, taming the wild will of the steed by a will wilder and more determined than its own ? The knowledge of the strength and fleetness of the horse must have suggested to such a man the possibility of bringing this speed and strength into his service ; and we cannot believe that such an idea should long lie dormant, or that it remained for the Shemitic races of the Euphrates valley, who looked upon the horse as a mere beast for draught, to bring into subjection an animal whose capabilities for nobler purposes had been known for thousands of years. The bit, as we understand that instrument, could not have made its appearance until the ' age of bronze.' When the horse is first shown upon the Egyptian monuments, the bit, the bridle, the harness, and the chariot are complete the bit usually shown upon the Egyptian remains, and the same thing may be said of the pictures upon the Assyrian monuments, having a plain mouthpiece with cheek-pieces. The early horsemen un- doubtedly employed a halter of raw hide, or a thong of that material passed through the mouth, to direct and control their steeds. For many ages the bit was, I think, a plain bar, or perhaps later a snaffle. We shall find no evidences of any change in the form until we come to consider the horsemanship of the inventive Greeks. The bridles of the early horsemen of Egypt and of Asia were highly ornamented, with tassels, crests, and embroideries ; and the furniture generally was rich and elaborate. The saddle, as we understand it, was not known to the EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 215 Egyptian, the Assyrian, or the Persian. A cloth, often fringed and otherwise decorated, was fastened by a girth to give the rider a seat. The size of this cloth varies ; in some cases it covers the body of the horse, and sometimes it is large, enough only to serve its actual purpose. But no particular fashion ap- pears to belong to any particular era. Skins of wild beasts were sometimes used for saddles, and the Asiatics appear to have sometimes protected their horses by a kind of leathern armour. The Egyptians cut the mane of the horse, but the peoples of Asia permitted the mane to grow at length, though both it and the tail were often confined in bands. The stirrup was not known to any of those whom we designate as the ancients, nor was the spur used by those of whom we have been speaking. The wand and the thonged whip were used to stimulate their steeds. The Jews employed the horse but little until the time of Solomon, when that king, having married the daughter of one of the Pharaohs, received from Egypt a great number of horses. THE GREEKS THE SPUR The horse was probably introduced into Greece by the war- like tribes upon its northern border, for we first hear of the Thessalians excelling in horsemanship, and they were for a long time the best horsemen among the Greeks. The Colophians l formed a body of cavalry that proved invincible ; their assistance was eagerly sought in war, and they carried victory to the arms of their allies. After the Messenian wars the Spartans 2 recognised the im- portance of a mounted force, and had their youth instructed in the art of horsemanship by competent teachers (Eniocharatai). The Athenians were slow to adopt cavalry. Previously to the Persian invasion of Greece 3 the number of horse soldiers belonging to the Athenians was but ninety-six ; but this body 1 Potter. 2 Ibid. 5 Smith, das. Diet. 2 i6 RIDING was soon increased to three hundred, and shortly after Athens supported twelve hundred heavy cavalry and an equal number of mounted archers. The horse of the heavy cavalry wore armour. Horsemanship was held in high esteem among the Greeks, and to surpass in the exercise was considered praiseworthy and honourable. At the four sacred games horse races occupied a distinguished position ; and we are told that, when the gods were competitors at the first Pythian solemnity, Pollux gained the prize in riding, for, on those short courses with their many turns, skill and address upon the part of the rider, rather than the fleetness of the steeds, gave the victory. These races were contested by riders mounted upon single horses, or by those who riding one horse led another to spring upon as the goal was reached. Chariot races were introduced in the XXV. Olympiad, and horse races, according to Guhl and Koner, in the XXXIII. Olympiad. Cicero 1 says, referring to a victor in boxing, that in his day the prize at the Olympic games was considered ' greater and more glorious than a triumph would be held at Rome.' Not only was the successful aspirant for honours in the sacred games held worthy of the highest commendations, but he gave glory to his family and even to the city of his birth by his exploits. As we have said, the credit of victory in the races at the sacred festivals was given to the rider for his tact and judg- ment, and the superiority of the animal he rode was not neces- sarily established : and although these exhibitions undoubtedly influenced the selection and the breeding of horses, for in many cases the better strains were mentioned, their first effect was to cultivate the courage and expertness of the horseman. The Athenians elevated horsemanship to an art. Xenophon wrote a work upon the subject, founded on the treatise of Simo. Nothing further than this is known of the latter, but we have that of Xenophon, and when we consider it in connection with 1 Orat. pro Flacco, xiii. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 217 the representations of horsemen in the Greek sculpture, we must place the Greeks among the best riders of any age. I think that those critics are in error who understand that by his instructions (' but with parted legs chiefly the upright position is to be kept ') l Xenophon meant that the rider should take the extreme ' fork ' seat ; for not only would such a posi- tion be very insecure upon the simple saddles of the Greeks, but it is inconsistent with the graceful and firm positions exhibited by the marbles. From the sculptures and from Xenophon's description of the seat considered proper in his time, 2 I take it that the position of the Greek on horseback was the same as that now considered the best the body upright, and the inside of the thighs taking as many points of contact with the horse as possible, while the legs, from the knee down, hang free. In his work upon cavalry 3 the Greek author gives in- structions that seem to be incompatible with the seat upon the fork. With this view of the seat Xenophon's system of horseman- ship is perfectly consistent with the methods of the best modern writers, and in many cases it is recalled in reading Baucher's excellent work, particularly in the instructions for the grasp of the thighs and the natural bearing of the lower leg, 4 and in all that refers to the hand. From the description that Xenophon gives of the bits in use at his time, I think that we must arrive at the conclusion that they had mouth-pieces made of flat links. Two bits were employed. The less severe one had a smooth chain mouth- piece 5 of varying width, depending upon the power required, that by the leverage of the branches forced the mouth open, and so compelled the horse to yield his jaw and give up all opposition to the hand. But this mouth-piece lay flat upon the tongue, and was easy to the horse when not operated upon by 1 Horsemanship, chap. vii. sect. 5. 2 Xenophon was born about 46 years after Pheidias. 3 Hipparchus, chap. iii. sect. 14. * Horsemanship, chap. vii. sect. 6. ' 5 Ibid. chap. x. sect. 7. 2i8 RIDING the branches. This bit was sometimes furnished with pendants from the mouth-piece to distract the attention of the horse from the branches, which he would otherwise attempt to seize with his teeth. A chain passed under the jaws from the cheeks of this bit, to which was attached a leading-rein. The bit I have attempted to describe would be very smooth and easy to the horse if the rider's hand were light ; but with long branches the leverage must have been very great, and the instrument a powerful one. The second bit, placed lower in the mouth, was made of links, more or less roughened, 1 to have the effect of a saw- snaffle. Other bits are recognised by Xenophon, but these were un- doubtedly invented by the Greeks. Nothing similar to either, so far as I can discover, had ever been described or represented, and from the minute details given by this author, which are not, however, perfectly clear to us, they were probably of recent origin. I cannot recall an instance in the sculptures of Egypt or of Western Asia where the horses bear themselves as if collected by the rider's heels. Whoever invented the spur, its use is first declared to us by the Greeks. It is not necessary that Xenophon should explain to us that the spur is to be applied ' to keep the hind-quarters from lagging,' 2 for the action and position of all the horses upon the Greek monuments assure us that they were trained with the spur. What modern writer has given better advice, or in more succinct terms, for the standing leap than is to be found in chapter viil, section 7, of this early work upon horseman- ship? 'to lean forward and give the horse his head as he rises for the leap, and to lean back and support him as he alights.' He recognises, too, the importance of a light hand ; and the horse, according to his precepts, must not be permitted to hang upon the bit. When the headstrong steed attempts to 1 Horsemanship, chap. x. sect. 8. 9 Ibid. chap. viii. section 5. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 219 force the hand, the severe bit must be brought into play, ' in order that when the horse bears against it he may be hurt by its roughness, and consequently let it go ; but when he finds it exchanged for the other he may be gratified with its smooth- ness, and whatever he has been trained to perform with the severe bit, he may also do with the light one. . . . But it is possible to vary the severe bit in every way, by relaxing or increasing the tension.' In the lever bit of Xenophon we have the prototype of the gag-bit of the East, and the curb-bit of Europe. The bits upon the Sarmatian horses in Trajan's column (first century) appear to be on the principle of the lever, as do those upon the mosaic in the British Museum found at Pompeii, and ascribed to the fourth century B.C. The representations of the ,horse upon the Byzantine column of Theodosius (fifth cen- tury) suggest the use of the curb-bit ; and there can be but little, doubt that the curb-bit, as we now have it, was employed by the Normans in the eleventh century, as is shown in the Bayeux tapestries. The. first time the upper arms of the curb- bit, a proof of the existence of the curb-chain, appear, is in an Italian fresco painting of the fourteenth century ; and the first representation of the curb-chain itself, so far as I can dis- cover, is in a drawing by Burckman (1473-1529). In the sixteenth century there was a great variety of curb-bits. From the sculptures and remaining drawings of ancient times, it seems that the arms of the levers were gradually lengthened until they reached the exaggerated size shown in the Italian frescoes of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries of our jera ; they then decrease to the present dimensions. For saddles the Greeks used cloths, pieces of felt, or the skins of wild beasts, securely girthed to give a firm seat. Stirrups were unknown, and the usual custom was to vault upon the back of the horse, the left hand of the rider grasping a lock of the mane near the horse's ears, the right hand near the withers. The mounted soldier used the spear, held in his right hand, as a leaping pole in mounting ; the left hand grasping a 220 RIDING lock of the mane to assist in securing the seat. Old and infirm persons were assisted upon their horses by menials who bent down to make a mounting-block of their bodies ' in the Persian fashion ; ' and sometimes, for those who had not the agility to vault into the saddle, the horses were taught to kneel. We find that it was the duty of certain officers to see that stones were placed along the highways to give the riders aid in mounting. It appears from the sculptures that the Greeks were ac- customed to cut the manes of their horses, but Xenophon decries the practice, and says that the mane and tail should be combed out and allowed to grow. The Greeks were in the habit of taking all sorts of leaps, 1 'across ditches, over walls, upon and from banks.' That the rider should be able to pass over all kinds of ground, wild beasts- were hunted by horsemen ; 2 and to give firm seats and to teach the ready control of the horse, warlike games were played. We have only to read the various movements suggested for the cavalry and for single riders to see how highly trained were the horses, how skilful were the riders in the days of Xenophon. The circles in the gallop ; the rapid courses and the sudden halts and sharp turns ; the collected state necessary for the demi-pesade, all give evidence of a high state of the equestrian art. 3 The Greeks were ideal horsemen. Light, active, hardy, and courageous, they were eminently fitted for the exercise in which they excelled. A touch upon the neck of the horse, an easy spring from the ground, and the rider was in the saddle, with a hand skilled to guide, and a will to control the headlong course. Here was no shortening of stirrup-leathers, no fumbling with straps and buckles, no struggle to reach a stiff and awkward seat that required the brace of rigid hands. In a time two thousand three hundred years before this our day of perfect things, we find the horse trained to the state of 1 Horsemanship, chap. iii. sect. 7. 2 Ibid. chap. viii. sect. 10. 3 Hipparchus, of Xenophon, written in the early part of the 4th century B.C. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 221 the best modern examples ; a bit, mild to the horse amenable to its guidance, which can govern the headstrong steed by its severity ; the spur, and a knowledge of its best uses. We find a strong and secure seat without the intervention of stirrups, and a grace of bearing that makes us question the advantages of any such aids to the horseman. THE ROMANS THE SADDLE Although it was not until long after the formation of a body of horsemen by Romulus that the Equites were recognised as a distinct order in the State, the mounted men, under various titles, were always held in honour. Adams says that it is uncertain when the Equestrian order was established, but he thinks that it was before the expulsion of the kings. ' After this all those who served on horseback were not properly called Equites or knights, but such only as were chosen into the equestrian order.' l The Romans learned the art of horsemanship from the Greeks, and we find the Latin writers ascribing to their teachers the credit of subjugating the horse and of inventing the bridle and the chariot. We may doubt whether the Romans were ever better or bolder riders than the Greeks, but they appear to have carried the art of schooling horses to a high degree of perfection. Modern writers assert, though I have been unable to find their authorities in the classics, that a place for exercising horses, called gestatio, was set apart. In villas it was generally con- tiguous to the garden, and laid out in the form of a circus. 2 In bad weather, we are told, the porticoes were used for the manege. Pliny (Epistles, I. 3 ; II. 1 7 ; and V. 6) mentions the gestatio, but does not inform us for what purpose it was in- tended. The derivation of the word might suggest that it was given to a place for riding; but it also, no doubt, was used to 1 Adams' Roman Antiquities, p. 26. 2 Ibid. p. 441. 222 RIDING distinguish an enclosed spot, where the luxurious Romans were carried in litters to enjoy the air. To support his statement regarding the porticoes, Adams refers to Ovid (Art. Amor. i. 67)- and Cicero (Dom. 44), but neither of those writers intimates that the porticoes were used by horsemen. I think it more probable that the large hippodrome (Pliny, Epistle V. 6) was- intended for pleasure riding, as well as for racing, as its name implies. 1 As in the public games of Greece so in those of the Romans the horsemen played a prominent part. 2 The riders would mount their barebacked steeds and run the course standing upright. Sitting upon the naked horses they would at full gallop pick up objects from the ground. One class of riders, known as desultores, would leap from one horse to another at speed. In the time of Caesar the youths of the noblest families used to practise these feats. The horses of the Romans were taught the ambling pace (tolutaris\ as those luxurious people could not endure the roughness of the trot ; and Fossbrooke 3 describes several movements that correspond with the piaffer and the passage of the modern manege. The Romans took great pride in the beauty and decoration of their steeds. Gold and jewels, rich and gay colours, orna- mented the saddles, the collars, and the other trappings that were employed to set off the graces of the animals they rode. And we are told (Pliny, Ep. IX. 6) that in the races a popular colour worn by a rider dictated to the mob the selection of a favourite from among the competitors. While it is probable that the saddle-tree was used for pack-animals from a very early date, we have no proof of the fact. The earliest evidence of the existence of the saddle-tree is in the time of Theodosius (408-450 A.D.), when the weight 1 Since the above was written a friend has called my attention to the fact that in Smith's Classical Dictionary (v. ' Hortus ') this theory is given. ' 2 Fossbrooke's Antiq. ii. 725. 5 md. ii. 726. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 223 of saddles for post-horses is prescribed, 1 and the first repre- sentation is upon the Theodosian column, where, according to Montfaucon and others, the tree appeared with a high pummel and an equally exaggerated cantel. Many writers have stated that the saddle-tree was described by Zonaras as having been in use in the year 340 A.D., when Constantine was killed by a fall from his horse. But there is nothing in Zonaras to justify the belief that the saddle-tree was indicated. The author 2 uses the words e/cTreTrrw? r/}? eSpa?. The word eSpa occurs twice in Xenophon's work on riding (chap. v. sect. 5, and chap. xii. sect. 9), and means, primarily, a sitting place, the back of the horse where the rider sits. Although the word after Xenophon's time was used for the saddle, either with or without a tree and at the time Zonaras wrote his history (later than the year 1 1 18 A.D., to which date he brings it down) it signified a complete saddle it was the proper term for the historian to use in writing of any age ; and we must still look upon the Theodosian code and column as the first proofs that we have of the existence of the saddle-tree. The author of the article upon ' the horse ' in the eighth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, says : ' Vegetius, who wrote on the veterinary art nearly 400 years B.C., speaks of the saddle-tree.' I have found the passage of Vegetius referred to, and give the words of that author. 3 ' Primum igitur ut pinguia; sint jumenta, tarn in curulibus quam in sellaribus decet.' Doubtless the word sella was used for the saddle after the tree was in use, but it was likewise employed to designate the seat of the horseman long before the wooden tree was known. No. one can tell when Publius Renatus flourished, and no authority pretends to assign him to any particular era. The first edition of Ars Veterinaria was issued at Basle in the year 1528 (Jo. Fabro.), and it is now the generally accepted opinion that it is The Theodosian Code was promulgated in 438. 2 Zonaras, lib. viii. Paris, 1687 ; according to Beckmann, ii. 265. 3 Vegetii Renati Artis Veterinarian (Schneider, Lipsise. MDCCXCVIII.), Lib. IV. cap. vi. 224 RIDING the work of some inferior writer, who, at a period long after the building of the Theodosian column, took the name Vegetins because it had been rendered famous by the author of treatises upon military affairs. But while there is no evidence that is sufficiently strong to support the belief in the existence of the saddle-tree for riding before the early part of the fifth century before our era, it seems then to have bloomed forth with such completeness that it is possible, as I have said, that it was the outgrowth of a similar frame work which had long been in use for holding packs upon beasts of burthen. It is impossible to follow the different forms of the saddle- tree ; for while the high pummel and cantel are still in use in some military services, I find, on reference to the drawings, that between the eleventh and the seventeenth centuries the pummel is sometimes found reduced to almost the size of the present hunting tree ; and again the cantel is shorn of its proportions, while the bow is exaggerated. In a portrait of the race-horse ' Old Partner ' (foaled in 171 8), painted by Seymour, the tree is represented like that we now use for race-riding. From a picture by Cooper, and from Adams' remarks in his work on Equitation (1805), I think that the two flaps (or the skirt over the flap) were introduced in the latter part of the eighteenth century. THE AGE OF ARMOUR-THE STIRRUP Although it was not until after the time of Charlemagne that suits of complete armour were worn, 1 yet long before that era the arms and equipments of the knights had become so cum- brous that vaulting into the saddle, even with the aid of the lance, must have become a difficult if not an impossible feat. 2 The scala, to assist the rider in reaching the saddle, was the 1 Boutell. Arms and Armour, pp. 96, 97. 2 The ordinary ' panoply ' of the ancients was, according to Plutarch, seventy pounds in weight, consisting of the greaves, cuirass, sword, shield, helmet, and spear. The horse soldiers were more lightly armed. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 225, natural result of this increase of weights, after the tree had furnished it a point d'appui and another, fastened upon the opposite side, to keep the balance of the rider, and to support, between the two, his burthened feet, was afterwards introduced. Many writers upon the history of the horse insist that the earliest mention of the stirrup was made by Eustathius. They are so far wrong, in that the stirrup was not only described by several writers some centuries before that author flourished, but it is even represented in drawings of the eleventh century, 1 and in the well-known Bayeux tapestries, the latter having been worked nearly a hundred years before Eustathius wrote. In a work ascribed to the Emperor Maurice in the sixth century, but published in 1664, the stirrup is spoken of. 2 The same words are used by the Emperor Leo VI. in two places in his Tactics, 3 supposed to have been written in the ninth cen- tury, but first printed in 1612. I have verified these quotations, and have also read the French translation of the passages from Leo's Tactics, made by M. Joly de Manzeray. In the second reference to Leo it will be found that the two stirrups were placed upon the left side, one at the pummel and the other at the cantel, to enable the rider to take upon the horse a dis- abled man. But the custom of having a stirrup upon each side must have been very shortly introduced, for Berjeau gives an example in a drawing of the same century. Eustathius says, according to Beckmann, that in his time, 1 1 60, stirrups were not in general use, and they were probably employed by only the knights and mounted soldiers. From the time of William the Conqueror 4 all armed horse- men are represented with stirrups. At first with such long 1 Berjeau's plates. 2 MauriciiArtisMilitaris ( ' Tactica Arriani '), p. 22. e^eu/ fy els ras tre'AAas 3 Leonis Imp. Tactica (Lugduni Batavorum, anno 1612), cap. vi. sect. 10, (is Se TO.S creAAos 5uo cr/caAas (TtSrjpos, Kal Acop^cra/cai/, and cap. xii. sect. 53. 4 Bayeux Tapestries, nth century. Painting of i2th century. Abbey of St. Denis. Window of Chartres Cathedral, isth century. English MS t i3th century. Berjeau's Plates. Q 226 RIDING leathers that the toes of the riders can barely find support, but they soon appear at such a length that, as is too often the case in our day, the rider depends upon them in a great measure for the security of his position, and in the tournaments it was considered discreditable, as an indication that the seat had been in jeopardy, for a knight to lose his stirrup in the encounter. Of these tournaments Fossbrooke says l that they were pro- bably derived from the Ludus Trojanus mentioned by the Latin writers, and that, according to Du Cange, they were revived by Geoffrey de Preuli in 1066. Other writers assign their revival to a much earlier period, but it is difficult to say when the duels between the quarrelsome soldiery of the middle ages arrived at the dignity of the tournament. The English borrowed the sport from the French in the reign of Stephen. 2 The last tournament took place in France in i56o. 3 Between the twelfth and the sixteenth centuries the tourna- ment was the favourite pastime of the kings and nobles of Europe, and these passages at arms were participated in not only by the knights of the courts at which they were held, but by bold adventurers who, desirous of extending their reputation for skill and courage, traversed 'Christendom' to seek adver- saries worthy of their lances. , In the days of chivalry the encounters between mounted men were confined to the lance, the sword, and the battle-axe ; and we are asked to believe that in the time of these combats when the horse had to exhibit as much intrepidity as his rider, rushing with eagerness against the lances, rendering calm and immediate obedience to the bit under the sword-strokes and the fearful blows of the lightning-bearing axe, when the rider, encumbered with armour, skilfully turned, advanced, withdrew, to fall with fatal blade upon a wary adversary we are asked, I say, to believe that horsemanship wa* neglected. 1 Antiq. ii. 609. 2 Lingard, ii. 3 Buckle, iii. 135. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 227 MODERN HORSEMANSHIP BAUCHER It is the custom of writers upon horsemanship to assert thai the art was not practised after the fall of the Roman Empire, until its revival by Pignatelli and others in Italy in the sixteenth century. But from the fact that the sports of the tournament required horses of the highest degree of training and riders of the greatest skill, I believe that horsemanship was never more flourishing than between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, and the paintings and drawings of that period support this belief. The reputation that Pignatelli left, however, assures us. that he was a master of the art, and it is probable that he arranged the method that is the foundation of those now in use. Pigna- telli wrote nothing upon the subject, and the first treatise that we have upon the manege is the Gli Ordini il Cavalcare (Naples, 1550) of Federigo Grisone, a contemporary of Pignatelli. Although Pliny is said to have written a work upon horseman- ship, and we have a number of books upon cavalry tactics and the veterinary science, there is no treatise upon riding now existing that was composed between the eras of Xenophon and Grisone. 1 But, owing perhaps to the stimulation that printing gave about that time to all branches of literature, a number ot .authors were inspired by the Neapolitan, and there has been no end to the books since written upon the subject. La Broue and Pluvinel, two Frenchmen, were pupils of Pignatelli at Naples. The former wrote the first work upon the manege that appeared in France. Pluvinel (born 1555), at the early age of seventeen, had gained the reputation of being the most accomplished horseman in Europe. He opened a riding academy in Paris under the patronage of Henry IV., and he was the instructor of Louis XIII., for whom he wrote 1 Camerarius, in the work published in 1539, treated only of the draught- horse. Some authorities say that Grisone's book was published in 1552. I have never seen a copy of a date earlier than 1569. Q 2 228 RIDING his great work, ' The Royal Manege,' published in 1623, several years after the author's death. Pluvinel visited Poland and Holland, and his work was translated into German, Portuguese, and other tongues ; so that he may be considered to have had a strong influence in forming the schools of various countries. The Germans have given much attention to horsemanship, and their methods, while not so thorough or so complete as those found in France, are excellent. Their most esteemed writer upon the art is Herr Plinzner, Equerry to the Emperor. In England, Blundeville l published ' The Fower Chiefest Offices belonging to Horsemanshippe,' between 1565 and 1580. Blundeville does not claim originality for his work, but confesses that it was ' paynefully collected out of a number of authours,' and it was, indeed, a translation from the Italian, chiefly from the treatise by Grisone ; nor was this the only book of Blundeville's that owed its origin to Italy. In 1593 appeared 'A Discourse of Horsemanship,' by Gervase Markham, which was also a translation from the Italian. This author was, according to Sir S. E. Brydges, ' a general compiler for the booksellers,' and it appears that he had little originality, but Wrote upon a great variety of subjects, including agriculture, archery, horsemanship, &c., exhibiting as much versatility as certain 'standard' writers have shown in our day. Sir William Hope, in his translation (1696) of Sollisel's work (1691), intimates that neither Blundeville nor Markham was a practised horseman. In 1639 Thomas de Gray issued his * Compleat Horseman and Expert Farrier,' 2 under royal patronage. This work, founded upon that of Vegetius, shows us the veterinary art in a very 1 The Fower Chiefest Offices belonging to Horsemanshippe, by Thomas Blundeville. Imprinted at London by William Seres (no date). Another edition appeared in 1597. 2 The Compleat Horseman and Expert Farrier. Dedicated to his most Excellent Majestie. Nicholas Fussell, 1639. EARLY HISTORY OF HORSEMANSHIP 229 low state, many of the operations being useless, while ' charms ' are recommended for some diseases. It was perhaps during his visit to Paris in 1645, that the Duke of Newcastle acquired a taste for the manege, for his work was written after he had left that city for a residence at Antwerp. ' La Methode Nouvelle de dresser les Chevaux ' 1 gave to its noble author the widest reputation ever enjoyed by any writer upon horsemanship, and although the system now appears to us severe and crude, it was for a long time con- sidered the best and most original work extant. This treatise was composed in English, but was published in 165 8 in French, having been translated into that language by a secretary under the author's direction. The Earl of Pembroke, in 1761, issued a small manual of riding and training, designed for the use of the cavalry. Berenger's 2 work, 1754, for a long time the source of nearly all of our knowledge of the history of horsemanship, was princi- pally from continental sources, but much credit is due to him for his labours, and I think, after having read his writings, that he must have been a practical horseman. The next work of importance, with any pretence to origin- ality, which appeared in England, was that of Adams in 1799. This seems to me one of the best books ever written upon the subject, but from the work itself I can hardly credit the writer's assertion that he is indebted to no other teacher than experience, for his treatise shows that he must have been thoroughly acquainted with the best French methods of the time. No writer has ever had such influence upon horsemanship as that exercised by Baucher. Even in his native France, as elsewhere, his work is now discredited, and many faults are found in the system he invented. But, for all that, Baucher' $ method is the foundation of all that is good in modern horseman- ship. His idea of obtaining control over the horse by culti- 1 La Mtthode Nouvelle de dresser les- Chevaux. Antwerp, 1658. 2 History and Art of Horsemanship. 230 RIDING vating the instinctive muscular actions that follow the applica tion of the aids is the only true mode of controlling an animal which is stronger than its master. Had Baucher stopped short at this theory he had done well ; but he carried his art too far for the masses, and there is no doubt that by his later theories, training was carried beyond the skill of the ordinary rider. All who desire to have a thorough knowledge of the art of horsemanship should make a study of Baucher, and experience will teach them where their skill and aptitude demand a halt. Of the more recent works published in France those of De Montigny are the most thorough and the best. Except in the higher training of horses, the English are far and away the best horsemen in the world. It is because I believed this, and because I felt the importance of better methods of training than those now employed in this country, that I have so often ventured to address English horsemen upon the subject of thorough schooling. In breeding horses, in rearing, and in caring for them, in racing them and in riding them across country, the Englishman is easily first. No man can drive like an Englishman, and there is no man who under- stands and appreciates the animal better. But there is one form of the art in which he fails : that is in so suppling and unit- ing the horse that the animal is under immediate and certain control : he looks upon the spur simply as an instrument for inciting the horse to greater speed, and loses more than half of the control that one should have over the animal by neglecting that discipline of the rider's legs which is not only a power in itself but is of the greatest assistance to the hand. I have seen a continental trainer, whose seat and awkward movements would bring him into ridicule in the Row do more with a young horse in an hour than the best horseman I have seen in England could do in a week. I do not recommend ' High School ' riding for general purposes, but every man who rides should know the principles of some good method, and he EARLY HISTORY Of HORSEMANSHIP 231 should certainly know all the effects of the hand and of the heels, how to produce the different forms of collection of the forces of the horse, and the best modes of attacking the animal's resistances ; such knowledge will not injuriously affect that natural aptitude for horsemanship that nearly every one believes is his inherent gift. MAJOR-GENERAL J. F. SHERER ' The Father of Polo ' POLO BY J. MORAY BROWN POLO INTRODUCTORY IT is generally admitted that every sport has its utility. Angling teaches a man patience and self-control ; hunting improves not only good horsemanship, but pluck and observation ; whilst shooting inculcates quickness of hand and eye coupled with endurance and the power of bearing fatigue ; football, cricket, rowing, rackets, tennis all bring to the front and encourage qualities that are essentially manly and perhaps no sport tends to combine all these lessons so much as polo, none makes a man more a man than this entrancing game, none fits him more for the sterner joys of war or enables him better to bear his part in the battle of life. Pluck, endurance, submission to discipline, good temper, calmness, judgment, quickness of observation, self-control, are all qualities as essential in a good polo player as in a good soldier ; and last, but by no means least, there is no finer school in which to acquire the art of riding. It may be urged that the game is too expensive to be indulged in save by those endowed with long purses; but though a man may not be able to mount himself on a pony that would pass muster at Hurlingham, or that would be fit to compete in an inter-regimental tournament, yet without any great outlay he may not only have a deal of fun, but improve his health and his horsemanship materially by learning to 236 POLO play polo. In fact, I know one enthusiast, who is the proud possessor of two diminutive Shelties which, when they are not being driven in a tandem, are called on to furnish mounts for their owner and a friend just to knock a ball about on ! Essentially the game of a horse-loving nation, such as we may now claim fairly to be, polo appeals irresistibly to our tastes, and year by year has not only obtained a firmer footing at home and in India, but has spread far and wide. There is something very attractive in the game : the mad ride, the mere pleasure of hitting the ball, the satisfaction of outwitting an adversary by superior horsemanship and strategy, are all factors that must appeal to the dullest and most lethargic temperament. Then, too, polo comes at a season of the year when there is no hunting, and the horsey man who pines for a gallop and excitement with an object, finds in the game an outlet for his superfluous energies. One word ere I conclude, out of place though it may seem in these introductory lines. I have endeavoured in writing a history of polo to steer clear of all information that may not be considered trustworthy. I have avoided all opinions and evi- dence that did not carry weight with them, and I have had the advantage of being assisted in my task by the most experienced players of the day, present and past, such as the Earl of Har- rington, the Earl of Airlie, Mr. John Watson, Mr. F. B. Mildmay, M.P., Mr. T. S. Kennedy, the Messrs. Peat, Mr. E. D. Miller (i7th Lancers), Colonel St. Quintin (8th Hussars), Captain C. D. Bruce (33rd D. W. Regiment), Captain 'Tip' Herbert, Major-General J. F. Sherer, Captain Walter Smythe (the popular polo manager at Hurlingham), and many others, to whom my warmest and most grateful acknowledgments are due. My re- searches in Oriental manuscripts, from which I have derived the information regarding the antiquity of the game, would have proved not only bewildering but impossible to any but an Oriental scholar, to which title I can lay no claim, and I should have failed signally had it not been for the kind aid given me by Mr. A. G. Ellis, of the British Museum, who threw all his INTRO D UCTION 237 energies and ability into the task of assisting me. Lastly, I have to thank the editor of the ' Field ' for his courteous permission to reprint several articles, relating to the game in Baltistan, Munnipore, and Japan, that have appeared from time to time in the columns of that paper. I have in every instance where my own experience was but slight gone to the best authority within my knowledge, and have sifted evidence and opinions to the best of my ability. How difficult such a task is no one who has not attempted it can realise, and I trust I may be pardoned for any shortcomings. Let me now therefore plunge in medias res, and with what power I may, catch my pen short by the head and shove along, from ' find to finish.' True indeed are the words which Mr, H. C. Bentley aptly sings : For the daring turn and the skilful stroke The ever-quickening stride, The ring of the stirrup, the clash of the stick, And the rush of the furious ride ; The cheer when the ball through the goal is driven By the steady hand and eye, Have a wild delight in themselves alone That can never grow old or die 238 POLO CHAPTER I THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO GREAT BRITAIN'S connection with the East has made our empire what it is, and to the East we owe a debt of gratitude in more ways than one. We are indebted to it for many of our arts, sciences, and literature the improved breed of our horses ; and last, but not least, for the popular pastime of polo, which now may be said to rank high amongst our national games. The origin of polo is indeed hard, nay, well-nigh impossible to determine with any strict degree of accuracy, shrouded as it is in the hoary mists of centuries. Still history, legendary and authentic, enables us to trace it pretty far back in fact, far enough back for all practical purposes. Probably the first mention of the game under the title of chaugan (for such was its Persian name) that is to be found in Eastern literature is in the ' Shahnamah.' This poem was written by the Persian poet Firdusi, who was bom near Tiis, and who flourished towards the end of the tenth and beginning of the eleventh century. Composed for the amusement of the Sultan Mahmiid of Ghazni (who was celebrated as the destroyer of the Hindu temples in Northern India), it abounds in all the flowery language of Oriental rhetoric. Mahmiid's father, Subuktigin, the deposer of the old Hindu kings of Cabul, was born A.D. 967, and probably the game was learnt from his conquered foes. One of the characters in the ' Shahnamah ' is a certain Afrasiab, an ancient and practically mythical Turkish king of Turan, or Scythia, who is said to have lived prior to the THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 239 time of the great Darius, and Afrasiab had a son-in-law named Siawusch, who is supposed to have lived about the year 600 B.C. Firdusi gives a vivid description of a game between seven Iranian or Persian horsemen and seven Turks, in which Siawusch astonishes Afrasiab by the skill he displays. Mohl, in his trans- lation, 1 says : 'Siawusch monta un cheval frais, jeta la balle un peu en 1'air avec la main, et la frappa si fort avec la raquette qu'il lui fit voir de pres la lune. La balle disparut tant la raquette 1'avait lancee haut ! ' It is to be feared that in these degenerate days even our best players at Hurlingham could hardly rival such a feat. The Persians seem to have lost their tempers in the game, however, and played somewhat roughly, for which they were rebuked by Siawusch. The accompanying illustration, taken from a rare old manuscript ' Shahnamah ' in the British Museum, represents an incident in the game. In the left-hand top corner will be noticed the King Afrasiab, with his attendant umbrella-bearer, and the monarch is evidently very much interested. In the background is the band, doubtless discoursing dulcet strains and encouraging the players with martial music. The Prince Siawusch, with the plume of royalty in his turban, a player who, from his hard hitting, must have been the ' Johnny Peat ' of the day, is the uppermost horseman on the right of the picture, mounted on a bay horse, his opponent being on a curious orange and white coloured animal with a red mane and tail ; whilst the King and the other players bestride black and blue horses : these latter are evidently intended to represent greys. The dresses of the riders and their saddle-cloths, reins, &c., are plentifully embroidered with gold, and are of very vivid colours. The goal-posts are also shown, and sticks must evi- dently have been as liable to break in those days as they are now, for a couple of attendants with spare sticks will be observed, though what they are doing in the middle of the ground it is 1 Le Livre des Rois. Par J. Mohl. 240 POLO difficult to say. 1 Some license, however, must be allowed to the Oriental artist, whose composition of his picture is somewhat quaint. The sticks seem in shape to greatly resemble those we now use, though with longer handles \ and .the ' flowery mead ' on which the game is taking place must have made the 'going ' rather heavy from a polo point of view. Crude though the drawing is, yet it gives a good idea of the game and the horses used, for their small heads, tapering muzzles, rounded quarters on which the tail is set on high, thick girth, and general'appear- ance evidently denote their Eastern parentage. In the original the whole' picture is profusely illuminated in gold and the brightest of colours. The prowess of a certain Gushtasp (the Hystaspes of classical history) is also extolled by Firdusi, who describes him as wield- ing the chaugan, or stick, with such effect ' that the ball could no longer be seen by any person on the meidan, or plain, as his blow had caused it to vanish amongst the clouds.' 2 Truly there must have been giants in those days ! This work is, of course, merely legendary, but points to the early origin of the game, as Firdusi states that his information had been derived from earlier works, traditions, and literary fragments. Other Eastern writers of the ninth and tenth cen- turies allude to the game as having been practised in very early ages, and well known throughout the East. 3 The historian Tabari, who lived about 914 A.D., relates how the Persian king Dara, or Darius, who lived 525 B.C., wishing to 1 In Munnipore when the Rajah plays, his spare-stick carriers are allowed on the ground, but this is the prerogative of royalty alone. 2 Le Livre des Rois. Par J. Mohl. 3 Ancient, however, as the epic of Firdusi undoubtedly is, yet Pehlavi writings, which are.much older, allude to the game, especially the old fragments entitled ' Karnamak-i-Artakshir-i-Babakan," which record some of the wondrous feats of the Sassanian kings, Ardashir, Shdpur, and Hormzad. These frag- ments relate mainly to the sports in which the flower of Iranian chivalry were trained, and excellence and pre-eminence in which made a proficient in them a man of mark. Foremost amongst these was chiipaan (from which the more modern term chavgdn was probably derived), described as a species of hockey on horseback, played with a ball and a concave staff or racket. EARLY POLO THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 241 insult Alexander the Great (who had withheld his portion of tribute exacted by former Persian kings, and declared that he would resist the demand by force of arms), sent him a ball and chaugan-stick, as instruments of sport better suited to his youth and inexperience than warlike occupations. Alexander seems however, to have been equal to the occasion, for he replied * that the ball was the earth and he (Alexander) was the stick,' implying his universal conquest. Tabari also, in alluding to events in the eighth century (just before his own time), says that Harun Alraschid ' was still so little that, when on horseback, he could not reach to strike the ball with a chaugan.' The sticks evidently in those early days must have been very short only some three feet long. Shapur, better known as Sapor, whilst yet a child of sus- pected parentage, is said to have proved his descent from Artaxerxes by venturing alone through a crowd of players to gather the ball, which had rolled near the monarch's seat. In an illustrated MS. 'Shahnamah' at the British Museum Shapur is depicted going on foot, with a chaugan-stick in his hand, to pick up the ball which is by the feet' of the king's horse. Several other boys are shown, also with sticks in their hands, but all on foot. Tabari, alluding to the accomplishments of Bahrain, or Varamus, tells us that he excelled in 'horsemanship, hunting, the use of the chaugan, and whatever else was useful or necessary for kings.' From the same writer it appears that there was an appropriate dress for the game, though it was hardly in accord- ance with our modern ideas of boots and breeches. The celebrated Persian poet Nizami, who lived between 1126 and 1200 A.D., in an epic describes how the beautiful Shirin, wife of Khusran Parviz (the Victorious), one of the Sassanian kings, who flourished 590 A.D., played chaugan with her lovely handmaidens against the king and his courtiers. On one side was the Moon and her stars, On the other the Shah and his firman-bearers. 242 POLO Here is a hint for our sporting ladies of the present day, and especially for those who have lately been advocating through the press the advisability of women riding astride ! We can only hope that the king and his courtiers were gallant enough to let the beauteous moon-faced Shirin and her minor constellations win the game. In the ' Tarikhi-al-Subuktigin,' written by Abulfazl-ul- Baihaki, who has been styled ' the Pepys of the East,' and who lived about 1030 A.D., the game is constantly alluded to, and we are told that when the Amir Masiid of Ghazni, the son of the great Mahmiid before referred to, released the venerable Khwaja Ahmad Hasan, and made him Wazir, or prime minister, he specially exempted him from supervising the arrangements connected with the game of chaugan, as well as all convivialities. This would rather point to the fact that the game was not considered very respectable, as it is classed with ' fighting, drinking, conviviality, &c.' The old Wazir seems to have regretted his master's partiality for the game and remon- strated with him thereon. Later on, too, we find him advising Ahmad Nialtigin, on his departure with an army into Hindustan, not to allow his men to drink wine or play at chaugan \ What the old Khwaja's objection to a game so eminently fitted to improve his cavalry could have been it is difficult to say. In the twelfth century we read of the Greek Emperor Manuel Comnenus enjoying the game on horseback with the Byzantine princes and nobles of his court. The wooden ball, however, seems to have been exchanged for one more soft, formed of stuffed leather, and the stick instead of having a hammer-like head terminated in a hoop, more resembling our racket. Cinnamus, the Byzantine historian, who must often have been a spectator of the game, as he accompanied the Em- peror Manuel both in Europe and Asia, thus describes chaugan, and from him we may infer that proficiency in the game was considered no unworthy accomplishment of royalty. He says : A number of young men being divided into equal sides in a place measured out and made for the purpose, a ball about the THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 243 size of an apple, and made of leather, is thrown up into the air, and at it, as if contending for a prize, they all gallop as hard as they can. Each man has in his right hand a moderately long stick twisted into a hoop at the end, and across are stretched, like a net, a little distance apart, and crossing each other, many little strings. Each side, by outstripping the other, endeavours to drive the ball beyond the opposite goal, which has previously been set up, and this constitutes the victory. This is the game, then ; a very doubtful and dangerous one, as he who would play it must be constantly lying flat on his horse, and bending himself on either side of his horse, and be turning his horse very sharply, and he must manage to ride so as to be skilled in moving his body and his horse in as many different ways as the ball is driven. He goes on to describe a game ' in which when the Emperor was exercising himself hotly his horse fell altogether on the ground ' (a regular ' purler ' evidently), ' and he being thrown underneath had great difficulty in extricating himself.' Sir William Ouseley in his ' Travels in the East,' published in 1 8 10, devotes some space to a description of the game, and after mentioning that it was played through almost every reign of the Sassanian dynasty, and as much esteemed by the Mahom- medan kings as by their fire-worshipping predecessors, he says : It was universally practised throughout Persia, and was a favourite recreation of kings and chiefs, and originally, I believe, considered as almost peculiar to illustrious personages. We learn, however, from a letter of Pietro della Valle, written at Cazvin in 1618, that Shah Abbds (the monarch then reigning) exercised him- self frequently in this royal sport, and sometimes invited those to participate in it who understood the game well, although not dis- tinguished by exalted rank. Half a century later Chardin describes it as a popular amusement admitting of thirty or forty persons, forming two parties, to engage at once. The object of those who played was to drive through the goal with sticks having semicircular or straight transverse heads a ball made of light wood, which the contending parties governed by certain prescribed laws, and striking only when at full gallop endeavoured to bear off one from the other. Of this game there were several kinds, and I per- 244 POLO ceive in the pictures of manuscripts executed two and four hundred years ago that the chaugdns, or sticks, are represented with heads of three slightly different shapes, as shown below. Degraded into a pedestrian exercise, and under various forms and denominations, the game seems to have been widely diffused throughout Europe, and we may perhaps trace it in the cricket of England, the golf or gough of Scotland, and the hurling matches of Ireland. Pietro della Valle discovered it in the Florentine game calcio, and to me the original name chaugdn appears but slightly disguised from the chicane of Languedoc, where the game is played, as in Persia, with a wooden ball and a club headed like a mallet or hammer. Du Cange, in his ' Dissertation,' viii., added to Join- ville's ' Histoire de Saint Louis' (Paris : folio, 1668. p. 185 et seq.} y Persian Chaugan-sticks of the seventeenth century. says of the chicane, oujeti de paume d clieval \ ' C'est un sujet qui n'est pas indigne de la curiosite, puisqu'il est connu de peu de personnes, et qu'il vous decouvre une espece de manege pratique particulierement par les nouveaux Grecs, qui semble avoir ete ignore dans 1'Occident.' Having mentioned some Byzantine his- torians who allude to it, he adds : ' Ce jeu est appele par eux d'un terme barbare, T^vKavia-Trjpiov, qui etoit aussi le nom du lieu qui servoit a ces exercices ; ce lieu etoit dans Penclos du grand palais de Constantinople, pres de 1'appartement dore.' Chaugan was one of the favourite pastimes of the great Emperor Akbar, who reigned between 1555 and 1605 A.D., and his chief chaugan ground was at a place called Ghan'wali, about THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 245 four miles from Agra, and subsequently at Nagarchin, also near Agra. In the ' Ain-i-Akbari,' written by the celebrated Abul Fazl-i-Allami, the Emperor's Prime Minister and a work which minutely describes the Court of Akbar, its regulations, habits, and amusements as well as the system of government chaugan is thus alluded to under the heading of ' Games ' : His Majesty, who is an excellent judge of mankind, uses these sports as a latent means of discovering their merits. The games are of various kinds, of which a few particulars shall be given. Professor Blockmann, whose translation of the 'Ain-i-Akbari 7 is acknowledged to be unsurpassed, thus renders the text : The Game of Cliaugdn. Superficial observers look upon this game as a mere amuse- ment, and consider it mere play ; but men of more exalted views see in it a means of learning promptitude and decision. It tests the value of a man, and strengthens the bonds of friendship. Strong men learn in playing this game the art of riding, and the animals learn to perform feats of agility and to obey the reins. Hence his Majesty is very fond of this game. Externally, the same adds to the splendour of his court ; but, viewed from a higher point, it reveals concealed talents. When his Majesty goes to the maiddn (plain or open field) in order to play this game, he selects an opponent, and some active and clever players, who are only filled with one thought, viz. to show their skill against the opponents of his Majesty. From motives of kindness, his Majesty never orders any one to be a player, but chooses the pairs by the cast of the die. There are not more than ten players, but many more keep themselves in readiness. When one ghari (twenty-four minutes) has passed, two players take rest, and two others supply their place. The game itself is played in two ways. The first way is to get hold of the ball with the crooked end of the chaugan-stick and move it slowly from the middle to the boundary pillars (hdl, i.e. goal). This manner is called in Hindi rol. The other way consists in taking deliberate aim and forcibly hitting the ball with the chaugan- stick out of the middle ; the [opposing] player then gallops after it quicker than the others and throws it back. This mode is called 246 POLO bela, and may be performed in various ways. The player may either strike the ball with the stick in his right hand, and send it to the right forwards or backwards, or he may do so with his left hand, or he may send the ball in front of the horse to the right or to the left. The ball may be thrown in the same direction from behind the feet of the horse or from below its body, or the rider may spit it [sic lit., probably meaning ' may shove it,' with, as it were, a sort of ' cue-stroke '], when the ball is in front of the horse, or he may lift himself upon the croup [or crupper] and propel the ball between the feet of the animal. 1 His Majesty is unrivalled for the skill which he shows in the various ways of hitting the ball ; he often manages to strike the ball when in the air and astonishes all. When the ball is driven to a goal they beat a kettledrum, so that all who are far and near may hear it. In order to increase the excitement betting is allowed. The players win from each other, and he who brought the ball to the goal wins most. If a ball be caught in the air, and passes or is made to pass beyond the goal, the game is looked upon as drawn. At such times the players will engage in a regular fight 2 about the ball, and perform admirable feats of skill. His Majesty also plays chaugan on dark nights, which caused much astonishment, even among clever players. The balls which are used at night are set on fire. For this purpose palas wood (Butea frondosd} is used, which is very light and burns for a long time. For the sake of adding splendour to the games, which is necessary in worldly matters, his Majesty has knobs of gold and silver fixed to the top of the chaugdn-sticks. If one of them breaks, any player that gets hold of the pieces may keep them. It is impossible to describe the excellence of this game. Igno- rant as I am, I can say but little about it. The accompanying illustration depicts the Emperor Akbar and his courtiers playing the game, and by the attitudes of the men and the length of their sticks it is evident that they are indulging in the game known as ' rol,' or the dribbling game. The artist must have been a very conscientious Mohammedan, for he has followed strictly the precepts of the Koran, which 1 This must evidently have been a back-hander, or a cross-hit under the horse's belly. * Vide description of polo in Baltistan. THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 249 forbids the drawing of features ; for it will be observed that the heads both of men and horses are left blank. Mahomet used to say that the angels would not enter a house in which there were such pictures, and that those who made them would be sentenced in the next world to find souls for those whom they had delineated, or be punished. The poet Jami, who lived 1414 A.D., thus alludes to the game in his ' Salaman and Absal ' : All young in years and courage, bat in hand, Galloped afield, tossed down the golden ball, And chased so many crescent moons l a-full, And all alike intent upon the game. Sala'ma'n still would carry from them all The prize, and shouting ' Ha"! ! ' drive home the ball. And again : Welcome, prince of horsemen, welcome Ride a-field and strike the ball. The Persians' ideas of poetry are hardly consistent with ours. Still there is a deal of go in the words * Hal ! 2 drive home the ball ! ' In Sir W. Ouseley's ' Travels,' there is a reproduction of a curious old drawing representing a game of chaugan. The goals are evidently stone pillars, and the sticks not unlike the sticks we use nowadays. The young prince is depicted in the act of receiving a stick from the hands of a bearded person on foot, ' who is supposed to be Hafiz, the poet.' The original text of the ' Salaman and Absal ' was translated by the late Edward Fitzgerald. Accidents seem to have been by no means uncommon in the game, for in the sixteenth century a king of Kashmir, Ali Khan Chak by name, is said to have died from the effects of an accident during a game of chaugan. 1 A crescent moon is a favourite Eastern metaphor for a fine young man or woman. 2 ' Now !' or it might have reference to the goal, which is called ' hal.' 250 POLO That the game was well known and popular all over Central Asia and Thibet is evident, as the Emperor Baber, who lived 1494-1530 A.D., and was so celebrated as one of the most en- lightened of Eastern monarchs, makes allusion to it in his memoirs. In mentioning the officers who served his father, Omar Sheikh Mirza, who ruled in Ferghana and Central Asia, and who was great-great-grandson of the Emperor Timour, or Tamerlane, he says : Another was Hassan Yakub Beg, who was frank, good-tempered, clever, and active. The following verses are his : ' Return again, O Huma, 1 for without the parrot down of thy cheek The crow will assuredly carry off my bones.' He was a man of courage, an excellent archer, and remarkable for his skill in playing the games of chaugan and leap-frog ! A queer medley of accomplishments, indeed. Fancy our prominent poloists of the present day being handed down to posterity with such characters. But we have no Babers nowa- days, alas ! so they must be content with comparative obscurity, except as polo players. The Persian poet Mahmoud Arifi, who lived in the fifteenth century, amongst other effusions, wrote a poem called ' Goy-o- chaugan ' (The Ball and the Bat). It is an allegory in which the ball and the bat are personified as types of mystic love, and all the images are borrowed from the favourite game. In fact, all ancient Persian literature abounds more or less with allu- sions to chaugan and metaphors drawn from the game, such as ' Man is a ball tossed into the field of existence, driven hither and thither by the chaugan-stick of destiny, wielded by the hand of Providence ; ' r The heart of the lover is the ball, while the curling love-lock of his charmer is as the curved club that impels it,' and so on. 1 The Huma, or phoenix, was a bird much celebrated in Oriental poetry. It was supposed never to alight on the ground, and that every head that it overshadowed was destined one day to wear a crown. THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 251 In a quaint old book entitled ' The Adventures of the three Sherleys,' written by one George Manwaring, and descriptive of a voyage undertaken by Sir Anthony Sherley and his brothers to the Court of Shah Abbas, King of Persia, in 1599, in order to induce that monarch to unite with the Christian princes against the Turks, the following description of the game is given : After the banquet was ended the King requested Sir Anthony to look through the window to behold their sports on horseback. Before the house there was a very fair place, to the quantity of some ten acres of ground, made very plain ; so the King went down, and when he had taken his horse the drums and trumpets sounded. There were twelve horsemen in all with the King ; so they divided themselves, six on the one side and six on the other, having in their hands long rods of wood about the bigness of a man's finger, and at one end of the rods a piece of wood nailed on like a hammer. After they were divided and turned face to face, there came one in the middle, and threw a ball between both the companies, and having goals made at either end of the plain, they began their sport, striking the ball with their rods from one to the other, in the fashion of our football play here in England ; and ever when the King had gotten the ball before him the drums and trumpets would play one alarum, and many times the King would come to Sir Anthony at the window and ask him how he did like the sport. In Barton and Drake's ' Unexplored Syria,' the following note occurs regarding the Great Tamerlane : The civil name of this mighty devastator is the Amir Taymur, a corruption of Dimur (Lord Iron). The Persian Shiahs, who hated his orthodoxy, nicknamed him Taymur-i-lang, i.e. Limping Tay- mur, whence our Tamerlane. He is called El Wahsh (the wild beast) by the Damascans, because he rode his horse over the corpses of their ancestors, whilst his people played at chaugdn, or hockey, with the heads of the slain. A nice, lively occupation, but the balls (i.e. human heads) must have been lather difficult to propel, and must have taxed the power of Tamerlane's merry men to the utmost. 252 POLO No doubt there was some truth in this alleged act of bar- barism, which would be quite in keeping with the age for the poet Hafi z, in a passage of his works, concludes with the devout wish, May the heads of your enemies be your chaugdn-balls. Most of us are familiar with the story in the * Arabian Nights ' (the Twelfth Night), of the Grecian King and his physician Douban, who cured his ungrateful master of the leprosy by inserting sundry drugs into his chaugan- stick, so that when he got warm through exercise the medicine should be absorbed through the pores of his skin. In Jonathan Scott's edition of the 'Arabian Nights,' which was published in 1811, he trans- lated the game as * mall,' and in a note adds : ' In the East chaugan is played on horseback, as it was formerly in England, and what is now Pall Mall was the place used for this exercise.' I can find no corroboration of this assertion, though, as Scott was in the Honourable East India Company's service be- fore he became Oriental Professor at the ast EIndia and Royal Military Colleges, he ought to have known what he was writing about. Strutt mentions a game which was played in the time of Charles II., with a stick and ball and iron hoop, at what is now Pall Mall, but it was played on foot. Pietro della Valle certainly calls the game of chaugan ' palla maglia,' and this may have been the origin of Scott's assertion. There was a game called knappan played in Wales during the time of Queen Elizabeth with sticks and a wooden ball by men both on foot and mounted. It seems to have been a very rough-and-tumble sport, however, and to have afforded plenty of opportunities for free fights, being participated in by over a thousand people at once. In fact, it became so scandalous that it fell into disuse. In all Persian literature the game is mentioned as chaugan, which is the Hindi for 'four-sided,' and if this is derived THE ANTIQUITY OF POLO 253 through the Hindi from the Sanscrit, it would point to the exist- ence of the game at the time of the Hindu kings of Cabul who were deposed by Subuktigin in the tenth century. It may be that the game thus derived its name from the fact of its being played in a four-sided plain or court. If Tabari may be con- sidered an authority, and he uses the word chaugan for the stick as well as for the game itself, it must have had a distinctly Persian origin. Johnson in his ' Dictionary ' gives the word as Persian : ' Chaugan a stick, with one end bent, used in a game at ball.' The game thus may have derived its name from the stick used in playing it. Our own name for the game ' polo ' is derived from the Thibetan word pulu, meaning a ball made from the knot of willow wood. In Ladakh and Thibet this wood is always used for the balls, as indeed it is for our balls at home. It is curi- ous that no mention is made anywhere of the horses used in playing chaugan. If Arabs, they naturally would range from fourteen hands to fourteen hands three inches, but if Persian and Turcoman horses were employed, they must have been considerably larger. Thus having traced the antiquity of the game, it will be as well to glance at it in its more modern aspect, and note its gradual development in India, England, and Ireland, where it has now taken a firm hold, and where year by year it is ex- tending the area of its popularity. 254 POLO CHAPTER II POLO IN ENGLAND IT may at first sight seem strange that a nation like the British, celebrated for its manly sports, should have imported one of its very best games from a country many thousands of miles distant ; but the strides that polo has made of late years and the growing popularity in which it is now held are very apparent. There are infinitely more players than there were even half a dozen years ago, and not only is this a fact, but the prices of good ponies have increased enormously. Play, too, has reached a very much higher standard, and a man who aims now to be in the front rank has to be almost ' in training.' The reason for this we shall be able to trace if we follow its progress in this country and in India. Before doing so, however, let us glance back to the time when it first became known in England. It is generally supposed that the origin of the game in England was due to a cavalry regiment lately returned from India ; that they had seen the game there, and so brought the idea with them. This theory is, however, erroneous. It originated in a far more prosaic manner, and found its birth- place in the brain of sundry young subalterns of the loth Hussars in 1869. This regiment was then quartered at Alder- shot under canvas. After lunch one day, and wearying for some occupation wherewith to kill time and overcome the ennui of camp life, Messrs. St. Quintin, ' Chicken ' Hartopp, and Chain were scanning the papers in the ante-room tent. There they read an account of the game as played by the POLO IN ENGLAND 255 Munnipoorees. Quoth one, 'By Jove ! it must be agoodish game. I vote we try it.' No sooner said than done. Their chargers were saddled, crooked sticks and a billiard ball got hold of, and they set to work needless to say with no great results. Still, they were discriminating enough to see that though the game could hardly be played on big horses, yet when ponies were used it had great elements of excitement in it ; so before long Mr. Chain was deputed to go over to Ireland and buy ponies, and soon returned with some seventeen of all sizes and shapes, and then play began in earnest. The loth Hussars mentioned the subject to the 9th Lancers, then quartered at Hounslow, and they too entered into the spirit of the enterprise and likewise began to play, and these two regiments played the first bond- fide inter-regimental match in England on Hounslow Heath. There were eight a side, and though the ball was more often missed than hit, the game caused great merriment, and became firmly planted. So matters went on till June 1870 (by which time the Blues and the ist Life Guards had also been bitten with the delights of polo), when a match was played in Rich- mond Park between the following teams : ist Life Guards qth Lancers and Royal Horse Guards. and loth Hitssars. Hon. T. Fitzwilliam. Captain Hon. E. Willoughby. Hon. H. C. Fitzwilliam. Captain Chain. Lord Rossmore. Lord Valentia. Hon. H. Boscawen. Mr. Smith Dorrien. Captain Dansey. Mr. Hartopp. This was won by the ist Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards by four goals. In the same year the first inter-regi- mental match took place, and was fought out between the 9th Lancers and zoth Hussars, playing eight a side, on Hounslow Heath near the barracks, resulting in a victory for the i oth Hussars. These two regiments afterwards played at Woolwich, when the 9th won. At this early period of the game it was called ' hockey on horseback ' ; very small ponies were used, 256 POLO under thirteen hands, and the game was played with ash hockey sticks and a cricket ball painted white. Play of course was very different in those early days from what it is at present. Hard hitting was unknown, and the game, which was played almost at a walk, consisted mainly of dribbling and scrimmaging. Neither were ponies trained to the pitch of perfection that they now are, and anything was thought good enough to play on. Though to the loth Hussars belongs the honour of originating polo in England, the gth Lancers were mainly instrumental in bringing it into prominent notice, for they took up the game con amore when the loth went to India, and did much to further its popularity. In 1872 Captain F. Herbert, who had then just left the gih Lancers, started the Monmouthshire Polo Club, and the game began to find its way into the provinces. Then the Polo Club was formed, and Lillie Bridge was the principal arena of contest. Many regi- ments took up the game ; the Universities did the same ; Hurlingham awoke to the fact that polo was becoming a popular amusement ; the International Gun and Polo Club started operations at Brighton, and soon all chance of the game falling into obscurity was provided against. For a few years Lillie Bridge was the home of poloists, but about 1874 Hur- lingham began to assert its sway on their affections, and so gradually Lillie Bridge was deserted, owing partly to the ground there being very small, only some two hundred yards long, and polo flourished at Hurlingham, where it has ever since in- creasingly prospered. Improvements soon began to be made, rules were drawn up, and instead of the somewhat indis- criminate mere knocking about of a ball, the game was put on a more scientific footing. So with 1876 a new era for polo may be said to have dawned. Captain F. Herbert and Mr. Kenyon Stow were shining lights in those days, as they are still, and in time other good men and true came to the front, such as Mr. E. H. Baldock, Mr. Algernon Peyton, nth Hussars ; Mr. (now Captain) Wyndham Quin, i6th Lancers ; Mr. W. Ince-Anderton, POLO IN ENGLAND 257 Colonel Buncombe, Mr. Miller, &c., and a host of others, and polo grew and flourished apace, each year seeing it be- come more popular, while the numerous country clubs thai: sprang into existence often showed very creditable form. Since those early days, however, marvellous changes have taken place in the method of playing. Teams which often consisted of eight a side have been reduced to four, the slow game has given way to one played at racing pace, hard hitting has been substituted for dribbling, different forms of balls and sticks have been introduced, and skill both in hitting and play has so advanced that it is now quite a scientific game. Of course the number of players being reduced to four a side has contributed in no slight degree to the present style of play, but more may perhaps be ascribed to the hard and accurate hitting introduced by the Messrs. Peat, who first came into notice in 1877, and who a couple of years later began to assume the prominent position in the polo world that they have held ever since. To them also belongs the honour, conjointly with Mr. John Watson, of having introduced the back-hand stroke. Then, too, the way in which ponies are trained has developed into an art, for a good pony will not only turn, twist, and dodge at its rider's will, but will follow the ball of its own accord, turning as if by instinct directly a back-hander is hit. By degrees cups began to be played for, and trouble was taken in forming and laying out good polo grounds. At Hurlingham and Ranelagh ranges of stabling capable of holding nearly one hundred ponies were erected, Royalty patronised the sport with its presence, and Saturday after Saturday crowds flocked down to Hurlingham and Ranelagh to witness the game. In Ireland polo had taken root in congenial soil in the year 1872. Fostered and encouraged by such rare sportsmen as Mr. Horace Rochfort, Mr. Robert Watson, and others, the game rapidly advanced to a prominent position, while the ' horseyness ' of the game and the ' scrimmage ' so dear to the Milesian mind caused it to be extremely popular amongst the masses, who came 'in their thousands' to look on in the s 258 POLO Phoenix Park and pass their remarks on players and ponies often perhaps in uncomplimentary language, but generally very much to the point. Numerous county clubs now exist in Ireland, and none are in a more flourishing condition than the West Meath Club, which has sent a team nearly every year to compete for the All Ireland Open Cup. Carlow and Kildare are also well to the front as polo counties. About 1884 the larger stamp of pony began to be more used, though in earlier days there were some very nearly if not quite fourteen hands, notably, a grey belonging to Mr. Brockle- hurst and a white belonging to Mr. Reginald Herbert, on which animals these gentlemen are depicted as playing, in Mr. Earl's picture. Looking back at the changes that polo has undergone during the twenty odd years of its existence in Britain, it may be said that there have been three distinct phases or periods in the game, viz, the first period, when it was a comparatively slow, dribbling game, played on small ponies, of which the Messrs. Murrieta were the ablest exponents ; the second period, when the numbers were limited to four a side, and owing mainly to the Messrs. Peat, it became a fast, galloping game, in which, except for the placing of a man back to guard the goal, there was no organisation of the sides, each of the three forward players playing much as he listed ; and the third or present period, which, owing to Mr. John Watson, is quite a scientific game, each member of a team being assigned his position in the field, and having distinct duties attached to that position. It is therefore very apparent that now the ex- cellence of a polo team is not so entirely a matter of individual ability (though that is of course of very primary importance), but that it depends on combination, and on a man not only knowing his place and duties, but sticking to them and playing for his side, and not for himself. There is no doubt that when polo was first introduced into England it was looked upon generally as a purely and essentially military game, but public opinion* altered, and as POLO IN ENGLAND 259 civilian clubs started up in every direction, with very satisfactory results, it became evident that the sport, besides its individual attractions, encouraged and cultivated a very high class of horsemanship. A few years ago a match was got up at Dieppe between an English and a French team, and though the latter included one or two Americans the spectators exhibited all that excitement for which the French are distinguished. The teams were composed as under : English. Mr. Reginald Herbert. Mr. Arthur Peat. Mr. J. E. Peat. Mr. W. Ince-Anderton. Mr. E. H. Baldock. French. Due de Guise. Vicomte de Janzy. M. de Brainquant. Mr. Storer. Mr. Ridgeway. There was an enormous crowd present. The ground was kept by a regiment of infantry and enthusiasm ran high. Occa- sionally some gallant Gaul would rush in and pick up the ball when the game was going against his countrymen, while sacr'es ! parbleus ! and other French expletives flew about thickly, accompanied by much shouting and gesticulation. In spite of all, however, the English team won by the crushing majority of eleven goals to none ! A polo ground was subsequently started in Paris, but the sport never really flourished. Now, however, that French- men have taken to football, they may recognise the merits of polo. In fact, a polo club which numbers thirty-five members has now been started in Paris, and they have a ground in the Bois de Boulogne, near the skating club and pigeon-shooting enclosure. The Hurlingham Rules are those in force, and Prince Murat is the President of the Committee. By 1883 the game had found its way to the New World In Mexico City men of all nationalities used to play French, Germans, Belgians, &c. and though the standard of merit was not high, the love of the game is present. The cow- S2 260 POLO ponies, too, on which the ganie is played, though not fast, are wonderfully handy and quick at turning, more so than even some of our best polo ponies, a result arrived at by the bits in which these ponies are broken. The Mexican bit is a fearful jaw-breaking engine of torture, consisting of a curb bit with a large and broad port, having an iron ring attached to it that encircles the pony's lower jaw, and a single rein. The slightest touch of this is sufficient to bring a horse on to his haunches, and the consequence is that the mouth of an animal which has been broken in one of these bits is so sesitnive that sub- sequently you can turn and twist him where you will with a snaffle. There is now a capital polo club called The South California Polo Club, who have their ground at Santa Monica, a watering- place about eighteen miles from Los Angelos. Here in this equable climate the game flourishes exceedingly, kept alive by settlers from the old country, and the impetus lately given to horse-breeding in the district has produced a class of pony from which in the future even English players may recruit their studs. By 1886 the game had become so popular in the States that a Hurlingham team was invited to go over and try con- clusions with a representative American team and play a series of matches, our Transatlantic cousins giving a challenge cup to be competed for. A Hurlingham team accordingly went over captained by Mr. John Watson. But the series of matches fell through, for England's team defeated the best that America could produce in two consecutive matches at Newport, and no other men would enter the lists against them. The Americans made a plucky fight ; they worked hard and hit well, but they had no system in their play. They were mounted on mustangs,, which, though capital polo ponies, were not endowed with the speed of those belonging to their adversaries. The ground at Newport, though very level and beautifully kept, is small, about 225 yards long by 130 broad, and surrounded by boards. The cup, which was called the America Cup, and which is POLO IN ENGLAND 261 now (1890) at Hurlingham, was played for by the following teams : America, Mr. T. Hitchcock (captain). Mr. W. K. Thorn. 1 Mr. R, Belmont. Mr. F. Keen. Umpire. Mr, E. Winthrop. Hurlingham. Mr. John Watson (captain). Hon. R. Lumley, 7th Hussars. Captain Thomas Hone, 7th Hussars. Captain Malcolm Little, 9th Lancers. Umpire. Captain the Hon. C. Lambton. The system of combination practised by the English team and the superiority of their ponies enabled them to score an easy victory, and they brought the cup away with them, together with many pleasant recollections of the hospitality of their opponents. In Africa polo has now found a home, and Cape Town, Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg, and many other places can boast of their polo ground and club. In Australia the game was started as long ago as 1876 by Captain (now Colonel) St. Quintin, 8th Hussars, his brother, and Mr. Ware at Warnnambool, and subsequently at Sydney, where the Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, lent all the weight of his assistance towards making it popular. There is now a very good polo club in Adelaide, but somehow the game never quite ' took ' in the Antipodes as it has at home/ though it flourishes exceedingly both at Malta and Gibraltar. JAPANESE POLO Though differing widely from polo as we know it, and as it was played long ago in Asia, the Japanese game yet possesses a certain amount of interest owing to its antiquity. In Mr. Basil Hall Chamberlain's * Classical Poetry of the Japanese ' this notice occurs : 1 Mr. Thorn was the late popular Master of the Pau Foxhounds. 362 POLO In the first moon of the fourth year of the ' period Zhiuki (A.D. 727) the nobles and courtiers had assembled in the fields ot Kasuga, and were diverting themselves with a game of polo, when the sky was suddenly overcast and the rain poured down amid thunder and lightning, while the palace was left without guards and attendants. Thereupon the Mikado issued an edict confining the offenders to the guardhouse under strict prohibition of leaving its gates. Then follows an ode composed evidently by one of the soldiery, labouring under a feeling of disappointment and vexation at being thus 'gated.' One verse appears to allude to the keenness with which the writer and his comrades looked forward to the game. It is perhaps worth quoting. All the court for this entrancing Hour had yearned oh ! might it never end. Then upon our chargers prancing, Gaily side by side advancing, Through the fields our course we longed to bend. Known by the name dakiu, literally ' strike the ball,' the game which found its way into Japan from China in the sixth century, according to antiquarians, still flourishes in the former country, and though some years ago, during the troublous times that accompanied the extinction of the feudal system, it lan- guished and nearly died out, yet it has of late years been revived with great activity in all parts of the empire. The following account descriptive of the game appeared in the ' Times ' a short time ago from the pen of a correspondent at Tokio : The arena is aflat grassed rectangle, 216 ft. long and 60 ft. wide, enclosed by railings, or, better, by low banks 3 ft. or 4 ft. high. At the far or goal end beneath an arch of evergreens is a wooden barrier or screen, 8 ft. high, 12 ft. wide, and draped with flags ; and in the middle of this screen, at a height of 5 ft. from the ground, is a circular hole, 1-2 ft. in diameter, which opens into a bag-net, falling into a basket behind the screen. Right and left of the screen are stretched two horizontal wires, each carrying a POLO IN ENGLAND 263 row of large conspicuous scoring balls, usually from seven to ten in number. The wire on the right has red balls for the red side ; that on the left, white balls for the white side. Behind are stationed two scorers, whose duty it is to attend to the scoring balls for either side, as well as to proclaim each point made in the game by loud strokes on a drum for the white side, and on a gong for the red side. In front of the barrier, at a distance of 1 8 ft., is a padded railing, 3 ft. high, stretching across the course and marking the limit up to which the players may approach the screen. At the opposite or starting end of the enclosure another railing, 18 ft. from that end, also stretches across the course ; and behind it two heaps of balls are piled on the ground one red, the other white, together with two smaller heaps one of red balls hooped with white and the other of white balls hooped with black. An attendant tosses these balls as required into the arena for the riders, which, owing to the deduction of 18 ft. at each end (as above explained) measures 180 ft. by 60 ft. All the balls are made of paper with a cover of very small pebbles and bamboo fibre. Their diameter is 17 inch, and they weigh very nearly i^ oz. For playing the game each rider carries a light wand, called kiu-tsui, of tapering bamboo, only about inch in diameter at the thick end and 3 ft. 8 in. long. To its extremity is bound a flat, narrow strip of bamboo, bent over so as to form a semicircle of i '5-inch radius, the outer end of which is held in position by a silken stay passing obliquely down to the bamboo shaft, 2 inches from its head. The space is filled in with light open network, just loose enough to sink into a saucer-shaped hollow when weighted with the ball. Now for details of the game : On each side, red and white, there are an equal number of players usually from six to eight distinguished by the colour of their headdress, and the object of each side is to get a certain number of balls into the net at the goal. Seven is the ordinary number of plain balls for a side, and in that case seven scoring balls of either colour are strung out on the wires at the right and left of the screen at the beginning of the game, the signal for which is given by the umpire and echoed by a brisk peal from the gong and drum. The riders, previously drawn up at the starting-point, now press forward with the balls as thrown in to them by the attendant be- hind the rails. Carrying, passing, casting any means providing that the kiu-tsui, or stick, only is used are allowed for getting the balls forward, until they are finally pitched into the net from the hither side of the goal railing. Obstructive tactics are, of 264 POLO course, a prominent feature of the contest. To steal away and throw back the balls belonging to the other side ; to dislodge them from an opponent's kiu-tsui by striking the latter ; to put them out of play by striking them over the boundary ; to hustle and hinder a dangerous foe ; and especially to thwart him at the moment of attempting a cast into the net by shouting, brandishing your kiu-tsui before his eyes, or, better still, by arresting his weapon with your own all this is lawful, and is not less important than suc- cessful casting on your own side. One or two skilled players of each colour generally hover about the goal for these purposes, as well as to shield their friends from being baulked by adversaries. A ball once out of play cannot be touched ; a fresh one must be taken from the starting-point ; but there is no limit to the number that may thus be taken on either side until its required number has been thrown into the net. At each successful cast the scorers deal two blows on the drum or gong for red or white (as the case may be), at the same time withdrawing out of sight one ball from the corresponding scoring wire. At the seventh ball there is a merry peal of blows. Then the greater struggle begins. For after suc- ceeding with its plain balls, either side has yet to cast one striped ball into the net ; and, as victory rests with those who first accom-. plish this, the skill of every player is exerted to the utmost. There are generally, of course, some ineffectual tries. Sooner or later, however, success is achieved, whereupon a joyous crash from gong or drum proclaims the triumph of red or white. Two wins out of three generally constitute a set, unless the ponies tire earlier a point on which the umpire decides. The rules of the game are some twenty-two in number and would take up too much space to quote here, but it may not be devoid of interest to note that ' off-side ' is unknown in the Japanese game, that the lacrosse-like implements used are limited to a length of 3 ft. 4 in., the inside measurement of the net ' spoon ' being 3 inches in width by 3 J- inches in length, and the ponies are limited to a height of 14 hands. These are decidedly rough -looking, with coarse heads, strong, short necks, defective shoulders, and weak forelegs ; they unite the vice of a camel with marvellous endurance, not to say in- telligence, and some of them know the game almost as well as their riders. Take him all in all, the Japanese pony cannot lay POLO IN ENGLAND 265 claim to much admifation, and even the best would compare very unfavourably with the worst English or Indian polo pony. The stick used by the Japanese seems much the same as that described by the Byzantine historian Cinnamus, whom I have quoted in a former chapter, and there is but little doubt that the Japanese must have got the game through Corean Tartars, for, whether called 'chaugan' by the Persians, 'dakiu' by the Japanese, ' kanja-i-bazee ' by the Munnipoorees, or ' polo ' by us, in whatever form it may be played, it seems inseparably con- nected with the hitting of a ball with a stick of some sort from horseback. 266 POLO CHAPTER III POLO IN INDIA How, when, and where polo was first introduced into British India as a game for Europeans is a matter of controversy. Some believe that it came from Kashmir and Afghanistan, some that it was brought from China by the Irregular Cavalry after the war of 1861, and others again that it was known in the pre-Mutiny days, and authority for this last assertion is obtain- able. Certain it is, that though the game was a favourite pastime amongst the Moghul rulers of Hindustan as late as the sixteenth century, yet historians seem to be silent on the subject subse- quently, and there exists a hiatus in the mention of the game between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is probable, therefore, that it declined in popularity and died out. The first allusion to polo in works written within the last half-century that considerable research has enabled me to find, is contained in a very interesting volume by Vigne entitled 'Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh, and Thibet,' published in 1842. It is, of course, possible that Vigne may have mentioned having seen the game played in Thibet on his return to India, but I can find no evidence that, even if he did so, it was ever taken up. Vigne's account of polo as played in Thibet is so- graphic and interesting that I cannot resist quoting it and appending an illustration that accompanies the description which vividly de- picts the method of play, the ponies, and locality. He says: At Shirghur, in Thibet, I first saw the game of chauga'n, which was played the day after we arrived, on the myddn, or plain, laid out expressly for the purpose, being about three hundred and fifty POLO IN INDIA 267 yards, or thereabouts, in length, by about sixty in breadth, covered with a fine turf and surrounded by a low stone wall and rows of poplars or linden trees. Two pillars of stone are let into the ground at a short distance from either end, and the space between them, about ten yards, is the goal or home of the players. It is, in fact, hockey on horseback. The ball, which is larger than a cricket ball, is only a globe made of a knot of willow wood, and is called in Thibeti pulu. The stick, or byntu, is of the strong and straight bough of the almond tree, about four feet in length, and let in at the top and passed quite through to the end of a piece of solid birch wood about the size and shape of a drenching horn. The course is attended by numerous spectators, who remain upon the wall and watch the game with the greatest interest. A carpet was spread for the Rajah, and he invited me to sit beside him. Meanwhile a boy was blindfolded, and the sticks of all the players, whose number is unlimited but of course equal on both sides were put into his hands, and from these he forms the sides by placing one alternately on the right and left of him. The Gylfo's l band is in attendance and plays whilst the game is going on. It commences by one of the chief players perhaps a relation of the Gylfo taking the ball in the left hand, and then, allowing the reins to lie upon the back 2 of the horse, he starts off at speed, tosses the ball into the air, and does not often fail to strike it, sending it far and high towards the opposite side. Immediately it falls a desperate melee takes place in order to hit it, and the players, perhaps sixteen in number, are rarely at rest until the game is finished. The exact rules I did not learn. The horses of Little Thibet are small and active, and their long, uncombed manes and tails, together with the streaming black hair of their riders and the loose, pendent ends of the Thibetan turban, give to both horses and riders a most wild and picturesque appearance. I can conceive that chaugdn requires only to be seen to be played. It is the fit sport of an equestrian nation, and would be, I should think, an excellent exercise for cavalry. After alluding to the agility that the riders display, and to the fact that accidents do occur occasionally, Vigne con- tinues : The game is played in almost every valley in Little Thibet and the adjoining countries of Ladakh, Yessen, Chitral, &c., and I 1 Rajah or prince. 2 Query : Neck ? 268 POLO should strongly recommend it to be tried on the Hippodrome at Bayswater. I fear that the locality alluded to would hardly have suited players of the present day, but the above shows that forty years ago there was some idea of introducing polo into England, and Vigne on his return to the Punjaub and North-West Provinces may have spoken highly of it to some of our Native Cavalry officers, and so introduced the game to their notice. Several distinguished Indian officers, however, who were through the Sikh wars have told me they never heard of polo in the Punjaub in those days. The following account of it in Baltistan appeared in the ' Field ' in 1888 under the signature of ' Turbot ' : Towards six o'clock in the afternoon the Rajah, preceded by his musicians and followed by. the retainers (a very mixed pack), without whom a great man of Asiatic extraction appears to be unable to move, rode past my camp to inform the Zillah Sahib, or representative of the Kashmir Maharaja, that the game was about to begin. I therefore started for the ground, followed, according to the custom of the country, by all the available blackguards whom my shikari could gather together. . . . As we approached the polo ground strains of native music again played havoc with my nerves, and on our arrival we found a man dancing, and dancing uncommonly well, too, whilst awaiting the arrival of the Zillah Sahib. The polo ground itself is very picturesquely situated : cornfields, backed by a half-ruined fort to the east, a ridge of gravel with trees and buildings on it to the south, and, on the other sides, the great isolated rock with two forts on it which towers" above the town ; l a peep of the Indus, with the sandy plain 1 50 or 200 feet below the level on which we stood, and mountains bounding the view. The ground itself is an exact oblong, about 150 yards long and not much more than thirty yards wide, 2 bounded on three sides by a low stone wall, and on the fourth by a terrace ten to twelve feet high, on which the spectators were assembled in considerable numbers. The surface is partly gravel, partly short tufty grass, 1 Skardo, on the Indus, about 100 miles north-east of S'rinagar, capital ot Kashmir. 2 This is about the size of the ground at Le"h, where the game is played in the principal street. POLO IN INDIA 269 and altogether far from smooth. In an open space on the edge of the terrace there were two carpets, upon which my chair was placed ; and I was then ushered forward with great dignity by my shikari, Sumhud Khan. Meanwhile the dance continued, and I was watching it with great interest when the distant strains of more music reached my ears. This was the Zillah Sahib, on a small pony, ' attended by a brilliant staff' to use the correct expression and preceded by music which certainly made up in volume what it lacked in melody. The sounds grew nearer, buc our other band was not to be outdone, and stuck manfully to its own tune, so that the effect, if not exactly pleasing, was certainly impressive ; and, in the absence of speaking trumpets, my introduction to the Zillah Sahib was carried out in dumb show. By this time the dancer who, in addition to performing many vigorous and intricate steps, had been gradually working his way into a huge coat with tight sleeves, some two yards long succeeded in reaching the cuffs and finding his hands again, whereupon he retired, and the ground was cleared for polo. I was surprised at the good looks of some of the ponies, having rather expected to see under-bred beasts with cat hams and goose rumps, like the pictures one sees of Turcoman horses. On the contrary, these little ' tats,' though very small 12 hands 2 inches, and less showed any amount of quality, and a few were real little pictures, handsome enough for the Park at home. When they began playing, too, they slipped along at a wonderful pace, and moved with the straightest, truest action imaginable. They were half buried in huge saddles with a high pummel in front, and made of a number of folds of thick cloth. All had heavy cruppers and a broad surcingle over everything. As far as I could see the riders all used snaffles, and the reins were apparently made of thick rope, lapped round with coloured cloth, and only just long enough to reach over the pony's neck, with a single tail in con- tinuation, which must be very awkward for guiding an unwilling mount. I rode one of the ponies back to my camp and felt far from comfortable, being perched up on the great saddle nearly a foot above the pony's back with a useless end of rope in my hands instead of reins. If the little beasts were not just as keen as their riders about the game, I fancy it would be no easy matter to coerce them, as, apart from the question of reins, it would be no use to ' sit down and ride ' the pony ; all your exertions would lose themselves in the layers of cloth on which you were sitting. 2 ;o POLO There was a good deal of discussion and delay (probably choosing sides) before the game commenced ; but at last all the players were mounted seventeen or eighteen of them and they hit off. It began in rather a desultory sort of way, and there was no galloping for the ball or crossing sticks, as with us. Though there were so many people on the ground, the chief part of the play was confined to ten or twelve, several men appearing to be second horsemen or servants of some kind. The costume and appearance of the riders were decidedly various, some being all in white, with large white puggrees, and one or two with English boots and a sort of half-English get-up, riding very long, like a pair of half-opened scissors, whilst others were the wildest figures imaginable, with long, flowing hair and dark-coloured, loose cloths flying all about the place, and who rode with their knees up to their chins. On the whole, the riding was rather of a loose character, with a good deal of * by-action,' and arms flying about d la windmill ; but some of the players sat down as close and motionless as you please, and drove their little * tats ' along like workmen. Once the ball was started they certainly kept it going up and down the ground as fast as they could gallop, and several men played as good and pretty a game as you could wish to see. Their sticks are not the least like ours, being much shorter and having a curved club-head, in shape very much like the bowl of a German pipe. The handle is fitted in where the pipe stem would be, is very thin, and is not thickened or covered at the other end, except with a strip of calico for the hand to grasp. Those I handled were very clumsy and top-heavy, besides being a good deal heavier than those most of us play with. However, these people use them well, and hit straight, back hand, over the offside, and all their strokes going at full speed, and on a rough ground, which would certainly puzzle some of our good men if they tried 'to play on it. The balls are made of a hard, dark -coloured wood, and are durable and heavy. The goals at each end are marked by low white stones, much further apart than our goal posts in fact, I do not think they were much more than seven or eight yards from the boundary on either side. Hitting the ball between the posts was not enough to constitute a goal, though I could not exactly make out what they had to do in addition. The ball had to be hit on one side and then ' touched down ' somehow, as a man on the striker's side always jumped off and picked up the ball, sometimes POLO IN INDIA 271 with rather a scuffle with others, after it was struck behind the goal. At any rate goals appeared to be numerous, and, after each of them, the most peculiar part of the performance took place. One of the players on the winning side, not necessarily the striker of the goal, taking the ball in his left hand, started from the back line, close to the boundary wall, on the right hand side of the ground the way he was going, and galloped off as hard as he could send his pony along. As he got mid-way he transferred the ball into the hand in which he held his stick, and, tossing it into the air, hit it as it fell with all his strength. They very seldom missed it, and made splendid strokes, driving it nearly to the further end of the ground. It was very pretty to watch, and I was quite pleased when a goal was obtained that I might watch the hit-off. Whilst the game progressed the combined bands played a selection of music which depended for \\.<$> piano, crescendo, forte, &&& fortissimo effects on the character of the play, a good run being greeted with a banging of tom-toms and loud trumpetings, whilst a sudden drop to pianissimo condemned a bit of slow play or a total miss. To give the players their due most of the music was of a very vigorous character. The gallop and hit-off, especially if the latter was successful, were the occasions of redoubled efforts ; but the moments for which the musicians really longed were when the Rajah galloped with the ball ; then two enormous horns, about twelve feet long, with bells at the end which could have covered a small boy like an extinguisher, were reared slowly up to a horizontal position, the tom-tom wallahs grasped their sticks, and the Zillah Sahib's chief trumpeter distended himself with air, and, as their ruler started on his ride, every musician chose the note which experience told him was the most powerful that his instrument could produce, and blew his immortal soul into it. The great horns gave a mournful bellow, the trumpets brayed forth a brassy howl, the reeds squeaked in anything but unison, whilst as to the tom-toms, if the former wearers of the drum-heads could but have heard the hideous sounds that were to be produced by their remains, they would have been filled with consternation. So the game progressed, amid much excitement, till there came a truly civilised pause for refreshment, which appealed to my sympathies in a most natural manner. They did not run to whisky and soda, however, and, instead of cigarettes, passed round a large bubble-bubble. Then there was more galloping, more hitting-off of the ball, with the usual accompaniment of 272 POLO horrid sounds and harder riding than ever, varied by one stout gentleman in voluminous white garments, whose pony pecked and deposited him with a terrible souse on the broad of his back ; yards of puggree flew about the ground, with considerable dis- arrangement of his remaining attire, but he was immediately surrounded by sympathising menials, who gradually swathed him into shape again, the ball meantime flying about the ground, with riders dashing after it, as if this interesting toilet were going on a hundred miles off, instead of in their midst. By this time the sun had almost set, and a golden light spread itself over the country, glorifying the bright cornfields and bright- ening the old fort and the buildings that peeped out from amongst the orchards. Far away a torrent was roaring down from the mountains, its voice softened by the distance to a mellow murmur that sank and swelled on the shifting breeze. The musicians had brought their performance to an end, and the whole scene was picturesque and peaceful beyond anything else that I have ever witnessed. The game concluded with salaams from the Rajah and other players, to whom Sumhud Khan conveyed my thanks and com- pliments. I was presented with one of the sticks and given a pony to ride back to my camp. So ended an interesting sight, in a very curious and interesting place a spot lost in the heart of the Himalayas, where our best and one of our most popular games has been played for who shall say how many generations before the time we first saw it and added it to the list of our national sports ? There is a great amount of similarity in these two descrip- tions, but I have quoted them both as tending to show that but little alteration has taken place in the game in Thibet and Central Asia during nearly half a century, and we may conclude that polo is played there much as it was centuries ago. The game was known, however, and practised for many a hundred years far nearer our own frontier than the sterile wastes of Little Thibet, and though it slumbered long in comparative obscurity in this out-of-the-way nook, it was destined sooner or later to blossom into popularity not only in India but elsewhere. If the reader will glance at a map of India he will see lying between the British provinces of Assam and Cachar and POLO IN INDIA 273 the north-west of Burmah an immense range of mountainous country. In this great mountain tract lie snugly ensconced amid the hills that rise to an elevation of 6000 to 7000 feet one or two large valleys. The largest and most important embraces the independent state of Munnipore, the area of whose central valley is about 650 square miles, standing at an elevation of some 2700 feet above the sea level and governed by the Rajah of that ilk. The origin of the Munnipoories is obscure, as their written records were only composed at the time of their conversion to Hinduism in the beginning of the last century, and as such are . not reliable. But by a Shan account of the Shan kingdom of Pong we find mention of one Samlong,, a brother of the Pong king, having descended into the Munni- pore valley on his return from Tipperah in the year 777 A.D. This is the earliest record of the Munnipoories as a distinct race. Captain Pemberton attributes their origin to the Tartars and says : ' We may safely conclude them to be the descendants of a Tartar colony from China.' In this diagnosis he is doubtless right, for one has only to scan their features, high cheekbones, flat faces, and almond-shaped eyes to realise that they have a large share of Tartar and Chinese blood in their veins. This, however, is at variance with the opinion expressed by Captain McCulloch, who was Political Agent at Munnipore for over twenty years, and who in 1859 published an interesting pamphlet on the Munnipoories and the adjacent tribes. Be that as it may, no doubt Munnipore is the cradle of Indian polo, though it is unknown by that name there, where it is called kan-jai-bazee, and occupies as a national game the posi- tion that cricket does with us. Children commence practising the game on foot and on horseback from an early age, and proficiency in the game is viewed as a road to royal favour. A tradition exists amongst the Munnipoories that the game was introduced into their country more than 300 years ago by one of their rajahs, Pakungba by name ; but if Captain Pem- berton's opinion as to their origin be correct, it is more than T 274 POLO probable that the Tartars, from whom he believes them to be descended, brought the game with them, for it is distinctly of Tartar origin. The ponies used in the country are all home-bred, varying from 10 hands to 13 hands 2 inches in height, and though small are hardy, wiry, and active, with blood-like heads. For polo a pony of from 12 hands 2 inches to 13 hands is considered the best. The Munnipoories ride in a double-ringed snaffle made very thick, like a colt's mouthing bit, the reins being round and heavy. Their saddles, called sabul, are curious structures and enormously heavy, weighing some 30 Ibs., with both pummel and cantle projecting considerably. Attached to each side of this edifice, hanging on the ponies' sides and be- tween them and the riders' legs, which they partly protect from blows, are huge flaps of leather curled round at the ends, called naktung, which, in addition to serving their purpose as safe- guards to the riders' legs, make a tremendous rattling as the ponies gallop. The Munnipoories ride very short and only just insert their toes into the stirrups, which are broad and heavy. An elaborate number of trimmings over the pony's quarters com- pletes the get-up, and these, combined with the great lumbering saddle, almost hide the diminutive ' tattoos ' they bestride from view, little else but head, tail, and legs being visible. The Munnipoories invariably carry a whip made of plaited thongs of raw hide slung on the left wrist, though where they manage to hit their ponies, covered as they are with leather and trappings, is a mystery. Their sticks are made of light hard wood, the butt some eleven inches long, with a handle of well-seasoned cane inserted into it. These handles vary from four to five feet in length? according to the fancy of the player, and are considered of some value. Indeed, the Rajah has a special plantation near his capital where they are grown for the purpose. The end of the stick, or kan-jai, is covered with red or blue cloth for about a foot from the upper end, and to be the right length should reach the rider's elbow when the butt is resting on the POLO IN INDIA 275 ground. The ball, which is made of the root of a particular sort of bamboo called kundroom^ undergoes an elaborate pro- cess of seasoning before it is considered fit to play with. It then becomes very tough and as light as a cork, lightness which would hardly be considered an advantage by English polo- players, since it cannot be driven very far. The ground at Munnipore, where all the important matches are played at festivals and on great occasions, is 225 yards long by no yards wide, and is enclosed by a small bank of earth about two feet high all round. This keeps the ball within bounds and corresponds with the boundary boards at Hurlingham. No goal -posts are used, but the game is called as soon as the ball is hit to one end of the ground. The usual number of players varies from seven to nine .a side, but this is often exceeded, as many as fifteen a side sometimes playing ; but for matches nine a side is considered the correct number. They have few or no rules connected with the game, though some strategical science is exhibited, and they place their men somewhat in the fashion we do ours having a ' back,' who is the captain, looked after by a ' No. i ' on the opposite side, and who is generally mounted on a fast pony. They also have a ' half-back,' and the others are ' for-- ward ' players, who arrange themselves pretty much as fancy pleases them, though it is generally understood that the different players are to select some particular opponent to play against, The result is that they play pretty much in pairs, as in the old Persian days, and have a total ignorance of being * off- side,' which fact is indeed not recognised in the Munnipore game. Play begins by the two teams assembling in mid-ground when the ball is thrown in. If it is hit out of bounds it is thrown in where it was hit out. In a match a certain number of goals is decided on as the score, and the side that hits this number first is counted the winner. A player may knock away another's stick or may ride him out, but it is not considered fair either to hook an opponent's stick or his body. A player may change ponies as often as he likes, but play is never sus- T 2 276 POLO pended to enable him to do so, and men are placed round the ground with spare sticks to hand to any player who may have broken his. The Munnipoories never attempt to 'dribble' a ball, except perhaps for a stroke or two in order to get a fair swipe at it or to get it out of a bully, but it is all hard hitting and hard galloping from beginning to end. They greatly value their ponies, some of which thoroughly enter into the spirit of the game, following the ball of their own accord, hardly needing any guidance, and the owner of a really good pony will not part with it under any circumstances indeed, some years ago a rajah of Munnipore invaded Cachar at the head of a large army to recover a pony that the rajah of that country had taken from him, and a Munnipoorie has even been known to pawn his wife in order to purchase a pony on which to play the game. In fact, polo is the one idea uppermost in the Munni- poorean male mind, and professional players are highly paid for their services. I am indebted to Major-General Sherer and the ' Field' for the above notes, which I have had perforce to abridge con- siderably. To the latter journal I owe the following interesting description of the game, which I have transcribed literally : In striking the ball and using the stick Munnipoories are most skilful ; some of their ordinary strokes are never attempted by Europeans, and would seem almost impossible to a person who had not seen them. It is this use of the stick that enables them to give long odds to us, for in mere riding they are by no means our masters. The ordinary strokes that they use may be said to be six in number, three on the right hand and three on the left. On the right-hand side they practise the ordinary strokes back- wards and forwards, the blow being given, not from the wrist, but from the shoulder with the whole force of the arm. Besides these they have a two-handed stroke. When a player catches the ball he puts his pony to a gallop in a line parallel with the goal, throws the ball in the air, and hits it with the stick held in both hands, the reins being thrown on the pony's neck. Munnipoories generally succeed in this stroke, but it is seldom or never attempted by Europeans indeed, it is difficult in an English saddle and without a well-trained pony. On the left side the Munnipoories hit as POLO IN INDIA 277 freely and almost as strongly as on the right ; they are the ordinary forward strokes, and a back stroke, by which the ball can be hit either straight back or at right angles behind the pony's tail. 1 This is a most useful stroke and not difficult to acquire after practice although at first the beginner generally succeeds in hitting his pony's tail oftener than the ball. There is also a two-handed stroke on this side, the ball not being thrown into the air but hit along the ground, both hands being used to give greater power. Besides these ordinary strokes, with which every Munnipoorie is acquainted, and which are constantly used, there are many fancy strokes which are more for show than use. One of them is to hit the ball, when at rest, with a downward stroke, so as to make it rise in the air, catch it on the butt of the stick, and hit it away. Another is to hit the ball forward behind the pony's tail by a back stroke on the right-hand side ; but strokes of this kind are extremely difficult and only attempted by the very best players. According to our ideas of hands^ a Munnipoorie has none, and his way of turning his pony is by a rude jerk of the bridle and being ever ' at ' him with his whip. Consequently, when a Euro- pean gets on one of these animals a misunderstanding generally arises. Taking them all round the Munnipoories, with their long, streaming hair, their bodies naked to the waist, their quaint saddlery, and excited demeanour, give one a fair idea of the noble savage thoroughly enjoying himself. When playing by themselves and merely for practice the Munnipoories prefer to ride barebacked, and letting loose their long hair, and gripping the sides of their ponies with their naked, dark-hued legs, they flash hither and thither, making such abrupt and sharp turns and sudden pauses that it is difficult at times to realise that man and pony have not one will, as they seem to have one body. To Major-General J. F. Sherer, to whom I shall presently allude more fully, I am indebted for the following additional remarks on Munnipoories and their play. He says : To see kan-jai-bazet played in its greatest perfection one should go to the fountain-head of the game, at the Munnipore capital itself. 1 I have seen Mr. John Watson, Mr. F. B. Mildmay, and Mr. Arthur Peat perform this latter stroke several times at Hurlingham. 278 POLO I took my team up there in 1865, and the Maharaja got up several matches for me. I and my band, who had been so proud of our victories in Calcutta, were simply nowhere in Munnipore. We never won a single game. The game was fast and furious. The Maharaja's men were his picked team, the best players in the State clean, clever, and scientific in their strokes and sharp as needles. The Munnipoories, again, were no respecters of persons. It was quite permissible, and recognised as lawful, to ride at and through anything or anybody that came between the player and the spot where the ball lay. I was once caught in this position and dilemma, and was simply sent spinning, pony and all, and got considerably shaken and bruised. To return, however, after this long digression, to the ques- tion of when and where polo was first introduced into British India and attracted the notice of Europeans. There is but little doubt that it was first played in British territory in Cachar in 1854-5. Tea-planting was then only being started in that lovely valley, where some dozen or so planters had begun open- ing up their various estates. The valley and villages were full of Munnipoories, resident agriculturists who had been obliged to leave their native State for political reasons, or who had emigrated voluntarily, taking with them their families and polo ponies. Each group of these villages had its little native polo club, and games were of frequent occurrence. About this time, before the country was opened up, the tea-gardens were so scattered, and so far away from the Sudder station of Cachar, that except at Christmas or at the annual Doorga Pojah festivals the planters hardly ever came in to the station ; but when they did on rare occasions, a scratch polo match would be got up on the detachment parade ground between half a dozen Euro- peans and twice the number of Munnipoories that is to say, three Europeans and six Munnipoories on each side. Thus it came about that in 1854 the game attracted the attention of a young subaltern of the Bengal Army Lieut. J. F. Sherer, Adjutant of the Sylhet Light Infantry (now the 44th Native Infantry). Soon after this Lieutenant (now Major- General) Sherer was employed politically on the north-east frontier, and POLO IN INDIA 279 for eleven years had greater opportunities of seeing the game played than most men. Fascinated with the charms of the sport, he took to playing himself. Then came the stormy days of the great Indian Mutiny, when men's minds were turned to other and more serious matters, and it was more an object to hit a Pandy head than a polo ball ; but when the great wave of re- bellion had quieted down, Sherer and Captain Robert Stewart, who was then Superintendent of Cachar, and whose assistant Sherer was, 'started and organised a European polo club in 1859, and this they had no great difficulty in doing, for between 1854 and 1859 the European element had largely increased, and the game was becoming more popular and better known year by year. Before long some of the active young mercantile blood of the great Calcutta houses, whilst visiting their tea estates in Cachar, became bitten with the mania. They used to see Sherer, Stewart, and their merry men playing, and became infected with the disease to such an extent, that from time to time they took down balls and sticks to Calcutta, began to play in earnest, and started a club of their own. So popular did the sport become, that in February 1864 Captain Sherer took down his team of seven Munnipoories, who went by the name of the ' Band of Brothers,' to Calcutta, to show them how the trick was done. The game took like wild fire, and so Captain Sherer not only obtained the honoured title of ' the father of polo,' but was entertained at a great banquet in the Indigo Mart at Calcutta, and received more tangible recognition of the value of his services in being presented with a most handsome tankard and salver of solid silver. It was not, however, till 1861 or 1862 that the game was introduced into the Punjaub and North- West Provinces by Captain G. Stewart, of the Guides, and a Madras officer, Eustace Hill, of the Lahore Light Horse. About this time also Captain (now General) G. Stewart, C.B., late of the Guides, who had seen the game played in Cachar when staying with his brother, the late Colonel R. Stewart, then Superintendent of Cachar in 1862, formed a club at Barrackpore, and on his way to 28o POLO Peshawur the following year started clubs at Cawnpore and Mian Mir (Lahore), having brought up sticks and balls for the purpose. In Peshawur he also started it, and during 1863-4 it was regularly played there under its Munnipoorean name of kan-jdi bdzle bdzti meaning game, and kan-jdi hockey-stick. The game was also introduced at Hazaribagh about 1861-2. About that time Khaifa Singh and Konai Singh, two princes of the blood, were deported to Hazaribagh in consequence of constantly intriguing against the Munnipore Rajah. Of course their followers accompanied them, and as a Munnipoorie looks on his polo ponies, his sticks, and ball as his most precious possessions, they took these with them, and the pastime soon attracted the attention of Europeans. About the same period the Rajah of Kashmir became an enthusiast at the game, pel- khet, or ball play, as it was then called, having learnt it from some Khokhani prisoners. He established a capital chaugan maidan at S'rinagar some three hundred and fifty yards long by sixty yards in width, became a great proficient, and even used to emulate the feats of the Emperor Akbar by playing at night Avith burning balls. The game, however, must have been known long before this in Kashmir, and can only have been revived about the time I have mentioned. The game was also played in 1863 at Tonghoo in Burmah by the officers quartered there. During the summer of 1 864, Captain (now Brigadier) Kinloch, the well-known shikari and author, who was then serving in the Rifle Brigade, saw and played the game at S'rinagar, the capital of Kashmir, in company with several of his brother- officers. On their return from leave they introduced it at Meerut, where both the Rifle Brigade and the iQth Hussars took it up warmly. But it was not till some years later that polo was taken up seriously by Europeans ; the planters of Tirhoot and Behar that most sporting set of men gave it the initiatory start, and matches were of frequent occurrence. By 1865 the game was fairly established in the City of Palaces and Lower Bengal ; in Madras a game was played on the Island in 1867, and in 1874 it had really spread. The famine in Behar during that POLO IN INDIA 281 year caused many army men to be employed on the relief works. They learnt the game from the planters, and on re- joining their regiments introduced it. The 54th Regiment were then at the top of the tree, but when the loth Hussars went out, the latter soon demonstrated that small ponies were of little use against bigger ones. Then the 9th Lancers on their arrival in India in 1875 took to the sport in earnest, and to their example as well as to that of the loth Hussars and 54th Regiments, combined with the causes I have previously .alluded to, may be traced the popularity polo gained among riding men. During the great assemblage at Delhi in 1876, when regiments from all parts of India met, the question was :seriously discussed, an annual Inter-Regimental Tournament was resolved on, rules were drawn up, the four-a-side game adopted, and the pastime put on the footing it now holds. In 1877 the first of these meetings was held at Meerut, and the game there played was practically the same as that at present played in England. To Colonel St. Quintin, now commanding the 8th Hussars, but then in the loth Hussars, must be given the credit for calling this meeting at Delhi and putting matters on the basis they have assumed : he was unanimously elected Hon. Secretary of the Inter-Regimental Polo Tournament, and during his stay in India may certainly be looked upon as having been the leading man. The Inter-Regimental meetings gave a ; great fillip to the game, and from 1877 down to the present time these have been held annually either at Umballa or Meerut, with the exception of the years 1879-80, when the Afghan War prevented play. The 9th Lancers were the heroes of these gatherings, having won the tournament no fewer than five times, besides winning the Calcutta Open Cup in 1885, while the 8th and loth Hussars and the i7th Lancers can each claim two victories apiece, and the 5th Lancers two. In 1883 the loth Hussars presented a cup to be contested for by Native Cavalry regiments, and this is still kept up and played for annually. The Calcutta Polo Club also give a cup, open to all comers, and the Maharajah of Cooch Behar, that most 282 POLO sporting of Oriental potentates, took the game under his foster- ing care, rode first-rate ponies, and played vigorously, as he does still. The Maharajah of Mysore also gives a cup to be played for at Bangalore. The year 1877 may be said to have marked a new epoch in the polo as played in India, for larger ponies began to be used,. and play generally put on a more scientific basis. Previous to the ' eighties ' two or three ponies apiece were considered enough for any man, and there was a lack of that knowledge of strategy and tactics that is now necessary to enable a player to rank high. Combination in a team was unknown, and every one played more or less for himself. But all this has been changed. Seven or eight ponies apiece are now not un- common, and if a man does not ' play the game,' he is hope- lessly 'out of it.' Nowadays the great polo tournaments are looked upon as regular social events, and such is the esprit de corps existing that from the uttermost parts of the empire, and often at great expense, regiments send representative teams to compete in the great contests. When it is taken into consideration that each regiment often sends a stud of thirty ponies with their attendants several hundreds of miles to Meerut and Umballa by road and rail, it will be seen how great a foothold the game has now ob- tained, and in this respect none have perhaps shown greater pluck and enthusiasm than the 7th Hussars, i7th Lancers, 33rd and 25th Regiments. Right pleasant too are these great gatherings, when men from all parts of the empire congregate, and there is no surer place of meeting for old and widely scattered * pals ' than the Indian polo tournaments. The Nizam and nobles of Hyderabad also have of late years done much to encourage the sport, and enter into it with great zest and keenness. Both the Nizam and nobles main- tain professional players, whom they not only pay well, but mount on the best ponies that money can buy. Many of these men have come to the front wonderfully of late years and display most excellent horsemanship, together with all the POLO IN INDIA 283 suppleness that characterises Orientals, no mean advantage in a game. They lack combination, however, and each man plays too much for himself. It is a pity that one of these teams does not visit Hurlingham, and see if it could hold its own against such players as the Messrs. Peat, John Watson, &c. The betting would certainly be in favour of the Englishmen, but the contest would be one worth going a long way to see. That history repeats itself is a truism, and it is strange that a game once so universally popular in India should have been practically reintroduced by its conquerprs, and that some of the descend- ants of the Moghul horsemen who exhibited their skill at the Imperial Court of Agra and Lahore centuries ago, should now be amongst the most noted players of our Indian Empire. The Nizam of Hyderabad gives an open challenge cup which is played for annually on the polo ground at Secunderabad, and there is a polo tournament held annually at Poona which bids fair to rival that at Bombay. Others take place at Allahabad, Nusseerabad, and Calcutta, besides the Infantry Tournament and the Native Cavalry Tournament, in which latter only one native per team is allowed to play. And so north and south, east and west, in our great Indian empire the national game of its former rulers has again blossomed forth, and, like a green tree, grows and flourishes, nearly every station having its polo ground and club. Umballa in .particular boasts of no fewer than fifteen polo grounds, where play and practice take place most days in the year, and it is noteworthy that in 1884 the three great contests played at Umballa the Inter-Regimental Tournament, the Infantry Inter-Regimental Tournament, and the Native Cavalry Cup were all won by regiments quartered at that place. Polo grounds in India differ greatly from those at home, being very hard and fast, though very level, and easily found. During the hottest months of the year, viz. March, April, and May, the grass all dies down and the surface is little better than a dusty plain. Once the monsoon bursts, however, the grass springs up like magic, and though during the rains the 284 POLO going is heavy, by about October little fault can be found with them. Watering has been tried, and has in some cases proved efficacious, but as a rule rolling is all the attention they require. Thus since its initiatory start in 1854 polo has gone on steadily increasing in popularity, and nowadays there is hardly a station in all our vast Indian empire that does not possess its polo ground and club, most regiments, both of infantry and cavalry, native and European, having their teams. The game has improved vastly, discipline and strategy having taken the place of mere skill in the use of the stick and brute force, till now it may fairly be classed as the best and most popular pastime in the land. There is nothing new under the sun certainly, and soon, since ladies have taken to cricket, we shall probably hear of a ladies' polo team entering the lists at Hurlingham ! In a preceding chapter allusion has been made to some Eastern damsels participating in the game, and this example has of late been emulated in India, for Captain G. F. Younghusband, in his capital little book ' Polo in India,' gives the following amusing account of a ladies' polo match, which is so good that I must apologise to the gallant author for quoting it in extenso. 1 He says : The match was between four married ladies and four single ones, each side being allowed one of the opposite and more brutal sex to act as a support and backbone to the team ; but it was specially ordained that neither of them was to go up into the game and hit the ball about too much, or hustle in an unladylike manner. The game was a very fast and good one for about a minute, and then one of the unmarried ladies called a halt, on the ground that her veil was dreadfully in the way, and she must really take it off which she accordingly did, whilst every one waited and the male member of the team was called up and ordered to put it in his pocket ; an unreasonable and even tyrannical request when made to a man with next to no clothing on, and certainly no pockets in it. 1 A ladies' polo match was played in Ireland in 1890. POLO IN INDIA 285 Another minute of stern and businesslike play during which the two teams managed to hit the ball three distinct times between them and then Mrs. A. declared she could play no longer with gloves on, because she could not hold her stick properly ; and Mrs. B., having played so far without gloves, taking the opposite view, said she could play no longer without gloves, and that her rings hurt her dreadfully. So these two went off to the touch line, the one to take off her gloves, and the other to put them on This was a famous opportunity for all the rest of the party to discover that something or other was wrong with them, their ponies or their get-up. Having soothed and set straight every- body, the two males get off their ponies, light cigars, and sit down on the ground to await the development of affairs. After a quarter of an hour's rest they developed into another three minutes' play, during which a considerable improvement in the all-round play was noticeable, and one of the males hit a goal for his side, much to the indignation of all the ladies on the other side. Then followed two minutes' more play, during which the other male, incited thereto by the reproofs liberally administered to him by his own side, hit a corresponding goal for them. By the nature of things it was now, in the ordinary course of events, tea-time, and an adjournment for this necessary meal was at once decided upon. After tea, which occupied one way or another about half an hour, play was resumed. Every one seemed greatly revived, and some really good runs were made. It is quite astonishing what wonders tea works on the female constitution. So in our game tea made all the difference, and the play afterwards was really astonishingly good, considering the inexperience of the players. Having the off side of the pony quite clear, they could get a clean hit on that side, and those on handy, well-trained ponies appeared to be very nearly as active after the ball as men would be. As long as ladies play only in a ladies' game, and ride handy, well-trained ponies, there is no reason why polo should not, like hunting, become a pastime for our sisters and cousins and aunts as well as for our- selves. To return to our match. After, in all, about twenty minutes' play, it was voted that the game should be declared drawn, every one being too hot and tired to go on. Having thus traced the rise and development of polo up to- the present phase of the game with which most of us are familiar, it may be as well to say something, not only of the rules which 286 POLO govern it, how it should be played, the ponies used, &c., but of famous players who by their exertions and precept have tended to make it what it is. Even those who are most intolerant of sport cannot but acknowledge that polo is a fine and manly game, and one that has the advantage of being devoid of that element of gambling which has tended so much to degrade many of our other sports. For it is a sport that induces men to run personal risks for mere honour and glory, a refreshing reflection in these days, when the widely different terms of ' sportsman ' and ' sporting man ' are so frequently confused by the ignorant. 287 CHAPTER IV RULE'S AND BY-LAWS OF POLO THE Hurlingham Club stands in the same relation to polo as the M.C.C. does to cricket ; in fact, the Hurlingham Polo Committee may be considered the governing body of the game to make, alter, and amend all rules and laws connected with it. The committee who frame these laws are a powerful body, composed of men who thoroughly know the game, men who have been, and are players, and who are representatives of the leading polo clubs and regimental teams ; and therefore it will be patent, on glancing over the names of those acting on the committee for 1889, that rules approved of by such authorities are as good as they well can be. In 1889 the Hurlingham Polo Committee was made up thus : Viscount Valentia. Earl of Harrington. Sir Charles Wolseley, Bart. Edward Baldock, Esq. Captain Herbert. T. S. Kennedy, Esq. Major Cecil Peters, 4th Hussars. Arthur Peat, Esq. Richard Fort, Esq, Gerald Hardy, Esq. Captain Walter Captain Julian Spicer, Royal Horse Guards. John Watson, Esq. F. B. Mildmay, Esq., M.P. Earl of Airlie, loth Royal Hussars. Captain Heywood Jones. Capt.theHon. Richard Lawley 7th Hussars. i Captain Lament, Qth Lancers. Smythe (Manager}. 288 POLO RULES AND REGULATIONS 1. The height of ponies must not exceed 14 hands, and no- ponies showing vice are to be allowed in the game. 2. The goals to be not less than 250 yards apart, and each goal to be 8 yards wide. 3. The size of the balls to be 3 inches in diameter. 4. Each side shall nominate an umpire, unless it be mutually agreed to play with one instead of two ; and his (or their) decision shall be final. In important matches, in addition to the umpires, a referee may be appointed, whose decision shall be final. 5. In all matches for cups or prizes the number of players contending to be limited to four a side. 6. The duration of games in matches shall be one hour and ten minutes, an interval of five minutes between each twenty minutes of play being deducted from the above ; or four quarters, with intervals of three minutes. 7. In cup competitions the game in case of a tie must be played on till one side obtains a goal. 8. The side that makes most goals wins the game. 9. The game commences by both sides taking up their position in the middle of the ground and the manager throwing the ball in the centre. 10. If a ball is hit above the top of the goal posts, but in the opinion of the umpire through, it shall be considered a goal. 11. If the ball be hit behind the back line by one of the oppo- site side, it shall be hit off by one of the side whose line it is from a spot as near as possible to where it crossed the line. None of the attacking side shall be within 30 yards of the back line until the ball is hit off. If, however, the ball be hit behind the back line by one of the players whose line it is, they shall hit it off as near as possible to where it crossed the line, and all the defending side shall remain behind the ball until it is hit off, the attacking side being free to place themselves as they choose. 12. When a ball is hit out of bounds it must be thrown into the playground by the umpire. 13. A player may ride out an antagonist or interpose his pony before his antagonist so as to prevent the latter reaching the ball, but he may not cross another player in possession of the ball,, excepting at such a distance as to avoid all risk of a collision. RULES AND BY-LAWS OF POLO 289 Definition of l Crossing? If two players are riding from dif- ferent directions to hit the ball, and a collision appears probable, then the player in possession of the ball i.e. he who last hit the ball, or who is coming in the direction from which the ball was last hit must be given way to. 14. It is allowed to hook an adversary's stick, but neither under nor over an adversary's pony. 15. No player who is off side shall hit the ball, or shall in any way prevent the opposite side from reaching or hitting the ball. Definition of ' Off Side? A player is ' off side ' when, at the time of the ball being hit, he has no one of the opposite side be- tween him and the adversaries' goal-line or behind that goal-line, and he is neither in possession of the ball nor behind one of his own side who is in possession of the ball. The position of the players is to be considered at the time the ball was last hit i.e. a player, if on side when the ball was last hit, remains on side until it is hit again. 16. In case of a foul (viz. infringement of Rules 13, 14, and 15) the umpire shall stop the game, and the side that has been fouled may claim either of the following penalties : (a) A free hit from where the ball was when the foul took place, none of the opposing side to be within 10 yards of the ball. (b) That the side which caused the foul take the ball back and hit it off from behind their own goal-line. 1 7. Ends shall be changed after every goal, or if no goal have been obtained, after half-time. The ball must go over and clear of the line to be out, or to score a goal. If the ball be damaged the umpire must stop the game and throw in a new ball at the place where it was broken, and at right angles to the length of the ground. 1 8. Should a player's stick be broken he must ride to the place where sticks are kept and take one. On no account is a stick to be brought to him. 19. In the event of a stick being dropped the player must pick it up himself. No dismounted player is allowed to hit the ball. 20. No persons allowed within the arena players, umpires, and manager excepted. 1 Though rare, occasions may arise when a player may catch the ball in his hand. In this event he is entitled to carry the ball up to the goal and hit it through ; but in such an event it is permissible for an opponent to ride over U 2 9 o POLO BY-LAWS T. That, in the event of any player having a fall, or if, in the opinion of the umpire, any player shall be hurt in any way to pre- vent his playing, the umpire shall in that case stop the game and allow time for the dismounted man to mount, or the injured man to be replaced. On play being recommenced the ball shall be thrown in where it was when the accident occurred. 2. Every regiment having among its officers four members of the Hurlingham Club, and starts a team in the Inter-regimental Polo Tournament, and which is not already represented, shall have a right to elect one officer (being a polo player and a member of Hurlingham) as a member of the Hurlingham Polo Committee ; and this officer shall be a member of the committee for one year from the time he is elected. 3. That in future the charge for the ball be done away with, and the game commenced by the manager throwing in the ball. 4. In order that all members may play during the afternoon, the manager shall have power to shorten the time and stop the match or game at the appointed hour. 5. All polo clubs must be registered with the manager on May 10 in each year. A book of rules and members of such club to be forwarded at time of registration. 6. In matches for cups or prizes the ponies must be bona fide the property of the club or regiment contending. 7. No spurs with rowels allowed, except on special occasions when sanctioned by the committee. 8. Each pony to be passed under the 14-hand standard by the manager and two of the polo committee. A book to be kept by the manager in which the height of all ponies belonging to mem- bers is to be entered. A pony five years old or aged, after having been passed, is not required to go under the standard again. 9. Not more than four players on each side are allowed to play, the members arriving first at the Pavilion to have the pre- cedence. him and knock him down. This is an unwritten law, founded, perhaps, on the way the Persians played the game. It is one that requires strict definition, and the attention of the Hurlingham Polo Committee might well be directed to it, as well as to the necessity of passing some rule about left-handed players. RULES AND BY-LAWS OF POLO 291 The rules for the game as played in India, and revised at Meerut in March 1888 by the Inter-regimental Polo Tourna- ment Committee, which occupies to Indian polo the position that Hurlingham does to the English game, are practically the same, though there are a few differences, the most prominent of which I will quote from a copy now before me. Rule i. Each game shall consist of six periods of 8 minutes each, exclusive of stoppages and intervals. Time shall not be called while the ball is in play, unless the game shall have lasted 48 minutes, when time shall be called irrespective of the ball being in play. (This applies only to Inter- regimental tournaments ; at the other tournaments either four or five periods only are played.) Rule 3. In the event of a tie the game shall be continued another 8 minutes, the goal flags being placed 44 feet apart. Rule 7. The maximum height of ponies shall be 13 hands 3 inches. Rule 14. At each end of the ground, in the centre of the back line, there shall be a goal marked by flags, which shall be 22 feet apart. Rule 1 8. To start the game the umpire shall have the ball placed in the centre of the ground. Two players on opposite sides shall cross their sticks, heads upwards, over the ball, after which any player may strike the ball. By the above extracts it will be seen that, though the method of starting the game is somewhat similar to that which we are accustomed to in England, the periods of play are shorter and the goal flags wider apart. The rules of the Cachar Kan-jai ] Club, as determined at a meeting held at Silchar on January i, 1863, are quoted by Captain G. J. Younghusband in his interesting little volume, ' Polo in India,' and they may well call up a smile on the reader's face. The rules are twenty-three in number, and are much the same as those now in force ; but Rule 9, which says that ' any player may interpose his horse before his antago- nist's, so as to prevent his antagonist from reaching the ball, 1 Kan-jai is the Munnipoorie name for polo. U 2 292 POLO whether in full career or at the slow pace, and this despite the immediate neighbourhood of the ball,' would be a very fruit- ful cause of accident if adhered to in the present galloping game. By Rule 15 it is enforced that, ' as a general rule, in regular matches, no player can use fresh horses, or no horse have fresh riders.' It would indeed be a wonderful pony that could carry its rider through the whole of a game as at present played ! Rule 20 infers that ' spurs and whips may be freely used, but only on the rider's own horse. To beat an adversary's horse is foul play.' How a player could use his spurs on another man's horse is not very clear, but the game must have been rather of the rough-and-tumble order in those days to necessitate such a rule. Perhaps Rule 2 2 is the most remark- able. It enacts that ' it is to be understood that no player shall be under the influence of " Bhang-gouja," or spirituous liquors.' As a matter of fact the sportsman of to-day, whether he be a hunting or shooting man or polo player, is decidedly of the abstemious order, and more given to the consumption of tea and lemon squashes than the spirituous ' peg ' of brandy or whisky and soda. Of course in those days, following the example of the Munni- poories, from whom they learnt the game, the Cachar sportsmen rode small ponies of about twelve hands two inches, or under, and the ground, which was rectangular in shape, was smaller, being only 200 yards in length by 120 yards in width. The following is a list of polo clubs registered at Hurling- ham : The Monmouthshire County Club. Colottrs red 6 white. The Hurlingham Club. Colours blue <&> silver. The Sussex County Club. Colours orange &> lilac. The Ranelagh Club. Colours pink &> white. The Barton-under-Needwood Club. Colours maroon &> light blue. The All-Ireland Polo Club. Colours red & gold. 'The Freebooters.' Colours white. Carlow County Club. Colours red &> white. The West Essex Club. RULES AND BY-LAWS OF POLO 293 The Hertfordshire County Club. Colours blue &*> 'white, The Manchester Polo Club. Colours chocolate &* yellow. The Liverpool Polo Club. Colours chocolate & pink. The North Devon Polo Club. The Gloucestershire County Club. Colours bhie 6 red. Oxford University Polo Club. Colours dark bhie. Cambridge University Polo Club. Colours light bhce. Maiden Erleigh Polo Club. Leeds Polo Club. Wirral Polo Club. Colours yellow 6 black. Ashtead Polo Club. Colours scarlet. The Hampshire County Club. Canterbury Garrison Polo Club. Aldershot Garrison Polo Club. The Kent County Club. Colours yellow &> white horse. The Derbyshire County Club. Colours yellow &* black belt. Priory Polo Club. Colours yellow &* black. The Essex County Club. Colours red &> white. The Houghton Club. Colours green 6 white. The Middlesex Club. Colours black &* white. The Edinburgh Polo Club. The following is a summary of the winners of the principal cups played for in England, Ireland, and India year by year. Hurlingham Champion Open Date Final tie played between Won by 1877 Monmouthshire Club and Tyros . Monmouthshire Club 1878 Monmouthshire Club and Fifth Lancers Monmouthshire Club 1879 Hurlingham Club and Monmouthshire Hurlingham Club. Club iSSo 1 Sussex County and Hurlingham Club . Sussex County 1881 Sussex County and Hurlingham Club . Sussex County 1882 Sussex County and All- Ireland Club . Sussex County 1883 Sussex County walked over for Cup. 1 In this game one of the Sussex team got hurt after playing only ten minutes, and Sussex played and won the game with only four players to their opponents' five. 294 POLO Hurlingham Champion Open Cup (continued}. Date Final tie played between Won by 1884' Freebooters and Sussex County . Freebooters 1885 Sussex County and Freebooters . Sussex County 1886 Freebooters and 7th Hussars Freebooters 1887 Freebooters and Derbyshire Club Freebooters 1888 Sussex County and Freebooters . Sussex County 1889 Sussex County walked over. Free- booters, having had one of their men hurt, scratched. 1890 Sussex County and Derbyshire . Sussex County Hurlingham Inter- Regimental Tournament. Date Winners of Cup Date Winners of Cup 7th Hussars 7th Hussars 7th Hussars 5th Lancers loth Hussars 1876 1878 1879 l88o Royal Horse Guards (Blues) 5th Lancers 5th Lancers 1 6th Lancers 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1881 1882 1883 j6th Lancers 5th Lancers yth Hussars 1889 1890 9th Lancers 9th Lancers Hurlingham Infantry Inter- Regimental Tournajncnt. Date i8oo 2 Winners 5th (Northumberland) Fusiliers 1 In this year four side was first played. At the end of the second quarter Captain Hornby was hurt, and Sussex County played three to four. 2 This tournament was inaugurated in 1890, when the Hurlingham Club gave a handsome cup to be competed for. Five regiments sent representative teams ; viz. The Coldstream Guards, The Buffs, 5th Fusiliers, yth Royal Fusiliers, and Munster Fusiliers. The final tie was played between the Coldstreams and the 5th Fusiliers. RULES AND BY-LAWS OF POLO 295 Hurlingham Open County Cup. Date Final tie played between Won by 1885 Gloucestershire County Club and York- Gloucestershire shire County Club Club 1886 Gloucestershire County Club and Ox- i Gloucestershire ford University Club Club 1887 Derbyshire County Club walked over. 1888 > Kent County Club and West Essex Kent County County Club Club I88 9 Barton - under- Needwood Club and Barton-under- Priory Club Needwood Club 1890 Berkshire County Club and Ashtead i Berkshire Club County Club All- Ireland Open Cup. Date Winners of Tournament Date Winners of Tournament 1878 7th Royal Fusiliers 1885 Freebooters 1879 7th Hussars 1886 Freebooters 1880 Scots Greys 1887 All-Ireland Polo Club 1881 $th Lancers 1888 All- Ireland Polo Club 1882 All- Ireland Polo Club 1889 Freebooters. 1883 County Carlow Club , 1890* All- Ireland Polo Club 1884 5th Lancers When the All-Ireland Polo Club first gave this cup to be played for, it was a challenge cup, to be won two consecutive years before becoming the property of the winning team. The only team who have won the cup are the Freebooters, who won it in 1885-6. They then presented a new challenge cup open to all teams, to be won three years in succession before becoming the property of the holders. Since 1882, with the 1 Only two teams entered for the cup this year. 2 In this match two members of the i5th Hussars who were playing in the final tie against All-Ireland met with accidents, and so the military team scratched. 296 POLO exception of 1884, when he did not play, Mr. John Watson has captained the winning team every year. All- Ireland Polo Military Cup. Date Winners of Cup 1886 1887 1888 I oth Hussars 1 6th Lancers 3rd Hussars Date Winners of Cup 1889 1890 4th Hussars 4th Hussars Indian Inter-Regimental Tournament. Date Played at Final tie played between Won by 1877 Meerut 9th Lancers and loth Hussars 9th Lancers 1878 Meerut 9th Lancers and loth Hussars 9th Lancers 1879 \ The Afghan campaign took place during these years, 1880 } and consequently no polo tournament was held. 1881 Umballa loth Hussars and 9th Lancers i oth Hussars 1882 Meerut i oth Hussars and 9th Lancers i oth Hussars : 1883 Umballa gth Lancers and Rifle Brigade 9th Lancers 1884 Umballa 9th Lancers and 8th Hussars 9th Lancers 1885 Meerut 9th Lancers and 8th Hussars 9th Lancers 1886 Meerut ! 8th Hussars and Carabiniers 8th Hussars 1887 Umballa ; 8th Hussars and Carabiniers 8th Hussars 1888 Meerut 1 7th Lancers and 7th Hussars 1 7th Lancers 1889 Meerut 1 7th Lancers and 7th Dragoon Guards 1 7th Lancers 1890 Umballa 5th Lancers and I7th Lancers (ist team) 5th Lancers There was formerly no trophy attached to this match, the winners getting merely the entrances. Now, however, it has been decided that there shall be a challenge shield, like the Elcho Shield, &c. In 1883 the Earl of Airlie (then Lord Ogilvy), zoth Hussars, presented a cup to be played for in an inter-regimental tourna- ment by infantry regiments only, and after some discussion it was decided that this cup was to be held for a year only by the regiment who won it, and that it was not to be a challenge RULES AND BY-LAWS OF POLO 297 cup, nor ever to become the property of any winning regiment. This cup was first played for in 1884, and the following regi- ments have won it : Infantry Inter-Regimental Tournament. Date : Played at Final tie played between Won by 1884 Umballa 25th K.O.B.'s and 2nd Queen's 25th K.O.B.'s 1885 Meerut 25th K.O.B.'s and 95th Regt. 25th 1886 Meerut 33rd and K.O.B.'s . 33rd D.W. Regt. 1887 Meerut 33rd and 1 8th R. I. F. 33rd 1888 Umballa 33rd and i8th R.I.F. 33rd 1889 Umballa 25* K.O.B.'s and i8th R.I.F. 25th K.O.B.'s The loth Hussars also gave a cup for native cavalry, which has been kept up ever since. All these military tournaments are held in March. Bombay Open Cup. Date Played at Won by 1883 Bombay Central India Horse 1884 55 Central India Horse 1885 55 Bombay Gymkhana Club 1886 55 Poona Gymkhana Club 1887 55 Poona Gymkhana Club 1888 55 The Nawab Vicka-ool-Oomra of Hyderabad's team 1889 55 7th Hussars 1890 55 7th Hussars The Bombay Open Cup is a challenge cup, and has to be won three years in succession before becoming the property of the winning team. There is also an open cup played for at Calcutta, given by the Calcutta Turf Club, started some years ago, after which it was discontinued, and revived in 1888. In that year and 1889 the i yth Lancers won the cup, beating the Calcutta Club team in the final tie ; whilst in 1890 the first team of the Calcutta 298 POLO Polo Club were the victors. The 9th Lancers also won this cup in 1885, and a tournament is held annually in March at Nusseerabad in Rajpootana, and also at Allahabad, for a very handsome challenge trophy given by Mr. C. J. Connell, of the Civil Service, but complete records of winning teams connected with the above have unfortunately not reached me at the time these pages go to press, so I am obliged to omit them. An annual tournament is held at Mean Mir in the Punjab. This, since its institution in 1886, has been won every year by the 1 2th Bengal Cavalry, who have successively beaten the Lahore Polo Club, the 33rd Regiment, the i8th Bengal Lancers, and the Queen's Bays (the latter twice). In 1890, when playing against the last-named regiment, the i2th Bengal Cavalry won by 9 goals to love ; and it is somewhat remarkable that out of their team which was composed of Mr. C. Gough, Ressaldar Sarfaraz, Duffadar Heera Singh, and Sowar Futteh Khan the three native members should have played every year for their regiment in the winning team. The Mysore Tournament was inaugurated in 1890, when the Maharajah gave a handsome cup to be competed for. This was won by the 2ist Hussars. 299 CHAPTER V GROUND, BALLS, STICKS, GOAL-POSTS, ETC. To be perfect, a polo ground should resemble as closely as pos- sible that on which cricket is played. It should be as level as a billiard table and as smooth as a lawn. No doubt many polo grounds do not fulfil these requirements, and a fair game may be played on these that do not quite come up to the standard. Still, playing on an inferior ground is not the same thing as playing on a good one. As types of what a good ground should be, let me mention those belonging to the Hurlingham, Barton-under-Needwood, Ranelagh, and Derbyshire Clubs that of the latter at Elvaston Castle having been laid out by the Earl of Harrington, whose name is as much associated with polo as it is with hound and horse. A polo ground should be rectangular in shape, 300 yards long, and 180 yards wide. That at Hurlingham, it maybe mentioned, is almost 300 by 175, though the ends are considerably narrower. Opinions vary as to how it should be marked out, whether enclosed by boards one foot high, merely defined by a narrow strip being cut out of the turf, or marked with whiting like a lawn tennis court. No doubt the former method makes the game faster, by keeping the ball within bounds, but it is open to two or three objections. First, that it introduces a new element into the game, by enabling a man to hit far the boards at an angle and get the ball on the rebound ; secondly, that the keeping the ball within bounds affords no breathing time to the ponies ; and thirdly, that ponies unaccustomed to boards 300 POLO frequently stumble over them. No doubt for on-lookers a game played on a ground enclosed by boards is far more ex- citing, but whether it is viewed by players in the same light is a moot point. In fact, I am not far wrong in surmising that most players of note prefer an unenclosed ground. It is a fact, however, that during any of the important cup matches or inter- regimental tournaments at Hurlingham the boards are always removed. At one time the ground at Hurlingham was enclosed by stift posts and rails, but this gave rise to so many accidents, owing to ponies trying to jump them, that boards were substi- tuted instead. In some grounds a narrow bank of earth about nine inches high is used to mark the boundaries. This is the case in Munnipore and Thibet ; and it seems to me the method least open to objection, as it keeps the ball within bounds to a certain extent, cannot be played at for a rebound stroke, and can offer no impediment to ponies. The necessity for the ground being level, and free from lumps and holes, must be apparent to every one. If these exist, the ball hops too much, and even the best player will miss his stroke when the ball is lying in or against one of these obstructions. Given the means of watering and rolling &c., it is no difficult matter to keep a good polo ground in order, even during a season in which it is played on four or five days a week, and as an illustration I will quote the means adopted for doing this at Hurlingham, where the ground always seems per- fection. At Hurlingham 2,827 feet of piping are employed, and the water is obtained from eight hydrants fitted with brigade junctions and centrifugal distributors. The force that conveys the water to these hydrants is supplied by a pulsometer pump capable of pumping up 1 7,000 gallons an hour. By these means the polo field, which consists of about seven acres, can be flooded to the depth of one inch in ten hours. This appara- tus has been fitted up at a cost of 7007. In a dry summer it is of course invaluable, as the turf always rides light and elastic, and the good done is incalculable. Ponies now stand work much GROUND, BALLS, STICKS, GOAL-POSTS, ETC. 301 better than they used to formerly, when the ground was fre- quently hard. Breakdowns are not nearly so numerous inci- dents which were not only expensive, but disheartening and, lastly, the ground is safer to fall on, owing to its softness. Directly play is over, about twenty men and boys are employed to go all over the field and tread in any parts of the turf that may have been cut up ; then the water is laid on, and the next morning several hours' rolling makes the ground appear almost as if it had never been played on. In Iskarado, Thibet, Baltistan, and Munnipore aptly called the cradles of polo grounds vary considerably in shape and size. In Baltistan, for instance, they play on grounds about 150 yards long by 30 yards wide ; in fact, in many places the polo ground is often the main street of the village. In Kashmir grounds are some 350 yards long by 60 yards wide ; those on which the Munnipoories play are some 225 yards long by no yards wide Experience, however, tends to show that a ground 300 yards by 180 yards is the size best adapted to the game as now played in Great Britain, and where space is available these dimensions are generally adhered to. We now come to the subject of balls. When the game was first started in England it was played with ordinary hockey sticks of bent ash or oak and a cricket ball painted white, after- wards superseded by an indiarubber ball. This latter, however, gave way to a wooden ball ; and in 1879 Mr. Holbrow, of Eagle Place, Piccadilly, invented a cork ball covered with leather ; but this proved a failure, being found to be too light. Even- tually, balls made of willow wood were substituted, and these have been considered the ' sealed pattern ' ever since. In India balls made from bamboo root are always used, and these were tried at Hurlingham, but they were not approved of generally. The Munnipoories always use a ball made from the root of bamboo, which they take considerable time and trouble in seasoning and preparing ; but I question whether they are better than the willow-wood ball, and are decidedly not so suitable for the slower grounds of Britain, however much they 302 POLO may be for the faster Indian ones ; and, though not so liable to split, they are certainly more expensive. The balls at present in use are regulated to three and a quarter inches in diameter, and weigh about five ounces. They cost from five to six shillings per dozen, and about sixty dozen are used annually at Hurlingham. Polo sticks vary in size, weight, shape, and length according Polo sticks. to the fancy of the player. The head is made of birch, willow, mango, sycamore, or some other hard wood, and is of various shapes, curved more or less, flat, round and cigar-shaped. The head of the curved and flat shapes, whose edges should invariably be rounded, varies from 7 to 9 inches in length by 2 inches in width. The cigar- or cylindrical-shaped heads are 9 inches long, 2 inches in diameter in the centre, and taper GROUND,.BALLS, STICKS, GOAL-POSTS, ETC. 303 towards the ends. These drive fairly well, but they are very apt to get under the ball and make it rise, particularly on bumpy ground. The cane handles are made of ordinary or sometimes of Malacca rattan, and are let into the heads at a hole drilled near the centre, at any angle the player likes. The more acute the angle the greater are the facilities for hitting the ball when it is some distance off, and you get a more sweeping stroke. The stick is tightly bound round with waxed thread at its lower end where it joins the head. The tops of the handles are either flat or round, and bound with soft white leather or indiarubber, so as to afford a better grip to the hand, and are generally furnished with a wrist-strap. It is best to have these wrist-straps made of tape, which, whilst preventing the stick leaving the hand from a blow, will yet give, if the stick be caught by any means. Nasty accidents have occurred owing to a player not being able to disengage his stick from his hand, and so being pulled off his pony. Flat handles are the best, as they are not so apt to turn in the hand. A polo stick measures on an average from 4 ft. 4 in. to 4 ft. 6 in., but the length must depend greatly on the man who is using it and the height of the particular pony he is riding at the time, besides the strength of his wrist. As a general rule, and as a safe standard to go by, a polo stick should be of such a length that when the man using it is mounted, and grasps it in his hand, letting his arm fall to its full length by his side, the head should just touch the ground. In weight polo sticks vary from 15 oz. to 21 oz. each, but as every man has his particular fanc\, it is impossible to say which is the best. The illustration opposite will show the most favourite forms of sticks. The Thibetan 'byntu,' or polo stick (sketched from a stick in the museum at Kew Gardens), differs much from our own, but though a very rough implement the players are very dexterous in its use. The handle, which is made of cherry or sometimes of tamarisk wood, is let into a sort of groove in the head, which is made of hard, heavy wood. This is clamped with a band of roughly wrought iron and further secured 304 POLO by a thin rope made of twisted yak's hair, and this lashing is continued for some little distance up the stick above its junction with the head. Amongst Eastern polo-playing races the goal posts con- sist generally of permanent upright stone pillars, which are always depicted in old illustrations of the game, some of which will be found in this volume. Such things, however, in the polo field at home, consider- ing the pace at which the game is now played, would not be tolerated for an in- stant, and would prove a fruitful source of danger, not only to the players themselves, but to the ponies. Thick wooden posts were generally used at Hurlingham fixed into a socket in the ground and sawn nearly through at their base. Thus in the event of a pony colliding with them they would give way and break. These are, neverthe- less, dangerous, for the material is hard, and the post even when it falls may give an awkward knock. Sometimes, too, the pre- caution of partially sawing the post through may be neglected, when the consequences of a collision are very serious ; then thinner posts were used, but one or two nasty acci- dents proved that these also were open to Thibetan polo-stick ob J ectio in the event of their splintering, or -byntu' By far the best form of goal posts yet in- vented is that now used at Hurlingham, introduced by the Earl of Harrington. These posts consist of hollow cylinders of papier mache bound round with thin brass wire, having a diameter at their base of some 9 inches. A slight stick fixed in the ground inside them is sufficient to keep them upright, and being light and elastic they give to the slightest concussion. They are manufactured by the Willesden Paper Company, and should certainly be used on every polo ground. GROUND, BALLS, STICKS, GOAL-POSTS, ETC. 305 As an illustration of the dangers of the thick wooden posts, even when partly sawn through, I may mention a couple of incidents which I witnessed in the season of 1889 at Hurlingham. During a match between the loth Hussars and a Hurlingham team, Captain the Hon. H. T. Allsopp and Mr. Alfred Peat were racing for the ball, which was on the very confines of the goal. Eager with the excitement of the moment, Captain Allsopp either did not notice the goal post or else miscalcu- lated his distance from it. Be that as it may, there was a serious collision, a crash, a sound of cracking timber ; the goal post flew one way and the gallant Hussar and his pony rolled over like a shot rabbit on the other. The fall looked bad, but for- tunately was unattended with any more serious consequences to the hard-headed soldier than a black eye and a cracked rib, altogether a lucky escape. The next day or the following one these papier mache posts were substituted, and another collision occurred with a goal post. This time Captain Fergusson, of the Blues, was the player who matched his cranium against the post, and I shall not forget his look of astonishment when he found that he was unhurt, and that his pony did not come down with him. Telegraph boards showing the numbers of goals made by each team are also no unimportant adjunct to a polo ground when a match its in progress, for, independently of the interest that the game has for the spectators, it is useful to the players, who in the heat and excitement of play can hardly remember the exact state of the score. So6 POLO CHAPTER VI BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 1 THINK I am within the limits when I say that no one has yet determined what breed of pony is most suitable for the game. Each race has its distinctive merits, and every man who plays has his own rdeas on the subject. On certain qualifications, however, all are united, and it is generally admitted that for a pony to be really first-class it must have speed, intelligence, staying powers, a sound constitution, suppleness or the power of turning quickly, and last, but not least, good temper. The pure British breeds of ponies, such as Exmoors and Shetlands, we may dismiss at once, as their small size renders them quite unfitted for the game, but other ponies may be di- vided thus : Undersized thoroughbreds, Barbs, Arabs, Syrian or Egyptian ponies, Indian country-breds, American, New -Forest, and improved Exmoors. Let us glance for a moment at the respective merits and demerits of these various breeds, bearing in mind the while the combined qualities that are requisite, and hat the points that make a good hunter apply equally to a polo pony. * Blood will tell ' is a common and very true saying, and it is apparent that an animal bred expressly for racing must be endowed with the greatest speed. The pluck of a thorough- bred also enables him to go on till he drops. ' But here, I think, the advantages of thoroughbred horses cease. They have not always the very best of tempers, many of them cannot carry great weights, and in this it must be understood that my remarks apply to thoroughbred ponies^ animals which from their BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 307 being undersized have never been thought worthy of being ' put through the mill ' in a racing stable. The thoroughbred pony does not seem to withstand the constant strain he has to undergo in twisting and turning during a game of polo ; his constitution is very often delicate, and his narrow formation in front and high withers prevents him from turning very sharply. I am aware that, with regard to this question of a narrow high wither being a detriment to turning power, I differ from many whose opinion is entitled to respect, and though I freely admit that a pony must turn on his haunches, yet he must supplement the action with his shoulders. Of course, there are and have been brilliant exceptions in the case of high -withered ponies, such as The Fawn, Dynamite, Dancing Girl by Sefton, &c., that must be very near if not quite thoroughbred. But exceptions prove the rule, and I could instance many other thoroughbreds that have proved a dismal failure on the polo ground. Unsound wind, that curse of our thoroughbred stock, is also a disease to which such ponies, or rather horses, (for such they are) are liable ; and though ponies, as distinct from horses, are more free from diseases of the respiratory organs, yet they are often unsound in this respect. As an in- stance, Esmeralda (the property of the Messrs. Peat) is generally admitted to have been the best polo pony ever known, yet she was latterly unsound in her wind, and other similar instances might also be adduced. Much, therefore, as there is to admire in the speed, gallantry, and the game qualities of our English thoroughbred qualities which eminently fit him for the hunting field and racecourse yet it must be admitted that, as a rule, he lacks others which, if he is to train into a perfect polo pony, are necessary. Though not endowed with the speed of English ponies, Barbs and Arabs certainly have all the other necessary qualities that I have alluded to. Above all they have brains. To look at the clean-cut patrician head of a Barb or Arab, with the broad, intelligent forehead, tapering muzzle, full, gentle eye, and large, fine nostril that you can almost see through, and to compare him with many English animals will convince the x 2 308 POLO observer that the brain power lies with the Eastern. It is these brains that enable an Eastern horse to traverse in safety such ground as he is often called on to gallop over in pigsticking (ground, be it remembered, far different from that on which he has been reared and to which he has been accustomed), and turn and follow a boar of his own accord ; and likewise it is this same reasoning power that fits the two breeds so eminently for polo ; in fact, they take to the game and understand it sooner than an English pony will. In this necessity for brain power I am aware some will differ from me and as an illustration of the nature of the objection I will quote the Earl of Airlie, one of the best men in his day, either in the polo or pigsticking field. He says, ' I do not think you want too much brains or too good a memory. Too much brains tends to a recollection of nasty blows and cuts. I have had Waler pigstickers as good as any Arab, and as good country-bred polo ponies with a little Arab blood in them as any Arab ponies.' Personally, however, I should prefer for any purpose a horse with brains to one without them. It has been urged against Arabs and Barbs that their shoulders are faulty. No doubt many of them do possess this defect, but does not the objection apply equally to English animals ? and I suppose no man who wanted a good polo pony would buy or breed from a bad-shouldered Arab or Barb, any more than he would buy or breed from an English animal possessed of similar malformations. The shoulders of Eastern horses do not, as a rule, please the eye of men who are accus- tomed only to English horses, as their withers are almost in- variably low and thick. But such formation, if not indicative of speed, points to staying powers, and, to compensate for this possible want of speed, Arabs and Barbs have shoulders reced- ing at an angle, and with a shaping of the scapula that assures them liberty of action. This formation of the shoulder, which is thicker than that usually seen in English horses, but of a good slope, is a true formation, and one that denotes weight-carrying capabilities. Such a good authority as Youatt in describing BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 309 the Arabian says : ' In the formation of the shoulder, next to that of the head, the Arab is superior to any other breed. The shoulder has the proper inclination backwards. It is also thickly clothed with muscle, but without the slightest appear- ance of heaviness.' It must be remembered also that whatever claim our English horse has to good shoulders he derived originally from the Arabian and Barb. The bone of the Eastern Barb pony Awfully Jolly. horse also is even closer in its ivory-like consistency than that of the English thoroughbred. If you examine a really good Barb, such, for instance, as Lord Harrington's sire Awfully Jolly (who, by-the-bye, is in the Stud Book), you will see that he really has beautifully oblique shoulders, though from his exceedingly low wither they may at first sight appear heavy. Put a saddle on, however, and see what you have got in front of you what rein there is and then be no more sceptical. The constitutions of these 3 io POLO Eastern horses are grand, and instances of their suffering from diseases of the respiratory organs are rare and exceptional. They are well turned over the loin, and have not only great length from hip to hock, but above all are thick through the heart. Of course in the mere matter of speed they cannot come up to the standard of English thoroughbreds, and not being built on the same lines they labour under a disadvan- tage in this respect ; but they possess many other and perhaps more desirable qualities, not the least being their docility and the ease with which they are trained. The standard of a good hunter as given by a friend to ' The Druid,' and quoted by him in ' Post and Paddock,' has not much to be found fault with, and amongst other points this authority, whose name is not mentioned but who is described by the author as ' one of the finest horsemen and judges of the day,' says : ' Had I to choose a hunter by one point only, it should be his head ; for I never knew one with a small, clean, intelligent face and prominent eyes, to be bad.' ' The Druid's ' friend was right, and any one who runs over in his mind all the best polo ponies he knows of, will find that they had intelligent heads. Syrian ponies are not very well known at present, though there have been a few very good ones, such as Algiers (late Bledah), a grey, the property of Captain Jenner, of the gth Lancers, which was one of five that a brother officer imported from Algiers. With the exception of Algiers, however, none of them turned out of very high class. Among the best Syrians at present in England may be noted Sinbad, a grey, belonging to Mr. J t R. Walker ; and Saladin, a chestnut, now the property of Mr. Percy Hargreaves, both very nice ponies, showing a deal of quality, besides being quick and active to boot. During the winter of 1887-8 Mr. Walker went to Cairo with a view of purchasing some of these ponies. No sooner was his object known than he was beset with Arab dealers anxious to sell their animals, nearly all of which had only just come in after a fifteen days' march across the Arabian desert from Syria, where BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 31 1 both water and fodder are scarce. Needless to say they were hardly in 'dealers' condition,' and as the Arab bit is a very severe one, and the Arab saddle frequently causes a sore back, the poor brutes' skins were chafed and their mouths bleeding more or less. Yet they were wonderfully tractable and easy to turn. The make and shape were there ; the animals were sound ; Mr. Walker was not long in making his selection, and certainly both Sinbad and Saladin turned out trumps. It Syrian pony Algiers. may perhaps not be uninteresting to state, as a proof of how readily Eastern ponies take to polo, that the first ride Mr. Walker ever had on Sinbad was in a ' quarter ' at polo on the Cairo ground. The pony had only just come in from his desert march, and had never seen a polo stick or ball in his life, and yet he played then as well as he does now no slight meed of praise ! The average cost of these ponies was i8/. apiece. We now come to the Indian ' tattoo,' or country-bred pony. Only a few years ago people opened their eyes with astonish- 312 POLO men! when it was rumoured that 1,000 rupees had been given for a polo pony, for not long previously less than a third of that sum was deemed a high price for the usually vicious squealing little beast of the country. But when the era of polo dawned, a new avocation in life was found for the ' tat.' English, Arab, and Australian blood had been infused into the race, and made him what he now is. Thus he has rapidly risen in the equine social scale. A pony that but fifteen or twenty years ago could be bought for prices ranging from fifty to a hundred rupees, has now risen to four and five times the latter sum as raw material, and a thousand-rupee trained pony is nowadays by no means a phenomenon. Any animal with four tolerably sound legs, even when unbroken, is unobtainable at any of the great Indian horse fairs for less than 300 to 400 rupees, and if in addition it can carry weight, and exhibits a fair turn of speed, the price goes up by leaps and bounds. For an animal with a reputation there is no difficulty in finding a purchaser at four figures in rupees of course. Very recently, of six polo ponies belonging to an officer in India, not one went for less than 950 rupees, whilst four belonging to another averaged consider- ably over this sum. At the sale of the i7th Lancers' ponies after the Inter-Regimental Tournament this year, 1890, forty- three ponies averaged 802 rupees each, and one, an Arab named Happy Lad, belonging to Captain Renton, realised 1550 rupees. But ten years ago this officer was supposed to have paid an enormous price for a pony named Rosamond (who is still playing) when he gave 250 rupees for her. This shows how the demand is increasing. Some of these ponies are very good, being not only fast, but very quick at turning, and, though often rather plain-looking and cow-hocked (not a bad fault in a polo pony, by the way), there have been some very good ones amongst them, notably Paleface, a dun. This pony, lately brought home by his owner, Colonel St. Quintin, of the 8th Hussars, is as clever as a monkey, and knows more about the game than many men. The iyth Lancers, reputed the best-mounted regiment in India, had some capital country-bred ponies, notably Pole- BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 313 star, now thirteen years old, formerly the property of Mr. E. D. Miller, but now belonging to the Rifle Brigade quite the type of a 13-3 weight- carry ing, galloping pony and New Guinea, a dun mare belonging also to the same owner. Joe, a dun pony belonging to Captain Renton, is also quite a celebrity, and the perfection of a light-weight pony. Marguerite is another wonder, though there is some doubt of her being a country- bred, as she came to India after the Egyptian War with some \ Indian country-bred pony ' A bad sort." troopers, and may be a Syrian. Yellow Jack, a beautiful chest- nut pony, and Conqueror, a very bloodlike bay, both belonging to the Earl of Airlie, were also great celebrities in India. Conqueror is now in England, is the property of the Hon. E. Baring, and played in the loth Hussars team at Hurling- ham in 1890. This pony was on board ship at Suakim during the battles of Teb and Tamai. Country-bred ponies, though they do not possess the staying powers of Arabs, are, as a rule, 3H POLO quicker at starting, though an Arab can, if properly trained, and put through the riding school, be made equally quick. Besides this their price is considerably lower. Altogether the ' tat ' is by no means a bad animal on which to play polo if once he is ' Europeanised.' During recent years the fashion as regards ponies in general has undergone a great change, and nothing has brought about this result more than polo. Size, substance, breeding, and speed have been aimed at, and in many cases obtained by crossing pure- bred Exmoor and other mares with both thorough- bred and Eastern stallions, and the result is an animal that can not only gallop, but carry weight, and is in many instances a miniature hunter and racehorse combined. Some polo ponies, it is true, have no pure pony blood in them, being merely, as I have before said, undersized thoroughbreds. But many of them combine the points of a Leicestershire hunter and a thorough- bred racehorse, and the result is a picture of formation in an animal that would doubtless have been a horse had not some freak of nature ordained otherwise. It is an undeniable fact that an infusion of Eastern blood has in the past considerably improved, even if it has not been the making of, our present breed of thoroughbred horses, and this opens up the question as to the advisability of again recurring to the strain for the improvement of our ponies, and particularly the breed of ponies suitable for polo. The first or even second cross might indeed be no great success according to some theories, but that it would tell in the long run, if done judiciously, is, I think, not open to contradiction. An improved Exmoor mare by an Arab or Barb sire, put to a small, neat thoroughbred horse with a strain of Venison or Newminster blood in him, ought to pro- duce something very near perfection. The dash of Eastern blood would answer for soundness of constitution, quickness, bone, sagacity, and freedom from roaring, while that of the thoroughbred would produce symmetry, gameness, and speed. Mr. Knight and Sir Thomas Acland have greatly improved their breed of Exmoor ponies by adopting this course, and it is BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 315 a matter for reflection if their example should not be more widely followed. And now to glance at Barbs. These have all the good points of Arabs, and as a rule have better shoulders. Moreover, they are far cheaper, not only costing less money in their own country, but, as Morocco is within only a few days' sail of Eng- land, they cost less to import. This, with their wear-and-tear constitution and the ready way they take to the game, makes them by far the most suitable polo ponies for a poor man or a beginner. Many of these Barbs are imported to Gibraltar and Malta, and are often wrongly called Maltese ponies, and thence find their way to England. Smuggler, Spider, The Bay, Saracen, Awfully Jolly, and other well-known ponies are all Barbs. A word here with regard to the history of the last named, which is not only curious, but has a dash of humour connected with it. Awfully Jolly was stolen in a raid with several other ponies and women, and brought into Tunis. Here the ladies were sold as slaves and went to various harems and other more menial occupations, the ponies being exported to Gibraltar and Malta. So highly were these ponies thought of by their plun- dered owners that they sent a message into Tunis, saying that if the plunderers would only return the ponies they might keep the women, and all would be forgiven and forgotten ! In 1877, at Malta, Lord Harrington one day saw Awfully Jolly drawing a cabbage cart, and noticing the animal's shape entered into conversation with his owner and bought the pony, as he could not persuade any one else to do so. He was then only two years old. Lord Harrington rode him, and thought him so good that he entered him in the races. The little animal won six out of seven races for which he ran. Lord Harrington gave i5/. for this pony, and within a week after purchasing he played polo on him. His owner brought Awfully Jolly with several other Barbs over to England, and the little animal soon earned a great reputation as a polo pony. After playing for a couple of seasons, however, he went to the stud. Here his 3i6 POLO first produce out of English mares were AH Baba and Jenny, who both have the highest character as polo ponies. Then for a few years Lord Harrington left off breeding ponies and crossed Awfully Jolly with big mares, getting some rare hunters, one or two amongst them being up to 14 stone. About four years ago, however, he embarked in pony-breeding again, and the paddocks at Elvaston show some wonderful stock got by the Barb, Ally Sloper and Aunt Sally being two very smart ones. Awfully Jolly mast have over a hundred of his get in Cheshire and Derbyshire alone, and to not one of them can the term ' bad ' be applied, nor have any of his foals died from disease. This speaks volumes for the Barb cross. Standing 14 hands \\ inch, a dark chestnut with a blood-like head, wonderful shoulders, which slope back and are strong at the top without being heavy, the length in front of the saddle is marvellous when you look at Awfully Jolly. Nearly all his stock inherit these points, as well as his low wither, which is not only a great advantage for measuring, but enables them to turn quickly. His back is short and strong, loins and quarters are muscular, though the latter droop rather and have the low set on tail that distinguishes a Barb from an Arab. Deep back ribs, great depth in front and through the heart, and fresh, clean, flat legs, that a two-year-old might envy, with extraordinary bone, complete the picture of what a pony sire should be ; and when it is remembered that Awfully Jolly was foaled in 1875, it must be admitted that he carries his years bravely. In my remarks about Barbs it must be understood that I am talking of the Barb horses, not ponies. These latter vary from 12 to 13 hands 2 inches, and do much the same work in Morocco as the ' tattoo ' does in India. Their size, conse- quently, makes them too small for polo. The Barb horse, on the contrary, varies from 14, to 14 hands 3 inches, and is some- 1 what difficult to procure of a good stamp, for in that country, which is a hotbed of despotism, the Sultan and the unscru- pulous myrmidons who constitute his court will not allow a poorer subject to retain a really good animal. Directly one is BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 317 known of, it is seized. The consequence is that when a man finds he has anything really good he disfigures and even often maims it, and so no encouragement is given to horse-breeding. The best Barbs come from some distance inland, from districts into which in the anarchic and lawless state of the country it is difficult to penetrate ; but many find their way to Tunis and Algiers, and thence into the markets of Gibraltar and Malta. Though Barb ponies are bred everywhere, there is a district about seventy miles from Mogador which is celebrated for its horses, and this would be the place to make for by any one desirous of importing a good animal, and let him take a measuring stick with him ; for it is astonishing how the eye errs in measuring an animal when long accustomed to see only those of a certain height. A few South American ponies have found their way to England. Some of them are remarkably good, and none better than the little bay Dublin, belonging to Major Peters, 4th Hussars. Though small, Dublin is very compactly made, fast, and as quick as lightning in turning. Some of the Califor- nian ponies are also very good, but though very quick, they are somewhat deficient in speed, have ewe necks and light middle- pieces ; but they are sound, serviceable animals, and in the South California Polo Club Mr. G. L. Waring's Santa Clara, Mr. W. H. Young's Marquis, Mr. E. Woodhouse's Miss Jummy, and Mr. J. B. Proctor's Rex, are all quite celebrities and very varmint-looking. These ponies can be bought very cheaply viz. from io/. to i2/. apiece and so must recommend them- selves to players with shallow purses. New Forest ponies can never be said to have made any mark as a breed suitable for polo, though Rosealba, the pro- perty of Mr. Gerald Hardy, bred in the New Forest by an Arab sire out of a Forest pony, has earned a name for herself. Speaking generally of New Forest ponies, they may be classed as more suited for harness than saddle work. As a rule, they are small, thick, but strong-shouldered, short-necked animals, 3i8 POLO with good backs and on short legs. When taken up and well fed, however, there seems no limit to the work they can do and the pace they can go in harness. Their small size arises probably from starvation and want of shelter as colts and the general disregard of proper crossing exhibited by their owners. That a strong vein of Arab blood existed amongst them at one time is undoubted, but it has been much neglected. Mares are half starved, and the grazing of the Forest contains but little nutritive element. The question has, however, been taken up of late by the Verderers, and some good pony stallions, inter alia., one Arab sent by Her Majesty, imported into the district ; but it will take many a generation before the breed becomes fit for polo, if ever it does. 1 Many good ponies come from Connemara, in Ireland, where the breed is celebrated. They have a strong dash of blood in them, and those crossed with English thoroughbred sires have produced some of the very best polo ponies known. Considered briefly, I think it may be taken that the best cross for an all-round polo pony is between an Arab or Barb sire and a good English polo pony mare. Given the sire, it is not a matter of much difficulty to obtain a mare. Any one who has been often at Hurlingham must have observed that mares preponderate amongst the ponies played, the reason being that mares generally do not grow up so much in their withers, and so are easier to get under the standard of measurement, and amongst thoroughbreds are smaller, and so are more suitable for polo than racing. Every season, owing to accidents and breaking down, many of these mares become of no use to their owners, except to breed from, and as most men have neither the taste nor opportunity to do this, they can be bought very reasonably, and so for no very great outlay a mare can be secured and the services of a sire obtained, the result being what will probably turn out a good polo pony. 1 The question of pony-breeding in the New Forest has now been taken up again. Her Majesty has sent down another stallion, and every effort is being made to encourage the breeding of a better stamp of animal. BREEDS OF PONIES SUITABLE FOR POLO 319 It would tend much also to improve the breed of ponies generally, and polo ponies in particular, if the committees of the Hurlingham and Ranelagh Clubs and those of horse shows were to follow the good example set by Lord Harrington at his shows at Elvaston and Gawsworth, and have classes and offer prizes for young stock likely to make polo ponies, year- lings, two-year-olds, and three-year-olds. This would not only prove of great interest to polo players, but would show what was the best animal to perpetuate as most suitable for the Otium cum dignitate. Brood mare and foal : Abbess, and Jolly Nun by Awfully Jolly. game. With regard to the controversy that has lately been raging about Arab blood I have nothing to say at least as far as breeding hunters is concerned but I contend that for ponies both Arabs and Barbs would do much. From them as sires would be got suppleness, intelligence, stamina, bone, and a sound constitution all qualities more or less lacking in our English stock whilst English mares would supply speed and shape ; and when you have got an animal combining all these qualities, what more is required, as far as a polo pony is concerned ? 320 POLO After all, though, theory proves nothing. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The proofs of a good polo pony are his performances and his ability to stand work. Let these tests be applied and then let every man form his opinion. Still I venture to assert that a cross with a Barb sire and a good polo pony mare should produce an animal that will neither disgrace its rider nor its parentage on the polo field. 3 2I CHAPTER VII THE TRAINING OF PONIES To a man who has the time to devote to it, the training of polo ponies is perhaps one of the most interesting points con- nected with the game. More satisfaction will be derived from riding and playing a pony that you have trained yourself than from one that has been broken by some one else, and a sort of camaraderie and mutual understanding will be established that cannot be produced by other means. In fact, a pony generally works for his trainer or breaker better than for any one else, just as a dog will. Of course, every one cannot spare the time to do this, but to him who can the following hints may prove of some use. Of course these remarks apply mainly to English ponies, and not so much to Arabs and Barbs, which take to the game much quicker and require less training. If you want to get perfection, keep your eyes open, and if you can see or hear of a pony as near a miniature racehorse as possible, on short, strong legs and good, sound feet, that will just measure 14 hands, with plenty of substance and bone, buy him. See that in addition to the above points he has a clean, well-bred head broad forehead, with full, intelligent eye well set on to a lean neck, which means a good mouth ; for if head and neck are not put on right, no art of man can make the perfect mouth so necessary for a polo pony. The shoulders should be as perfect as possible. The back should be short, loins strong, and the ribs well arched. The quarters should be Y 322 POLO long and muscular, and the hind legs bent a bit at the hocks- and coming well under the animal ; for a pony with a straight hock will never turn quick enough. Given all these, besides a good temper and courage, and it will be your own fault if your pony does not become all you can desire. To play polo a pony should be a perfect ' school ' animal, and the lessons he will learn in the riding-schoolsuch as pas- saging, reining back, and the ordinary circles and changes will prove invaluable. The following necessary qualifications in a good polo pony, which appeared in a late issue of Hayes's ' Sporting News,' are so much to the point that I cannot refrain from quoting them. The writer says : ist. A pony should be able to strike off from the halt into the canter or gallop. 2nd. He should be able to De brought to the halt at the fastest gallop in a very few strides. 3rd. He should be trained to change his leading leg the moment the proper ' aids ' are ap- plied. 4th. He should go at any rate of speed (between his natural limits) his rider may wish. 5th. He should be capable of being made to passage to the right or left at a canter. We will suppose that you have been fortunate enough ta become the possessor of such a paragon, and that you have bought him unbroken. Your first step will be to treat him kindly and get him to know you and care for you. This can very easily be done. A carrot, an apple, or a lump of sugar,, given whenever you go near the pony, and also whenever he plays, both before and after a game, will soon make him con- nect your presence with delicacies such as he delights in, and, though the love may be cupboard love, it will be the first step gained towards winning his affections. Select as your training ground as large and as open a space as you can. If the pony's education is carried on in a small field, he gets to know his way about it too well, and will prob- ably pull, when going towards the place he has come in at and hang back when going away from it. The best plan to counteract this is to put your spare sticks &c. in a different part of the field each day. The pony knows that you stop THE TRAINING OF PONIES 323 there to rest, and also before finally leaving the field, and if the place is altered each day he will get confused, and not know what he is going to do. This will make his will subservient to yours, which is one of the primary objects to be attained. After hacking him about a bit, and having got him to carry you quietly and turn to right or left from leg pressure and hand at a walk, begin by cantering him and make him canter in the figure of 8. Let the 8 be large with wide curves to begin with, and gradually lessen the circles, until you can get him to do the smallest 8 at the greatest speed. This course of training may be varied by taking the pony up and down the ' bending ' course, as he may get tired and bored if kept too long at the ' 8's.' The ' bending ' course is a capital institution, of which I believe the Earl of Harrington was the originator about eight years ago. Two lines of sticks should be set up 20 yards apart and parallel to each other. The sticks should be about 7 feet high and 8 yards apart. They should be about an inch square with the edges rounded off, and care should be taken to place them perfectly upright in the ground, and not too deeply, so that they can easily be knocked over. Then begin by cantering your pony up one side and down the other zigzagging between the posts, increasing your pace as your pupil shows aptitude in learning his lesson. One set of posts is sufficient, but two are more advisable, as it will be as well to train two ponies in company. I may here remark that this * bending ' competition is the most invaluable practical test of a really good polo pony. In fact, it may be regarded in the same light as a ' trial ' between racehorses, and a pony who can win this in good company- may be looked on favourably as a made polo pony. In proof of my assertion I would only add that Esmeralda, the property of the Messrs. Peat, was never beaten at it ; Jenny, The Girl, and AH Baba (all the property of the Earl of Harrington) have also won this competition at Hurlingham, Elvaston, and elsewhere against all comers ; and in 1889 a three-year-old pony, also belonging to his lordship, named Y 2 324 POLO Ally Sloper, by Awfully Jolly, who had never played polo, won at Folkestone against several well-known polo ponies. With regard to bits opinions vary, but I may quote Lord Harrington's views on the subject, for few ponies are better broken than his. He says : ' Personally I am in favour of breaking ponies in severe bits and using easier ones afterwards. All Eastern horses are broken in severe bits, and I have never ridden horses with such good mouths.' There is much truth in this argument, and no doubt it will commend itself to many ; 'but this matter is of course one of taste, and the breaker of the pony must adapt himself to cir- cumstances and judge for himself. Training should be done gradually, and a pony should never, if he is to turn out well, be brought too hurriedly into a game. Some men knock a ball about for a bit on a pony and then take and play him in a game. This is a fatal mistake ; like everything else, the education of a polo pony must be graduated he must be led on step by step, and not crammed or rushed through. A pony may be looked upon as a baby, .and must be taught on the same principle, viz. by slowly giving him confidence. He cannot be hurried, or he will never become trustworthy. It will be as well to get him thoroughly accustomed to the stick before a ball is hit off his back. Some ponies shy away when they catch sight of a stick, particularly if they have at any time been whipped or ill-used. When your pony has become thoroughly accustomed to the stick, and takes no notice of its being moved up and down by the side of his head or whirled round, you may then take a ball ; and here it is a good plan, if the pony si at all nervous, to begin by hitting a hollow india- Tubber ball, as, being noiseless, it will be less likely to upset his equanimity. Hit it first at a walk, then at a trot and a canter. Do this for several days before galloping at it. When your pony understands this part of the performance it will be a good plan to canter him about with other ponies, so that he may learn not to become excited when galloping among them in THE TRAINING OF PONIES 325. a game. If circumstances should allow of your acting as umpire in a game, ride your pony then ; this will get him ac- customed to other ponies galloping about near him, and will not test his nerves too much. Nothing is so detrimental to a pony as beginning to race directly he gets beside another pony in a game, and for this reason a good polo pony should never be raced. As I have remarked before, your one aim and object in training a pony should be to invest the game with interest in his mind ; everything towards attaining this object should be done by kind treatment harshness should be unknown. If, when practising, you take a few carrots in your pocket, and when you stop to rest give your pony one or two, it will make his associations with the game pleasant, and he will get fond of it. When hitting the ball, always leave your pony's head free and the reins loose. If they are held tight a jerk is sure to be given to the pony's mouth, which he will connect in his mind with the striking of the ball, and this will probably make him. flinch and shy away from the stick. When your pony has become thoroughly accustomed to the stick, and will follow the ball, going quietly and sedately, then begin to gallop him, but do this very gradually, and always end up with a slow practice. It is best to take your fast runs away from home, as he will then not pull so much, and needless to say that a pulling pony, or one that has acquired the habit in the game, is practically useless. This defect then is important,, and one that must be constantly guarded against. We will suppose now that after several weeks' practice (a dozen is none too many) you have got your pony thoroughly- handy, and that you have established the most amicable rela- tions with him ; then is your time to introduce him to the real business of his life, viz. playing in a game. Before doing this,, however, get two other ponies, first four yards apart, then narrowed to two yards, and make them meet you at a canter and at a gallop, guiding your pony between them. This will 326 POLO give him confidence in meeting an opposing force and teach him not to shy away from another pony. The first time you play him, however, take matters very easily, and do not force him in any way or pull him about unnecessarily. The best plan to carry out this part of the programme will be to play him in a game which by mutual consent it has been decided shall be a mere cantering game. Do not play him in a match until he has participated in at least a dozen cantering games. These hints, of course, only apply generally, as every pony has a different character ; no two ponies train alike in fact, some it is impossible to train at all. It will be seen from the above remarks that the training of ponies is a comparatively easy task, and one which needs only time, good temper, light hands, and patience things very easy to write or talk about, but perhaps not always so easy to bring into practice. Still, it must be borne in mind that if you cannot exercise them you had better relegate the task of training your pony to some one who can. Polo ponies are very apt to suffer from sore backs, particu- larly when you first begin to train them. This arises from the constant shifting and swaying of the rider's body. A pony should, therefore, never be practised if he shows the slightest symptom of a sore back ; if he is, he will associate the pain with the strokes, and will hate the game accordingly. A good plan is to line the saddle with glazed lining, the shiny part being next the pony's skin, and of course the saddle should be left on for nearly an hour after play or practice, the girths merely being loosened. We now come to the vexed question of bits and bridles. Formerly snaffle bridles and a very short single rope rein were much in vogue, and ponies used to be lugged about by main force i.e. the system of a sharp bit and a sharp pair of spurs turning clumsily and entirely on their shoulders. The cur- rent of opinion has, however, now set in favour of double bridles and long reins. A horse that you can ride in a snaffle bridle, be he hunter or hack, is the most charming of mounts, THE TRAINING OF PONIES 327 but a horse used for such purposes is not called on to do what a polo pony is ; for the latter has to turn, dodge, twist, and pull up often within a few yards. To do this he must get his haunches under him, and a double bridle is the only means by which he can be made to do it. Eastern horsemen invariably use a sharp bit ; so do the Guachos of South America, and they can pull a horse on to his haunches when going almost at full speed. The majority of polo players, and all the best with perhaps one or two exceptions, and they ride ponies that would play almost without any bridle use double bridles, viz. ' bit and bridoon,' which, I contend, are for every reason preferable to snaffle bridles. Blinkers were formerly nearly universally used in the game, but have now become practically obsolete. That such should be the case is, in the opinion of any one who has experience, most fortunate, as they were responsible for half the accidents that occurred. They were most dangerous, preventing, as they did, a pony seeing another that was charging down on him, and therefore he never exerted himself to resist the shock or get out of the way ; consequently the slightest shove sent him over. In fact, riding a pony in blinkers is about as risky as play- ' ing football blindfold. Spurs should as a rule be discarded ; those with rowels are not allowed at Hurlingham, except under exceptional circum- stances. Few men know how to use spurs, and fewer still in the excitement of a game are cool enough to use them with beneficial effect either to themselves or their ponies. Besides, if an accident should occur and you get a fall, the absence of spurs will enable you to get clear of your pony sooner and more easily. At any rate, they should never be worn in a match. They may, however, be used in practice with a pony that has got old and cunning, in order to induce him to start more quickly ; and it is often a good plan to ride him with spurs the day before a match, in order to waken him up. With regard to this question of spurs, I know some will differ from me and, as showing the 328 POLO other side of the question, I would quote the Earl of Airlie, who writes to me : * I consider spurs or whips with most ponies in India to be a necessity, if you are to play properly and get the most out of your pony. Ponies in India are much more sluggish, owing to the climate, and most of them want spurs more, and will stand them more, than English ponies.' This may be the case in India, but the fact that few English players wear spurs, I think, strengthens my argument. It is often advisable to ride with a whip when playing in a match ; not necessarily for use, but in order to let your pony know that he must do his utmost and that he is not engaged merely in practice. Of course, however, he should never be punished with it unnecessarily Newmarket racing bandages are the best to play in. I refer to those with a loop at one end, through which the other end is passed before the leg is swathed ; this enables the bandage to be pulled tight, and prevents it from slipping and becoming loose. They are much better than leather boots, being more elastic, and so less liable to hamper a pony in turning. Cloth boots with leather buckles are also very good, and are much used. As will be seen on reference to the Hurlingham and Indian Rules, the height of ponies is limited to 14 hands in England, and 13 hands 3 inches in India. This subject, viz. the best height for a polo pony, has given rise to much controversy, some main- taining that a small pony is quicker and more active in every way, and that the player being nearer the ground it is easier for him to make certain of hitting the ball. I cannot agree with this theory, and hold that with polo ponies as with racehorses ' a good big 'un is better than a good little 'un.' The extra size and weight of a i4-hand pony give him an enormous advan- tage over one of only 1 3 hands i inch or 1 3 hands 2 inches, and a team of big men on big ponies may safely be backed against a team mounted on smaller ponies, however good the men and animals of the latter may be. A big pony, too, seems to balance your weight better, and do his work with greater ease THE TRAINING OF PONIES 329 both to himself and his rider. Besides, in a hustling match, where you are riding an opponent off the ball, weight is bound to tell. That there have been, and are still, many capital small polo ponies is indisputable. I may mention the little chestnut Indian * tattoo ' Blair, got by an Arab sire out of a Deccanee pony mare, the property of Captain K. M'Laren, i3th Hussars,, that only measures 12 hands 3 inches ; the well-known Dick,, formerly the property of Captain F. Herbert ; Major Peters' Dublin, and Mr. F. Mildmay's Judy, only 13 hands 2\ inches ; but ponies such as these stand out by themselves, and, good as they are, are bound to give way when it comes to a trial of strength with bigger and heavier ponies ; nor can they carry weight. So far I have endeavoured to point out the course to be pursued by a man who buys a raw pony and trains it himself. Comparatively few men, however, have the time and inclination, to do this ; though should it be done properly the result will be more satisfactory than if the pony be bought second-hand. The reason is not far to seek, and simply resolves itself into the fact that from constantly riding the pony, and having trained him yourself, he not only knows your ways better and is more ready to take a hint from your hands, but that the case is the same with yourself. I have known within my own experience several ponies, that played brilliantly with the man that broke them, fail utterly when they passed into other hands. One pony that was sold two seasons ago for three figures, and that played capitally in its breaker's hands, was sold in disgust by its purchaser for 357., as he said the pony was ' ball shy ' ! This was not the case, however, the fact being that the new owner,, a fair player, did not understand the pony. This is merely one instance of what breaking a pony yourself will do. Where money is no object, the problem of getting together a stud of polo ponies is very much simplified ; and a man will find no difficulty in suiting himself with ' trained ' animals. The best time to buy, and the best locality, is after the Cup Matches and Inter-Regimental Tournaments at Hurlingham, and these 330 POLO generally take place about the middle of June and first week in July. The would-be purchaser will by then have had the opportunity of seeing the ponies play, and be able to form an opinion as to what will suit him best. Soundness must, of course, be an indispensable condition ; for though a pony may be a most brilliant performer, it may really not be able to play five minutes without going wrong. An instance of this was The Fawn who latterly threw out bad splints, but still she was so fast, and could play so brilliantly for a short time, that her owner, Mr. Arthur Peat, always kept her as a reserve, and once, in a tight match for the Champion Cup, got on her at the end of the game for a few moments and fairly galloped his opponents down. Of course if a man can do this, and afford the luxury of an extraordinarily brilliant but unsound pony, and keep it merely for some exceptional case, well and good ; but few men can. In buying a trained animal the purchaser has not the difficul- ties of make and shape to contend with ; he has merely to judge of the pony by its performances. We all know that horses go well in all shapes, and so if the pony fulfils the re- quisites of soundness, pace, and handiness, the task of the pur- chaser will be one of no great difficulty, provided he has the . s. d. Of course it will be advisable in buying to take into consideration the proficiency as a polo player of the man you are buying from, for a pony that will go well with one man may not do so with another, and no one can sell 'hands.' A trial, however, can generally settle this question. In conclusion, just one word in defence of the game. It has been urged by some humanitarians, including some thoroughly good sportsmen, that polo is a cruel game cruel to the ponies, as they get their mouths fearfully pulled about, and get hit over the head and legs in the scuffle and excitement of a bully. Now this is pure fallacy. To begin with, a pony ought to be properly trained before he is played regularly, and if this is done there will be no need for his rider to pull his mouth about. If this is done, a pony will not be any good for THE TRAINING OF PONIES 331 polo, for he will simply decline to play. Of course, if the animal is raw and untrained he must undergo certain unpleasantnesses in the course of his training ; but no man ought to attempt to play polo until his pony is so bitted and trained as to obey the slightest hint given by hand or leg. Then again, though ponies do sometimes drop in for a few hard knocks, it is no more than their riders do. Their legs, which suffer principally in this respect, are protected by bandages ; and, besides, men who play the game well and properly do not go swiping about recklessly. Witness- ing a game at Hurlingham played by good men on good ponies, both knowing what they are about, will amply demonstrate that there is not much cruelty about polo. Ponies learn to love the game, to take an interest in it, and play as keenly as their riders. Chance, a celebrated old pony belonging to the Messrs. Peat, would follow the ball like a dog, and has even "been known to look up and watch its flight in the air! So keenly, too, would this pony follow the ball, that his owners used often at practice gallop at the ball sitting face to the tail and hit it in that position. Ali Baba, too, another well- known pony, the property of, and bred by, the Earl of Har- rington, will, without the reins being touched, turn of his own accord and follow the ball after it has been hit by a back- hander ! Had there been any element of cruelty either in the training of the ponies or in the game itself, such instances would be unknown. Of course, like Mr. Jorrocks's celebrated horse Artaxerxes, there are some * h'enterprizeless brutes' whose equine soul never warms to the delight of the sport ; but a really good polo pony is usually as keen as his master in taking an active part vin the game. 332 POLO CHAPTER VIII SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES WITH so many names to note names of men and animals who have deservedly earned for themselves a niche in the temple of polo fame I feel that I have a somewhat difficult task to per- form. It is therefore hard, to a certain degree, to drop to the bit, and settle down nicely into one's stride. Moreover, I labour under the disadvantage of having been unacquainted with some of the earlier paladins of polo, when the game was, so to speak, in its infancy. Then again, information gained second-hand is but a poor substitute for personal knowledge. I must there- fore briefly condense my notice of the most noteworthy players of the past, for the subject of Polo is a large one, and space is limited. Let me begin with a few notes about the most pro- minent players when the game was but young. I must not, however, be supposed in either case to take the names in any order of merit. Where all were and are so good, this would be an impossible task ; my remarks, therefore, will be made not in any order, but as names occur to me, conjured up from hearsay, or as some brilliant bit of play, some dashing run, or some good bit of generalship is remembered. When polo was first introduced into Ireland, no one took to the sport more keenly than Mr. Horace Rochfort of Col- grenane, county Carlow, one of the best sportsmen ever bred on Irish soil, who, with his nephews, the brothers Hall of the Carabineers, were amongst the earliest exponents of the game. Truly, Mr. Rochfort deserves equally the title of Patriarch of SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 333 Polo as well as that of Nestor of Nimrods, so affectionately bestowed on him in his native land. Though at the time a man of sixty, he proved himself as good on the back of a polo pony as he was in the hunting-field. He it was who inaugurated the County Carlow and All Ireland Polo Clubs, institutions which have gone on and flourished ever since. Mr. Horace Rochfort formed one of the team that beat the 8th Hussars in the first regular match ever played in Ireland, when County Carlow sent him, Mr. Robert Watson, M.F.H., his son Mr. John Watson (of present renown), Mr. Stewart-Duckett, and Mr. James Butler, to do battle with Messrs. Gould, Green, Gregg, Paley, and Baldock, when the county team won, and crowned themselves with glory. Mr. Geoffrey Hone was another very brilliant player, and so was Major B. Gough, Qth Lancers, better known as ' Goffy,' who was quite at the top of the tree in India, and one of the best ' forwards ' ever seen. Captain Steeds, a familiar figure at the Dublin Horse Show, was another well-known man on the polo ground, and generally owned a smart pony or two which he always made good use of. He had a wonderful pony called Tongs, which he bought for a mere song at a sale in Dublin, on the condition that he should be delivered at his house at Clonsilla, seven miles distant ; for the impression was that he could not be got there. Eventually he reached his future home and 'went to school.' Education was a hard matter, and resulted in a desperate duel ; but Captain Steeds won, and the pony turned out a treasure. The gth Lancers numbered amongst their ranks many other fine players Lord William ('Bill') Beresford, V.C. ; poor < Dick ' Clayton, who was killed at Delhi on Christmas Eve, 1877, whilst playing the game he loved so well ; Chisholme, and * Tim ' Butson, who was killed in action in Afghanistan, were all 9th men, and gloriously kept up the credit of their corps. Every one knows the old saying of 'The loth don't dance,' but at any rate the loth Hussars have ever proved that they can ride and play polo, for tradition has handed down many 334 POLO prominent players >f that regiment, whose names may fitly be- inscribed on the roll of polo fame. Colonel * Tommy ' St. Quin- tin, now commanding the 8th Hussars, was certainly one of the best, if not the very best, polo player the loth ever turned out, and quite headed the list of Indian players for years ; and to the impetus he gave to the game in India by starting the Indian Inter- Regimental Tournament much of the success of those pleasant meetings is due. A more perfect 'back' or captain of a side could hardly be found, even in these days. Poor Mr. Startin, who was killed out pig-sticking, was another well-known man in the loth, and a very brilliant 'for- ward,' as was also Captain Philip Durham. ' Chicken ' Har- topp, so well known in hunting circles, was another enthusiast,, and exhibited as much fervour in polo as he did in fox-hunting ;. and whether these tastes were varied by the caprice of the mo- ment music, chemical and electrical experiments, athletic feats, or bear-fightinghe threw his whole soul into his work.. A most useful man in a team, he was, however, heavily handicapped by his great weight, which told even more in. India. Lord Chesham, the present popular master of the Bicester, and formerly a subaltern in the loth, when he was. the Honourable C. Cavendish had the reputation of being a very brilliant ' half back ' and ' forward ' player. But the polo- ground knows him no more now, except as a spectator, for hound and horn claim all his energies, and rightly top, perhaps. The present Earl of Airlie, then Lord Ogilvy, another loth, man, is an enthusiast of the game. Not content with pro- ficiency, he is celebrated as knowing more of polo than most men, and having done more to encourage and foster it in India by his liberality and keenness than any one. * Monte ' Cradock of the Carabineers, was also another good man, and so were Messrs. Oliver Jones (i3th Hussars),, 'Bengey' Jones (Carabineers), and 'Wengey' Jones (5th Lancers), the latter being one of the most brilliant forward players at present. The brothers C. and A. de Murrieta were also amongst the ' lights of other days,' and amongst the ablest SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 335 early exponents of the game, brilliant players, and always mounted to perfection. Mr. Brocklehurst and the Marquis of Worcester, when serving in the Blues, were also well-known men. Lord Worcester displayed in the game all those qualities, that have since characterised him as a huntsman, being very enthusiastic, quick, and hard-working. His great height, how- ever 6 feet 4 inches told somewhat heavily against him ; but he was always there or thereabouts in a ' bully,' and his quick- ness of observation, besides his good horsemanship, made him a formidable antagonist. Mr. Reginald Herbert, the master of the Monmouthshire Hounds, and the founder of the Ranelagh Club, participated with his brother, Captain 'Tip' Herbert (a beautiful horseman, who is still very much to the front), in many a good game, and did more than most men to make polo popular. Sir Bache Cunard, the Hon. C. Fitzwilliam, Lord Henry Vane Tempest, Captain Needham, Lord Downe, Sir C. Wolseley, Mr. Mellor, H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, Colonel the Hon. R. Talbot, Colonel Owen Williams, Captain Philip Green, Lord Rossmore, and Lord Valentia, were also among the patrons of polo in former days. But the game was different in those days, and not the scientific galloping one it is now ; in fact, with no implied disrespect, they were the days of the ' dribbling ' game, and of ponies much smaller than those used at present. Coming to the present day, no family has been so widely known in the annals of polo as the brothers Peat. Having, come to the front in 1879, they still achieve fresh laurels every year, and keep up their well-earned reputation as the most brilliant players ever known, their names being household words among those who delight to chase the flying ball. Possessing a stud of some four-and-twenty of the best ponies that money can buy, all of which they train themselves, they are indeed hard to beat. The eldest brother, Mr. Arthur Peat, is one of the most, if not the most brilliant player in any place of the game. Possessing the natural talents of a leader, he generally 336 POLO takes the responsible position of * back,' from which his side benefits materially, and here he shines to perfection, for quick as lightning, strong of seat and arm, with a wonderfully good eye that enables him to place the ball well for his own side, he is the very type of an accomplished player. The next brother, Mr. James Peat, who invariably plays bareheaded, and is better known as ' Johnnie,' is the most brilliant ' forward ' player ever known. A very fine horseman, with great length of limb, he is able to hit tremendously hard, and his good eye enables him to calculate to a nicety the direction in which a ball should be sent when making a shot for goal. No man is capable ol making more dashing runs, and he has a way of getting away with the ball and twisting through a crowd of horsemen in a manner that has never been surpassed. Equally good at a hustle, it is no wonder that the team which has 'Johnnie Peat on their side congratulate themselves on having odds in their favour. The youngest brother, Mr. Alfred Peat, who also plays ' for- ward,' though more generally as 'half back,' is a poloist who shows to advantage where dash and quickness are required. Though not putting, perhaps, as much 'powder' into his strokes as Mr. James Peat, he yet knows the game so thoroughly, and is such a good horseman, that he admirably sustains the family reputation ; there are few better ' half backs ' than ' The Boy.' The Messrs. Peat's best ponies are Dynamite, a bay mare, apparently clean bred, and very fast ; Seagull, a grey, that can skim over the ground at a marvellous pace ; Perfidy, also a grey (in whose veins, 'tis said, flows the blood of Lord Poulett's celebrated steeplechaser The Lamb), as quick as lightning, and able to go a great pace ; Gay Lad, Ninepins, and Grasshopper, all bays, and pictures of make and shape ; Edge, a very speedy light brown pony ; and others which space prevents my mentioning, but all of which are 'as good as they make 'em.' Probably Esmeralda, the property of the Messrs. Peat, was one of the best polo ponies ever bred, and quite a celebrity during the nine seasons she played. Maggie, SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 337 Abbess, and The Fawn were also marvellously speedy ponies in their day, and bywords in the polo world. All these are now at the stud, and doubtless as they rest on their laurels and wander about the pleasant purlieus of the parks at Elvaston or Houghton, enjoying their well-earned repose, they tell the youngsters who keep them company of the glories and delights of polo stick and ball, and inspire them with enthusiasm for the game. Mr. Frank Mildmay, M.P., who, with the three Messrs. Peat, makes up the hitherto unconquered Sussex County Team, is a most beautiful and finished player, and for neatness and style unsurpassed. Though slight of build, he yet can hit tremendously hard. Always in the right place, never hurried or flustered, and mounted to perfection, he is a model of a horseman and polo player, and whether on the lovely Picquet (by Chypre) so well known both on the polo ground and in the Show ring at Hurlingham, where she has swept the board for two years in succession, besides securing premier honours at Trent at the head of the list in a strong class of thirty-two ponies, said by Lord Combermere to have been the finest class of ponies he had ever judged or on Judy, or Kitty, it is always a treat to see him play. A word here on those two latter ponies. It is an axiom in the horsey world that ' a good big 'un is better than a good little 'un,' and as a rule it is true ; but there are exceptions to every rule, and Judy and Kitty are undoubtedly exceptions, for Judy stands but 13*2^ hands, and Kitty (by Pero Gomez) is 13-3 hands. Both are bay mares. The former was bought at Cambridge by Mr. Mildmay for 35/., and the latter as a four- year-old at TattersalPs for 2o/. rather a contrast to the prices now given ! though they certainly are worth the three figures that a good polo pony will fetch. Quicker on their legs than most ponies, and thus enabling their rider to slip in and take advantage of any opening, they are decidedly ' nippy,' and as such invaluable. Added to this, though played unceasingly for four seasons, they have never been sick or sorry till last year, z 338 POLO when Judy ricked her thigh, though now she is playing as brilliantly as ever no mean test of their capabilities. Judy, like most celebrities, and especially those of the gentler sex, has her peculiarities, and in her case it takes the form of an uncontrollable desire to perform the feat generally known as 'playing the fool' in every possible way before the game begins. When knocking the ball about prior to play, she will pretend it has indescribable terrors for her ; will shy away from it ; buck, kick, and refuse to go near it. Directly the game begins in earnest, however, ' a change comes o'er the spirit of her dream ' ; she sobers down, and takes the greatest interest in the proceed- ings, following the ball like a dog, and turning when a ' back- hander ' is given, almost quicker than her rider can give her the hint. This is but one among many instances of the fascination that the game possesses for equine as well as for human minds. Whether hunting his hounds six days a week over the ex- tensive and varied South Notts country, sweeping the board of prizes at the Military Tournament, or playing in some well- contested polo match, Lord Harrington is equally at home. A capital ' back,' a very hard hitter, and riding the most perfectly trained ponies, he is a tower of strength to his side. His lord- ship used to formerly play No. i, but a severe accident to his left shoulder forced him to take to the easier but more responsible position of 'back,' which he fills to admiration. Perhaps no man has entered so much into the theory as well as the practice of bending the equine to the human will j and those who have witnessed the way his well-known ponies Ali Baba and Jenny (both by the Barb sire Awfully Jolly), The Girl, c., enter into the spirit of the game will confirm my humble opinion that had not Providence made his lordship a peer he would have become a formidable rival to the celebrated Mr. Rarey, though he perhaps possesses other and gentler methods of making beast subservient to man. Though a veteran, Mr. T. S. Kennedy is another player of note ; as hard a man to beat when hounds run as he is when engaged in a polo ' scuffle.' Active, spare of body, muscular, SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 339 a powerful horseman, as keen as mustard, and endowed with great patience and dash, with quick habits of observation, which only shine with greater lustre in awkward predicaments, no wonder he succeeds in playing well a game he so dearly loves, and he will always be associated with two of the most wonderful hits on record. A few years ago, when charging for the ball was the fashion, Mr. Kennedy was playing in a match, Civilians v. Military, at Hurlingham. He was riding Mickey Free, and, getting first to the ball, which was in midground, he with one drive hit it within a yard of the enemy's goal ; then, getting past all his opponents, he tipped the ball in and scored. Now comes the extraordinary part, for when ends were changed Mr. Kennedy repeated the performance ! Two goals in less than five minutes with practically two hits ! The distance from centre of ground to the goals was 160 yards. His pony Dandy Jim, a chestnut who pulled his own pelvis bone in two when playing at Hurlingham, and had to be then and there destroyed ; and Mickey Free, bought originally out of a Brighton tradesman's cart a wonderful little hunter, and the fastest pony of his day at Hurlingham were two of Mr. Kennedy's celebrated polo ponies. A chestnut Arab also, Euphrates, now the property of Mr. E. W. Baird, loth Hussars, and one of the best Arabs in England, formerly belonged to Mr. Kennedy, who brought him over from Bombay in 1883, where he had purchased him from Abdul Rahman, the well-known dealer, for Rs. 1,000. After teaching him the game and playing him for two seasons Mr. Kennedy parted with him to his present owner for 2oo/. The chestnut Umpire, an Arab of the Anazeh tribe, Keheilan strain, is one of Mr. Kennedy's best animals at present. Im- ported by him in 1887, Umpire figures in the ' Stud Book.' A beautifully shaped pony, and as fresh and clean on his legs as a two-year-old, he has well repaid the Rs. 1,000 his owner gave for him, and some day will make his mark as a sire. Mr. Kennedy had also a nice mare, Deception, a black, bought at Lord Airlie's sale for 2oo/. fast, and a grand stamp to breed from, though she can hardly be considered first class as a match z 2 340 POLO pony owing to a nasty trick of often baulking her rider -the result of bad early training ; and he nc\v possesses one of the smartest ponies in England in Dancing Girl, by Sefton (winner of the Derby in 1878) out of Pretty Dance, by Doncaster out of Highland Fling. Faultless in shape, and j,vith a great turn of speed, Dancing Girl was entered for the Oaks, and as a yearling fetched a very high figure. She has now been put through the mill and taught the game by Mr. Kennedy, and taught so well, that in spite of having been rather Arab pony Umpire. a handful, she is now not only one of the fastest, but one of the most brilliant and handy ponies seen at Hurlingham for many a day. Mr. E. Kenyon Stow, who has been a poloist since 1874, plays a capital game quick, dashing, and resolute, as befits a good * forward.' Amongst his best ponies may be numbered Patch, a brown mare of most perfect shape and manners, who hailed from Mr. John Watson's stables, and who, besides being SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 341 a wonderful performer, will be remembered in polo history as having fetched the highest price ever given for a polo pony, viz. 300 gs. One of the stable companions of Patch, and every whit as good, is Piper, own brother to Mr. Frank Mildmay's Picquet, a beautiful chestnut with whom it would be difficult to find fault. With powerful quarters, great thighs and hocks, and capital shoulders added to his many other good points, he looks a hunter in miniature, and one on which a light-weight might see every yard of a run, even in the stiffest country. A thoroughbred pony Dancing Girl, by Sefton. Two former celebrities of Mr. Kenyon Stow's were a rare- shaped Welsh pony named Cinderella, who now is at Lord Harrington's stud, and who, in spite of having lost an eye through an accident at lemon-cutting, still played most won- derfully ; and Bullfighter, also a Welsh mare, the very model of a pony, and now also at the stud at Elvaston. Devoted to the game, and a welcome addition to any team, Mr. Kenyon Stow has done much to further the cause of polo in the provinces, 342 POLO by laying out a new polo-ground at Houghton in Norfolk, which bids fair to equal any ground in England. Captain Thomas Hone, late yth Hussars, is another very brilliant player, and a tremendously hard hitter. He formed one of the team that accompanied Mr. John Watson to America,, and is the owner of the shapely Mary Anne. Amongst Hurlingham habitues the brothers J. R. and W. H. Walker are not so often seen as others, but when they do put in an appearance their brilliant play cannot fail to attract attention. Taking the deepest interest not only in the game but in the breeding of ponies to play it, they are living examples of how good horsemen can play, and play right well too, on any breed of pony ; though, like some others, their fancy inclines towards Eastern breeds. Their Arab, Magic, a perfect picture to look at, who has won several races both in India and at home ; their Syrian ponies Sinbad, Saladin, and the Egyptian, Solomon, are all fast, good, and active, and endowed with the qualities necessary in a polo pony. Mr. Gerald Hardy is another familiar figure wherever polo is played. Few men have done more for county polo than Mr. Hardy, and, in conjunction with the Messrs. Walker above mentioned, he is the life and moving spirit of the well-known Barton-under-Needwood Club in Staffordshire. A good horse- man, hard hitter, and with a thorough knowledge of the game, he still plays as well as ever he did before he met with the unfortunate accident that deprived him of an eye. His old white pony Rose-alba, by an Arab sire out of a New Forest pony mare, the speedy chestnut Arab, Rajah, and Venus, are all quite celebrities. Mr. John Watson, the present Master of the Meath Hounds, is perhaps the leading poloist of the day, as well as one of the best judges of a horse or polo pony, and trainer of either. Son of the veteran master of the Carlow and Island Hounds, and formerly holding a commission in the i3th Hussars, he is captain of the renowned ' Freebooters,' perhaps the strongest combination of polo talent that exists a club that SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 343 has earned innumerable laurels, besides more tangible proofs of its prowess in cups, both in England, Ireland, and America, than any other. Whether riding a boar over the blind Kadir country in the North-West Provinces of India, sailing away over the broad pastures of Meath and Kildare, getting across the more cramped enclosures of his home country, or wielding a polo stick in the Phoenix Park, or on Hurlingham's level sward, Mr. Watson stands pre-eminent as a sportsman and horseman. Endowed with the family gift of horsemanship, added to length of limb and great muscular power, no man is better able to steady a too-eager animal, or shove along a sticky one. His apprenticeship to the game began early, as when but a youngster, and before joining his regiment, he prac- tised a great deal, making his first appearance in public in the first formal polo match ever played in Ireland, in 1872. He then formed one of the Carlow team that did battle with the 8th Hussars, and defeated them, much to every one's surprise, by seven goals to nil. Ever since then, both whilst serving with his regiment and subsequently, Mr. Watson's reputation has steadily increased. No better captain exists. With a capacity for noting with rapidity every turn and phase of the game, he knows almost instinctively when to turn defence into attack, and by his ex- ample seems able to inspire and inoculate others with his own " enthusiasm to a degree which warms up the dullest player. It was Mr. Watson who demonstrated by practical example that taking the ball round was not the winning game to play, and he it was who showed how a goal should be defended by back-hand strokes. One has only to hear the remarks made by a Milesian crowd about ' John Watson,' as they familiarly and affectionately term him, to see in what estimation he is held in his native country. Some of the best polo ponies ever known hailed from Mr. Watson's stable, and needless to say he has always some good ones. Amongst his best at present are Fritz, by Kinsman, dam by Tom Steel, and an Arab named Joss, im- ported by General Davis. Fritz, who, like many other good 344 POLO ponies of the present time, is rather on the large side, but has passed the ordeal of measurement, is a bright chestnut, the picture of a weight-carrying pony. Knowing more about the game than most men, and dear as the apple of his eye to his master, Fritz is a byword wherever polo is played in England or Ireland. I -saw Mr. Watson ride this pony last season, during a match in the Phoenix Park, tor forty minutes without once getting off A model type of pony Fritz, by Kinsman. his back ! Mr. Watson's team was decidedly the weaker, but they won the match, chiefly owing to the exertions of Fritz and his master. Joss is also a chestnut a well-shaped animal, with the very hocks for a polo pony, but a fiery little gentleman withal. Starting life in a circus at Cairo he was, unlike most Eastern ponies, somewhat difficult to train at first, and would fly about all over the place ; but patience, firmness, and gentle SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 345 handling won the day, and he is now nearly perfect. Meg, by The Wanderer, was a celebrated past heroine of the polo field, and was the first pony Mr. Watson owned after he returned from India. He played her for four seasons, when she came to a sad end through breaking her leg in the Phoenix Park. Venus, by The Mallard, a Yorkshire-bred mare, was another .grand pony, and as good as she possibly could be. Mr. Watson heard of her carrying a man remarkably well to hounds, so sent off and bought her, and never regretted his bargain. Patch, before mentioned ; The Nurse (about one of the best ponies Mr. Watson ever owned, though he was over her weight), by Macdonald, brother to Scottish Chief, her dam by the celebrated Irish horse Freeny, her granddam by an Arab, and her great granddam out of a Connemara mare of great quality ; The Rag, now in America ; Mary Anne, by Baron Birdcatcher, now the property of Captain Thomas Hone, and endowed with i great turn of speed ; The Nurse (now the property of Mr. * Phil ' Fenwick), out of The Nurse above mentioned; and Kit- Cat (who has a curious habit of whisking her tail all the time she is galloping), own sister to Fritz, now owned by Captain Spicer, of the Royal Horse Guards, were some of Mr. Watson's former favourites ; and, when their breeding is considered, it will be patent to all what sort of animal a first-rate polo pony is. Prominent as a shining light in the polo world stands Cap- tain Tip ' Herbert, formerly of the 9th Lancers, who, with his brother Mr. Reginald Herbert, started the first county polo club in England, viz. the Monmouthshire Club, and did so much to render the game popular. A light-weight, a perfect horseman, with great dash and quickness, Captain Herbert is a host in himself, well known at Hurlingham, Ranelagh, and other polo grounds ; and no matter on what sort of animal he is mounted, he makes it go somehow. Amongst his best ponies was Dick, a little chestnut, bought originally for 257., and sold first for 1507., and subsequently for 2oo/. A brown pony named Whiskey was another of Captain Herbert's celebrities, as was Polly, a roan, on which he is 346 POLO depicted in Mr. Earle's well-known picture of Polo at Hurling- ham, though in this Polly wrongly figures as a dun ; whilst amongst high-class ponies he has owned is a beautiful black, named Starlight, now the property of Mr. Arthur Peat. Mr. Edge and Mr. Jameson are well-known Irish players, and, being both heavy men and well mounted, are awkward customers in a hustling bout. I must not omit from the roll of foremost players of the day the names of Messrs. Vaughan and Grenfell, who always dis- tinguish themselves, whatever position in the game they may occupy. Mr. Vaughan is specially noticeable for his hard hitting, and particularly for his very neat near side ' forward ' hitting, and probably no man excels him both for force and vigour in this particular stroke. The ponies belonging to Messrs. Vaughan and Grenfell are as good as can be found, Busymaid by Lurgan recently belonging to the former, and now the pro- perty of Mr. F. B. Mildmay, being the picture of an aristocratic little mare, but, being light-weight ponies, they cannot claim as much attention as the weight-carriers to which I have alluded. Captain 'Jim' Barry, late Royal Artillery, of steeplechase fame ; Captain J. Fergusson, of the Royal Horse Guards ; and Mr. Charles McNeill, are all most promising players ; and though the latter was only ' entered ' at the game in 1889, he has on several occasions already greatly distinguished himself. Amongst military players, Captain Julian Spicer, of the Royal Horse Guards, stands pre-eminent. A brilliant ' back,' and good in any position of the game, he is quite in the front rank, and whether mounted on his well-known barb Smuggler, who is quite a veteran, Kit-Cat, before mentioned, or on Captain 4 Wengey ' Jones's extraordinary barb pony Spider, which he rode in 1889, his play cannot fail to win admiration. Major Babington, of the i6th Lancers, is another fine player, and a rare ' back,' as is Captain Jeffreys, of the Artillery. Captains Lament, Jenner (who has played for his corps in seven Inter-Regimental Tournaments, viz. four in India and three at home), Malcolm Little, Cameron, and Colvin, of the 9th SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 347 Lancers, are all first-rate performers. Captain C. R. Burn, who has two of the highest-caste Arabs in Seagull and Blue Blood, Mr. Percy Browne (nicknamed 'Belinda,' from a wonderful pony of that name that he formerly owned), Mr. F. G. McMahon and Mr. Arthur Mesham, all of the Royal Dragoons, play a good bold game. Captain the Hon. H. A ' near-side 'stroke. Allsopp, Messrs. A. Hughes Onslow, and E. W. D. Baird, of the loth Hussars, the latter the owner of Euphrates, about the best Arab polo pony in England, are all very effective ; Captain K. MacLaren, i3th Hussars, is one of the neatest of players. Gifted with the eye of a hawk, and never flurried, he combines- both style and precision in his play. His best pony is Blair, a bright chestnut ' tattoo ' standing only 1 2 hands 3 inches, got 348 POLO by an Arab out of a Deccanee mare. Blair began life as a grass-cutters ' tat ' in the Poona Horse. During the campaign in Afghanistan Mr. John Watson spotted him, and in exchange for 70 rupees he was soon transferred to that gentleman's stable, and subsequently to Captain MacLaren's, where for nine years he has fairly earned his corn and gained a great reputation. To see the way this little pony pushes and shoves, twists and turns, and the pluck, staying power, and speed he exhibits, is simply marvellous, and he is indeed a multum in parvo. Jenny, a dun mare by Gamester, and nearly clean bred, is another good pony belonging to Captain MacLaren, who bought her from a Cumberland farmer ; and though she and Blair are light-weight ponies, yet they are so good that they both deserve a word of notice in these pages. Captain Chaloner, of the 3rd Hussars, who now owns the bloodlike Belinda, is a fine player and brilliant ' forward,' as is Captain Oswald of the same corps. Captain the Hon. H. Ormsby Gore, of the nth Hussars, who possesses a marvel in the shapely Dorothy, a pony that has proved herself fast enough to win on the flat at Baldoyle, is good all round. Major Peters, of the 4th Hussars, is a brilliant ' forward ' and indefatigable player. Captain Duff, Captain le Gallais, and Captain Vesey, of the 8th Hussars, are also quite in the front rank. The former shines as a ' back,' and the latter as * No. 2,' and is a fine hitter on the near side. All these show that the army is no bad school to turn out polo players. The yth Fusiliers have earned a name in the annals of polo by winning the All Ireland Open Cup in 1878, and turned out some good men, inter alia Captain Keyser, who owned a twin-brother of Mr. Stewart's beautiful little dun pony Mouse, which played for twelve consecutive seasons. The 5th Fusiliers, the 6oth Rifles, and the 23rd Welsh Fusiliers, that horsiest of foot regiments, the 25th K.O.B.'s, and the 33rd also, all counted some good and keen players amid their ranks. Messrs. Mey- rick, Hargreaves, and Dundas, of the i5th Hussars, are all fine players, and in old days in India none was better than Captain Tidy, of the 54th. SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 349 Amongst useful men in county teams may be mentioned the Messrs. Bird, of the Barton-under-Needwood Club, Messrs. Sheffield-Neave and Sperling, of the Priory Club ; Messrs. Milne, Fraser-Tytler, and Walter Peake, the latter the moving; spirit of the Ashtead Club. Mr. Lockett (a left-handed player), .'. ;Avs- ' A ' back-hander. ' and Mr. Cartland, of the Liverpool Club, also show good form; whilst last, but not least, the Hon. W. North and Mr. H. C. Bentley, poet and poloist, formerly Captain of the Cambridge University Polo team (a good man all round, both with hounds, gun, and rod, or riding a pony race), also deserve 350 POLO a word of commendation. Amongst Irish county players, Mr. Locke, of Westmeath, was very effective. Mr. E. Dease is the best in his county. Mr. M. D'Arcy is said to have played a good bold game ; whilst Mr. Coppinger, well known between the flags, showed much ability. Amongst Indian players of note, past and present, may be mentioned Mr. Craigie, of Bombay, who, though he plays no longer, has done more than anyone to further polo interests in that Presidency. Seymour Barrow, of Hodson's Horse, was a host in himself. Poor Mr. Hughes Buller, of the Central India Horse, who was killed riding a steeplechase in 1884, was a moving spirit in polo circles, a great enthusiast and brilliant player. Captain Phayre, of the 3rd Bombay Cavalry, is a very dashing ' forward ' as well as a splendid * back.' Captain Reid, of the 25th Regiment (King's Own Borderers), has also earned a great reputation as a most effective ' back,' and yet endowed with that dash and go that will at times snatch an apparently lost game out of the fire and turn the tables on his adversaries. Needless to say, with such qualities he is a rare captain, and plays to perfection an up-hill game. Captain Hornby, of the Rifle Brigade, has a great reputation in India ; and Captain C. D. Bruce, of the 33rd, is famous as a fine ' forward ' and most brilliant player, the mainstay of his regimental team. Amongst renowned players in the Native Cavalry, Captain G. Richardson, of the i8th Bengal Lancers, is not only a safe and experienced player, but possesses a most comprehensive knowledge of the game. Captain J. Nixon, of the same corps, is also well known as a very brilliant ' forward.' To the roll of famous players, that distinguished regiment, the Qth Bengal Lancers, contributes the names of Mr. Dawson, a fine ' back ' and tremendous hitter ; and Captain Mackenzie, a very valu- able and safe * forward,' and one who is always in his proper place. Mr. C. Gough, i2th Bengal Lancers, and Messrs. W. S. Alston and G. N. Walker, of Calcutta, have also made a name for themselves amongst Indian poloists. Captain Bruce Hamilton, of the East Yorkshire Regiment SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 351 also ranked high as a poloist, and as an excellent judge of a pony. He always had a good one, and, what is more to the point, knew how to ride him. Whilst serving on the staff of Sir J. Ferguson and Lord Reay at Bombay, Captain Hamilton was well to the front and played in nearly every match of note in Western India. Mr. Hickie, of the 7th Royal Fusiliers, has also the reputation of being a capital 'back,' as has Captain Kuper, of the Royal Artillery. Major Beatson, nth Bengal Lancers, is another splendid player, very brilliant, dashing, and a tremendous hitter ; he is a remarkably fine horseman and no one can get more out of a bad pony than he can ; whilst amongst native officers, nobles, and gentlemen, few can compare for neatness and execution with Nawab Mahommed Ali Bey, otherwise known as Afsur Jung, A.D.C. to the Nizam of Hyderabad, honorary major in the British Army, and A.D.C. to the Viceroy of India; whilst Misri Khan, 1 8th Bengal Lancers ; Heera Singh, of the 1 2th Bengal Lancers ; Subadar Desaraj Urs, 3rd Madras Light Cavalry ; Abbas Khan, and Ibrahim Beg are likewise remark- ably fine all-round players, and valuable in any team. The iyth Lancers count some finished players amongst their ranks, and none better than Captain Renton, who has the reputation of being not only the best * back ' in India, but a most brilliant all-round player, besides being always admir- ably mounted. Lord Ava, Mr. E. D. Miller, and Mr. Rawlin- son, also of the iyth Lancers, a most dashing forward player, rank high, and deservedly so, as the ' Death's Head and Glory Boys ' have swept the board at Indian tournaments during the last few years, and have not only earned the reputation of being one of the best playing regiments in India, but the best mounted ; a fact testified to by the enormous prices fetched by their ponies when sold at Umballa on March n, 1890, when forty-five ponies averaged over 900 rupees each, one of Captain Renton's, an Arab, Happy Lad, realising 1,550 rupees. Amongst their Arabs, Budmash, Arab Lad, Outsider, Quick- silver, Minaret, Prince, Perfection, James Pigg, Jumma, Star- 352 POLO light, and Rainbow 1 ranked very high', and amongst country- bred ponies, Marguerite, Rosamond (whose old syce Baba has been with his pony for years, and refuses to be parted from her, saying she is more to him than all friends and relations), Aladdin, Stella, Moonbeam, Apology, and Lalla Rookh were all first-rate ponies, and fetched very high prices. Captain the Honourable H. Lawley, Mr. Carew, and Mr. Haig, of the yth Hussars, are all as well-known players in India as they were at home. Mr. Apperley, a grandson of the famous ' Nimrod,' and Mr. Rowland Hudson, of the Behar Light Horse, are familiar names on the Calcutta polo ground, and no one excels the latter, not only in fine horsemanship, and being a wonderful shot 'at goal,' but in that most difficult stroke taking a ball coming fast towards the player. This stroke he is said to rarely or never miss. Captain MacDougall, of the yth Dragoon Guards, is another fine player and a host in himself. Mr. Willett, of the same regiment, is also a powerful player and a good ' back.' Captain Hanwell, of the Royal Artillery, is well known on the Bombay side, and is a great hitter, besides being a very neat horseman. Mr. De Lisle, of the Durham Light Infantry, is a most enthusiastic player and a very hard hitter ; indeed, report affirms that when not actually playing polo on a live animal, he sits on a wooden horse for hours, hitting balls as they are thrown to him, and practising every sort of stroke. Amongst the planter princes of Bengal, no names are more familiar in polo circles, or indeed in any circles of sport, than those of Messrs. 'Jimmy' McLeod and 'Archie' Hills, both very fine players and mounted to perfection. Amongst the famous polo ponies of the present day in India must not be omitted the names of the grey country-bred Sambo 1 Both Rainbow and Starlight were brought home by Mr. Rawlinson in 1890, and played during that season at Hurlingharn. Starlight was subse- quently purchased by H.R.H. the Duke of Clarence and Avondale, and played in the zoth Hussars team in the Inter-Regimental Tournament at Hurling- harn 1890. He is a very high-caste grey Arab, and remarkably fast. He won many races in India. SOME FAMOUS PLAYERS AND PONIES 353 (who has played in six tournaments), Polestar (the type of a galloping weight-carrying pony), Lulu, The Doe, Lucille, Schoolboy, The Nun, Joe (one of the best light-weight ponies in India), Marie, Maud, Red Lancer, and Kaleidoscope, who have all played three or four years in. succession (a pretty good proof of sound constitutions), and whose names will be familiar to most men who have played in the East. Indian country-bred pony, Polestar ' a good sort. Perhaps I cannot conclude this chapter better than by re- lating a peculiar and amusing incident that lately occurred in India. In a game in which the iyth Lancers took part, during a scrimmage close to goal, no one seemed able to find the ball. Some one then said a goal had been hit, whilst others as stoutly maintained it had not ; but search for the ball be- yond the goal line proved unavailing. Then the secret came out. The ball (of discord) was found attached to the tail of A A 354 POLO Lord Ava's pony ! This animal, an Arab with a long tail, had been in the thickest of the fight, and the hairs of his tail had become entangled and fixed in a splinter of the ball, and so held it tightly altogether a somewhat complex 'case for an umpire to decide upon. I have heard of a ball being hit right up under a pony's tail, and being held there a moment by the animal suddenly tucking down his caudal appendage. I have also heard of a player getting a fall and sitting on the ball, but the case of a pony carrying the ball about with him unobserved is exceptionally quaint. 355 CHAPTER IX HOW A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLAYED THAT indisputable authority, Mr. Jorrocks, has laid down as an axiom of the hunting field that hounds should always arrive at the fixture punctually ; for, he adds, ' punctuality is the pur- liteness of princes ' ; and on the same principle a polo match should always begin punctually at the hour advertised, though, alas ! the rule is generally more honoured in the breach than in the observance. However, at the time named the eight players who compose the contending teams should be mounted, ready, and ride on to the ground accompanied by two umpires (mounted), one for each side. There should also be a time- keeper on foot, outside the ground, and it is his duty to start the game, take the time, and deduct from the various ' periods ' of six, fifteen, or twenty minutes any time not spent actually in play, such as intervals required for changing ponies, getting fresh balls, &c. Each side should be composed of xour players, including a captain, who will determine what positions the respective members of his team shall occupy. Each player has a named position in the game, viz. No. i, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4. Nos. i and 2 are the ' forward ' players, No. 3, 'half-back,' and No. 4, 'back.' The captain should play either ' back ' or ' half- back,' as it is his duty to direct and control his team ; and this he would be unable to do efficiently were he not in rear of his fighting line, A A 2 356 POLO where he can see all that is going on in front, and suit his tactics- to the exigencies and incidents of the game. Before proceeding further it may be as well to glance at the various duties of the different players. Men may be individually brilliant players and splendidly mounted, yet if they disregard the duties connected with their respective positions they will probably suffer defeat at the hands of a weaker and worse mounted team, who play together. There is much truth in the Belgian national motto 'L'union fait la force,' and to polo this is certainly most applicable. That, under certain circumstances, it requires much self-denial not to disregard the voice of duty is incontestable ; yet what would be thought of an officer who in action had some important post to defend, if he were to leave his men in order to attempt some brilliant or dashing individual feat of arms ! Ten to one the loss of his commission would be the result, however successful the achievement. So in polo. Every member of a team should//^ for his side> not for his own personal glory , and this fact cannot be too strongly impressed on young players, most of whom are apt to be led away by the temptation of making some brilliant stroke or ex- hibiting some dashing bit of play. It should therefore be borne in mind that a team cannot be considered really first-class till they have learnt to play together and into each other's hands, and abandoned all ideas of playing a selfish game. Such a team > though possibly individually inferior, will nearly invariably de- feat one that, though intrinsically superior, plays a selfish game. Taking the players in the reverse order of their numbers, and because No. 4 is generally the captain of the side, we will begin with him. No. 4, or the * back ' player of a polo team, is the one on whom the greatest responsibility depends, for he will have not only to be the eyes, ears, and brains of his side, but their reserve as well. His duty is to defend his goal, and to do this he should always be between it and the ball, at the same time staying as close to play as he can conveniently trust himself and his pony. This will enable him to direct and control his HOW A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLA YED 357 side. Much will depend on his quickness and decision, and knowing where to place the ball at a critical moment, as, for instance, hitting a back-hander to the side farthest from his goal when the ball is in dangerous proximity to it. He should be a man of nerve, decision, and judgement, quick to note an opportunity of turning defence into attack, and equally quick in carrying out his plan. Until lately it was a recognised rule that the * back ' should never start upon a run except under extraordinary circumstances; now, however, a 'back' sometimes does this, but in the event of his doing so his 'half back,' or No. 3, ought immediately to drop back and take his place temporarily. The circumstances, however, under which No. 4 will be called on to go far to the front are, as a rule, few and far between, and he will generally occupy the defensive position, at the same time directing operations much as the coxswain of a boat does. One great aim of a ' back' (who need not neces- sarily be a heavy man, as some suppose he ought to be) should be to bother his hostile No. i by putting him ' off side ' as much as possible ; he should be thoroughly well mounted, a clean and hard hitter, thoroughly competent, and should never ride to meet the ball when the enemy are attacking in force, for were he to miss it the consequence might be serious for his side. He should defend his goal principally with back-handed strokes and be keenly alive to the fact that he, and he alone, is the re- sponsible guardian of the goal. No. 3, or ' half back,' has a difficult task to perform, an onerous position, yet, if he understands it thoroughly, a very pleasant one. His chief duties consist in helping his ' back,' to the utmost of his power, in keeping his opponents off him, and assisting him in taking a ball away from dangerous proxi- mity to his goal, besides, as before said, dropping back and assuming No. 4's place should the latter start on a run ; often, too, he must, when not wanted by his own No. 4, go up to help his No. i and No. 2, and so get an attack of three men against the opposing two, Nos. i and 2. He will, in fact, have to make himself generally useful, and to do this must naturally have his 358 POLO wits about him, and note every turn and phase of the game He should be a good hitter of back-handers, and not only be able to hit hard, but with judgment and direction, so as to place the ball favourably for his No. 2 to take on. No. 2 has perhaps the easiest place in the game, and should give and take with No. i. He will be, so to speak, the light cavalry, a sort of free lance, constantly engaged in attack. He should, of course, hit the ball as often and as straight as he can towards the enemy's goal; in fact, all his energies should be con- centrated on one point, viz. the capturing of the enemy's goal, varied by worrying them and endeavouring to foil their attack. It is the position par excellence in a game which offers most opportunities for quick and fast play, and embarking in all the mad excitement of a run, and, given a good pony one that can gallop and stay certainly the most enviable position for a player filled with the fire and vigour of youth. No. 2 should not only be a hard and sure hitter, but be en- dowed with judgment, dash, and discretion, quick to note an opportunity of cutting in and getting possession of the ball. Needless to say he should be mounted on a fast and handy pony. He should always ride hard and remember that the enemy's No. 3 is his special opponent, and be ready to take on the ball when hit out from behind his own goal. The post of No. i is somewhat arduous and calls for the exercise of great self-denial at times, if he is to play his proper part in the game. His main duties consist in looking after the 1 back ' of the opposite side. He should never leave him, but should hustle him off the ball on every occasion and devote the whole of his energies to doing this and keeping ' on side > himself; in fact, during every minute of play he should use his head and his skill, altering his pace to suit the exigencies of the game, timing his rush, and judging on which side of his opponent he shall either attack or defend. No. i must not expect to hit the ball as often as other members of the team, but a good man in this position, provided he is as well- or better-mounted than the opposing 'back,' will often find the HOW A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLA YED 359 opportunity of indulging in a run by passing the c back,' or turning quicker than he does, and so getting first to the ball. He should, however, go in more for riding than hitting, and if he plays his part properly will render invaluable aid to his side and keep the field clear for his No. 2. He should be Argus- eyed, and be able to watch the opposing ' back ' and the ball at the same moment. His greatest difficulty, however, will be to With a lead of them all. keep ' on side,' particularly if the enemy's ' back ' is a veteran at the game, and up to all sorts of dodges for putting him ' off side.' Should No. i find himself ' off side,' he should be most careful not to foul, for should he do so, the penalty might lose his side the game. Lastly, we come to the umpires, men who not only occupy a very necessary but a very responsible position in the game. 360 POLO Each side should have its umpire, whose decision ought to be considered final. In important matches, however, a referee is sometimes appointed, and from his fiat there is no appeal. The umpire should be a man thoroughly acquainted with all the details and intricacies of the game ; he should be well mounted and have not only a quick eye and keen ob- servation, but know the proper distance to keep from the game, a distance that will enable him to note any cases of ' off side ' or ' foul ' without getting in the way of the players. Needless to say his task is by no means devoid of difficulties, and he, like umpires in other games, seldom gives satisfaction to both sides. The general duties and positions of the various members of a team and the umpires having now been broadly defined, let us pass on to the question of how a polo match should be played. Choice of goals having been tossed for, the two sides range up, facing each other, in opposing lines : No. i facing the No. i of the enemy ; No. 2 and No. 3 the same ; and the respective ' backs ' slightly behind, with their ponies half turned, one and all expecting to get the first smack at the ball. The time- keeper then steps out into mid-ground and throws the ball between the opposing teams. 1 Directly the ball is hit towards one goal or the other, it turns the side towards which it travels into the defending side. The attacking side should now use every legitimate means to drive the ball between their oppo- nents' goal posts ; and to do this all rapidity of motion, com- bined with strategy, is necessary, whereas on the part of the defenders every effort should be concentrated not only on the defence of their goal, but on turning the defence into attack without delay. And here it is that a good ' back ' will have the opportunity of exhibiting his powers of generalship. Hitting a hard back-hander through to his ' forwards,' he should get it away from the front of his own goal, and sending it out into mid-ground, he should hurl his forces at the enemy and 1 In India the ball is placed in the centre of the ground, and two ' forward ' players cross sticks over it and then begin. HOW A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLA YED 361 break through their defence. Much will naturally depend on how the ball is placed, for that is half the battle. It will not be sufficient merely to strike the ball most men can do that but it is the direction in which it is struck that is the important factor ; for if a player strikes the ball in such a direction that it can be reached by one of his own side before one of his oppo- nents can touch it, he will have scored a point towards success Putting plenty of powder into a stroke. ' Vires acquirit eundo.' This requires nicety of play, far more in the galloping game now in vogue than some years ago, when ' dribbling ' was more common, though there are even now occasions when a dribble of a few yards to dodge an enemy can be used advantageously. At the same time, dribbling should be avoided as much as possible, for it is useless endeavouring to do this in a really hard galloping game. The ball hops too much to enable a player to make anything like a certainty of achieving his object when 362 POLO the pace he is going at is taken into consideration, and even if this were not the case, his antagonists would scarcely allow him to do so for even a short distance without riding him off the ball, or crooking his stick before he could do much good. One great maxim to be adhered to is to hit hard. Of course in making a circle and taking the ball round, i.e. away from the front of the goal, short shots must occasionally be made ; but once embarked on a run and on the direct road for the adversaries' goal, the hitting should be as hard and as straight as possible. Beginners must not think that they will be able to hit hard and accurately without a great deal of practice, and they should practise every stroke at every sort of pace for at least an hour or two a day. To achieve success in any game constant practice is necessary, nor need a man be disheartened if he fails for a time. This is the secret of success, and unless a man can make up his mind to perfect himself by constantly practising alone he will never develop into a first-rate player. To resume. It is advisable to hit as much as possible on the natural side of the pony, viz. on the * off side, ' and only to play on the ' near side ' to straighten the direction of the ball or to avoid an adversary who is bent on riding you off. Hitting the ball on the near side is one of the hardest strokes in the game, and, however well it is done, should not be attempted except in cases of absolute necessity, as such strokes almost invariably lack not only the force, but the precision and direction of the natural stroke. The next essential point to be attended to by those who wish success to smile on their efforts, and one hardly less important than hard hitting, is to gallop. To paraphrase the saying of Napoleon's great general, ' De raudace, de Vaudace et toujours de Pandace] we might rightly say, ' Le galop, le galop et toujours le galop* Gallop till the last moment. By doing so you not only bewilder your opponents, but you exhaust them. Many players will only canter beside an adversary, and look at him whilst he is hitting the ball, making no real effort to pre- vent him even when they might easily do so and the stroke is HOW A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLA YED 363 one of vital importance. They seem to think that their adver- sary may miss the ball, or, Mr. Micawber-like, that 'something will turn up ' to produce the effect that they themselves should be instrumental in bringing about. Naturally such indecision and lack of dash are fatal. ' Riding out ' is also another important point, and here No. i will have a great field for the display of such talents as he may possess. ' Riding out ' consists in getting your pony in such a position that you force your adversary to abandon the favour- able position he holds for striking the ball, or it may apply to keeping an opponent in such a position that he is unable to foil his adversary or assist one of his own side. Hustling or pushing an adversary is, of course, permissible, and a man may push with his arm, but must not use it below the elbow. In no case is pushing with the extended arm and hand allowable. Many men will delay having a shot at the enemy's goal owing to the distance the ball is from it. This, however, should not be a deterrent, for it should be remembered that it will take the ball near the goal, even if it does not go through the goal posts. Hit hard, therefore, and try for a goal directly you are within possible range, and do not wait till the ball is nearer and in a better line for the goal posts. The chances are that the easier stroke will never come off, and it is astonishing at what a distance a goal can be hit. An instance of this is perhaps worth recording here. It occurred at Hurl- ingham, during the season of 1889, in a match between the Elvaston and Houghton Clubs. Mr. James Peat, who was playing for the latter, got hold of the ball some fifty yards below the Pavilion, and between it and the * stables ' goal, and some two hundred and fifteen yards from the ' Chesnuts ' goal, which was his opponents' stronghold. With one tremendous drive he sent the ball up the ground, not straight for the goal, but rather parallel with the boundary boards. Following it up, he hit again ; and though the angle, one of about thirty-three degrees, and the distance, a hundred yards or more, seemed to preclude all chances of success, yet such was the precision with 364 POLO which the ball was cut, so to speak, that it rolled slowly between the goal posts. It was in very truth a marvellous stroke, but shows what can be done, and that a shot should be taken at a goal, however long it may be. When the ball has been hit behind the goal line, the player hitting off, who is generally the captain or No. 4 (back), should endeavour to hit the ball as much as possible to one side of the ground, and not in front of his goal. Then, if he makes a poor shot, or the ball is stopped by an adversary, it will not be in such a dangerous position as if it were in front of his goal. Of course, instances will arise when one side hits behind their own goal in self-defence if sorely pressed. Formerly there used to be no penalty for doing this, and the side hitting off were allowed to have their forward players in front of the ball. Now, however, if one side hits behind their own goal, whether accidentally or in self-defence, the whole side has to keep behind the goal line until the ball is hit off, the attacking side being free to place themselves as they choose. ( Vide Rule XL) Hitting behind your own goal ought, therefore, to be avoided as much as possible, for the penalty attached to doing so no doubt gives a decided advantage to the side enforcing it. Finally, it is as well to remark that from the beginning of the game a spirit of calmness and silence should pervade every member of a team. There should be no unnecessary shouting or noise, otherwise any commands the captain may have to give may be unheard at a critical moment ; and, above all, every member of a team should not only be acquainted with the duties appertaining to his individual position in the game, but stick to them and his place at all hazards. Those who have studied the question at all and seen much polo will, I think, admit that it is perhaps the most scientific outdoor game played, being, as it is, not only one of skill both in horsemanship and the use of the stick, but of strategy and discipline. Like whist, it is a combination of forces to effect an end, as opposed to each individual acting separately on his own account. In most other games a man is dependent on HOW A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLA YED 365 himself alone, none of his side can aid him very materially ; but in polo the most dashing run, the hardest hitting, th e most brilliant play avails but little if not backed up. It is this com- bination that constitutes scientific or organised play. The problem, therefore, that every would-be player has to solve is to learn and practise thoroughly the duties appertaining to every place in the game, and of course he must previously have Missed. learnt to ride well and to hit the ball when he is going fast. It is comparatively easy to make sure of striking the ball when going slowly, but this is of little use in a game. It is the accuracy of aim when going fast that tells, and this should constantly be practised. Before a match begins you will con - stantly see even the very best players doing this knocking the ball about and getting their ' eye in.' There are four axioms which every player should learn and apply : l 1 ' An Old Hand, ' in Hayes Sporting News. 366 POLO 1. Never hang back on the chance of your adversary missing the ball. 2. Always keep your proper place in the game. 3. Trust every member of the team in which you are play- ing to do his own work. 4. Whenever you see that one of your own side will get possession of the ball, turn your pony's head in the direction in which the ball will be hit before it is struck. Let the budding player attend to these simple rules, and, even though he may not be a very brilliant horseman or a slashing hitter, his services will be more valued than if he com- bined both these qualities with a disregard for the rules of the game. Discipline and cohesion have before now won great battles, and many a game at polo has been won by a team that observed these rules against one better mounted, and with more brilliant individual players, who disregarded them. I do not think I can conclude this chapter move fitly than by quoting an extract from a capital article in ' Hayes' Sporting News,' signed 'An Old Hand,' whose identity all Indian players will be able to establish. The author, after pointing out the duties of the various players (Nos. i, 2, &c.), says : I will add here one or two points that apply to all players : i. They should always go as fast as they can when they are riding towards the adversary's goal, even at the risk of missing the ball because it is moving. By hanging a little they may make certain of hitting the ball once though, if they have smart adversaries, they are more likely to lose it but doing so allows all the opposite side to get round and back, and cramps up their own side. Waiting for the ball to settle is one of the commonest faults seen in an ordinary game ; but it is a fatal mistake against good adversaries. A player thinks he has got a ball easily, but before he knows where he is one of the adversaries is upon him, and he finds he never gets to the ball at all. It is a veiy common thing to notice that a player from whom a good deal is expected turns out to be of very little use in a match. The reason is that he is one who is in the habit of dwelling to get his ball settled, and cannot, or will not, give it up. Another common observation is that all the players HOW A POLO MATCH SHOULD BE PLA YED 367 seem to be playing a good deal below their usual form. The reason is that they, too, have been in this habit, and, though they give it up in the match, and ride their best, they can no longer hit the ball in the same way that they did when they took it easy. A man who always rides hard, even if he is not a good hitter, is of more use than a good hitter who does not ride. 2. Another point that should be attended to is that the next player should always closely back up one of his side that is on the ball not so close that he cannot hit the ball if it is missed or ridden off, but bar that as close as is possible and in any case he should not let one of the adversaries get next the striker. It will be seen therefore that polo is not the wild hurly- burly that it may at first sight appear to an onlooker unac- quainted with the rules that govern the game. It will be acknow- ledged even by those who stigmatise it as dangerous to be a scientific sport, requiring not only a cool head, quick eye, perseverance, self-denial, dash, faith in one's comrades, and nerve, but judgment, decision, and good horsemanship. It will besides be evident that the power of calculating pace and dis- tance are two most important and requisite qualifications in the man who would shine as a polo player. The knowledge when to race, when to take it quietly ; quickness in turning ; the period when defence should be turned into attack in fact, all the strategy and tactics of the game should not only be compre- hended, but resolved on and executed promptly and with deci- sion. When a man can do all this, and strictly adhere to his own place in a team, then he will indeed be entitled to high fame in the annals of polo. My task is finished. It has been to me a task of no ordinary pleasure to trace, though but briefly, the history of this fasci- nating game from remote ages to the present time; nor have I ex- perienced less gratification in endeavouring to do some justice to those who have made polo what it is; and, though the subject may not lend itself to treatment like the wider ones of hunting, racing, or driving, and my narrative has perforce been some- what devoid of anecdote, owing to the comparatively short time that the game has been in existence, yet all those who now 368 POLO participate in it, and even those who have played but can do so no longer the past, the present, the future players of the game all will, I feel assured, unite in voting polo a 'pastime for princes,' and concur with the sentiments expressed in these rattling lines that appeared in the July number of ' Fores's Sporting Sketches,' 1889, signed ' C. G.' But the ring of the ball and the cheery call Of a pal in the thickest row, With a bamboo stick and a pony quick, Are better than all, I vow. 3 AS^ ww, tM Remounts. APPENDIX APPENDIX LESSONS IN RID'ING BY ROBERT WEIR LESSON I IN the first place a steady, quiet, easy-paced horse should be provided. The great object at first is to give the pupil confi- dence, and to get him to understand that he has nothing to fear. The less you talk to him while he is at work the better, but frequently halt him, and if he has lost the position in which you wish him to ride, place him in it again, and explain to him by what means he will best retain it ; always taking care not to keep him going too long at a time, so as to overtax his strength. As the course of instruction is to be a short one, it is proposed to begin on a saddle with stirrups. The horse should be led into the riding school with a plain snaffle bridle and saddle on, and the pupil be made acquainted with the fitting of them. The next thing is to mount. As a great many accidents occur through ignorance of the proper way of mounting and dismounting, or through carelessness in doing so, it is essential; that he should be taught this thoroughly. The man should stand on the near side of the horse, facing him, with the right foot opposite the stirrup and the left in line with the horse's fore feet. He should then take the end of the reins in the B B 2 372 RIDING right hand and place the little finger of the left hand between them, the left hand being about twelve inches from the saddle, on the horse's neck. He should next draw the reins through the left hand and shorten them so as to feel the horse's mouth lightly and evenly ; then drop the end of the reins out of the right hand to the off side, and with the right hand take a lock of the mane, bring it through the full of the left hand, and twist it round the thumb, the fingers of the left hand closing firmly on the mane and reins. He is next to take hold of the stirrup with the right hand, raise the left foot and place it in the stirrup as far as the ball of the foot ; the knee is to be in the middle of the flap of the saddle ; the right hand is now to be placed on the cantle of the saddle. Care should be taken that the left heel is drawn back so as to keep the toe away from the horse's side. This is the position of 'Prepare to mount.' In 'Mounting' the man should be taught to spring from the right instep {not to drag himself up by his hands), bringing both heels together, the body upright and slightly leaning over the saddle, both knees firm against the flap of the saddle. The right leg should now be passed clear over the horse's quarters to the off side, and the right hand moved at the same time from the cantle to the pommel of the saddle to support the body. The knee should be closed to the saddle first, and in passing the right leg over the horse's croup the toe should be down. He should next be shown how to take a rein in each hand, and be placed in the saddle. In taking the reins they should be through the full of the hand and over the fore-finger, with the thumb closed firmly on the top, and the little finger should be outside the rein. He must now be instructed that he is to sit in the middle of the saddle, with the body upright but easy ; the head raised and the weight of the upper part of the body over the hips ; the shoulders square and thrown back ; the small part of the back slightly bent forward ; the elbows under the shoulders, and to touch the hips lightly. The hands should be in front of the elbows, which will bring them about six inches apart, and the LESSONS IN RIDING 373 wrist very slightly rounded outwards, the little finger about as high as the elbow and under the hand, the thumb on the top and close on the rein. The flat side of the thigh and inside of the knee should be placed to the saddle, but not screwed round so as to take all the power out of the leg. (A great deal here depends on the shape of the leg. A man with a round thigh and large knee finds it more difficult to do this than one with a thin flat thigh and small knee, and allowance must be made accordingly.) The lower part of the legs should be close to the sides of the horse, and the heels down. The stirrup may now be fitted, and in doing this the bar of the stirrup should reach about three inches above the upper edge of the heel of the boot ; the feet are then to be placed in the stirrups as far as the ball of the foot, care being taken in doing this not to get the knees forced too much up. The pupil may now be walked round the school a few times, the instructor walking round with him but a little way off, halting him occa- sionally, and making such correction as may be necessary. It should be explained to him that to make his horse go forward he is to close the calves of the legs gently and yield the hand by turning the little fingers towards the horse's ears ; and to halt, to turn the little fingers upwards towards the centre of the body, feeling the horse's mouth lightly and evenly until he halts, when he is to yield the hand. About ten minutes of this should be enough for the first lesson, and he should now be turned into the centre of the school and instructed how to 'dismount.' The motions are very similar in dismounting to those in mounting. In ' preparing to dismount ' the right hand takes hold of the reins above the left, and the right foot is taken out of the stirrup, the left hand then slides forward on the reins, which are still held in the right hand about twelve inches from the saddle ; then drop the spare part of the reins out of the right hand to the off side, take the lock of the mane as in pre- paring to mount, and place the right hand on the pommel of the saddle. In doing this the body should be kept upright. In 'dismounting,' the body is to be supported by the right 374 RIDING hand and left foot, and the right leg brought clear over the horse's croup to the near side ; heels close, right hand on the cantle of the saddle as in mounting. (It should be explained to the pupil that a pause is always to be made here both in mounting and dismounting ; in case the horse is not steady or anything wrong, he can from this position come down or not as may be best.) The body is now to be lowered till the right foot is on the ground. Then, keeping the hands in the same position, take the left foot out of the stirrup and place it in line with the horse's fore feet. The pupil is then to quit his hold with both hands and turn to his left, as he turns taking hold of the rein about six inches from the ring of the snaffle and raising the horse's head. This will be sufficient for the first lesson, and should have occupied from half an hour to forty minutes. LESSON II The second lesson must be begun exactly in the same way as the first, as it is not to be supposed that the pupil will re- member all that he has been told in the previous one. The mounting motions must be performed correctly, and the pupil placed in the saddle as before directed. The instructor should walk round the school with him, halting him now and again, and pointing out faults, and if the pupil be tolerably confident he may be encouraged to trot very steadily a few times from one end of the school to the other. He will be sure to roll about a little at first, but too much must not be expected. It is quite sufficient that he should sit on the horse's back, get used to the motion, and try to go with the horse without stiffness. When sitting at ease he may be allowed to take his feet out of the stirrups and stretch his limbs well down, taking the stirrups and being correctly placed again before moving off. When he has been mounted about half an hour he should be turned into the centre of the school and dismounted. If he is not tired, and eager to do more, he may be mounted and dis- mounted again once and then dismissed. LESSONS IN RIDING 375 LESSON III Begin again at the beginning. The pupil may be a little stiff after his lesson of yesterday, but this will soon wear off. The same lesson should be continued, and he should (if able) be made to trot once or twice round the school without stop- ping, it being explained to him that by leaning his body a little Awards, that is to say away from the side of the school, especi- ally at the corners, it will help him to keep his balance. He must not be allowed to hold on by the horse's mouth or to cling by the calf of the leg, but must try to keep his balance and to grip by the knee and thigh. If he holds on too low down, he will loosen the grip of the knee and thigh, the knee will work up, and the body will be top-heavy. His feet will be constantly working home in the stirrups ; in fact, as fast as he gets right in one place he will get wrong in another. The best thing to do is not to let him trot too long : about twice round the school is plenty ; then let him sit at ease, point out, to him how he got wrong, and start him again. It should be explained that the feet must be kept in the stirrups by an easy play of the ankle and instep, and not by standing on them, and that the weight of the body should be on the saddle and not on the stirrups. Half an hour will be long enough for him to be mounted. LESSON IV Mounting and position as before. The instructor must pay great attention to the position of the body, hands, and legs. The pupil should now be able at a walk to correct any fault he may be told of, without being halted. While trotting, keep working for ease and try to get the whole body in unison with the movements of the horse. The instructor will have to be very careful hereabouts, and in the few succeeding lessons not to disgust his pupil, who will want all the encouragement he can give. There is nothing 376 RIDING more disheartening than to keep on finding out that a thing which looks so easy when one sees a good rider doing it comes so difficult to oneself; but a little patience and lots of encouragement will get over these difficulties. The pupil should be kept at a very steady pace, in fact barely out of a walk, and frequently changed from one rein on to the other by the incline^ but as yet always making the change at a walk : for this reason, that while he is going round the school at a trot to the right he is leaning a little to the right, and if he makes the change at a trot, before he has time to get his balance to the left, he comes to the corner and, as likely as not, tumbles into it. While walking he may take his feet out of the stirrups, and cross them over the horse's neck, taking them again before he begins to trot. LESSON V The pupil should now be pretty well acquainted with the motions in mounting and dismounting, and should be required on the command 'Prepare to mount,' to go through all the motions correctly, and the same in mounting, care being taken that he makes a pause with the body upright before passing the right leg over, and that the right hand on the pommel of the saddle receives the weight of the body as it comes into it. He should now be getting a little steadier in his seat at a trot, and able to keep going a little longer without becoming dis- tressed. He may also be shown how to make a turn at a walk, it being explained that in turning to the right it is not suf- ficient to feel the right rein only, but that he should retain a steady feeling of the left also, and that both legs should be closed, the left leg the more strongly, so that the hind quarters are not thrown out; on arriving at the opposite side of the school he again turns to the same hand. The pace at a trot should still be steady and regular, and the same attention paid to the position of the body, hands, and legs. The pupil should also try to ride his horse nearly into the corners of the school by feeling the rein nearest the side and closing the opposite leg, LESSONS IN RIDING 377 beginning to do so in good time, say about two horse's lengths before he comes to the corner. LESSON VI If the progress has been satisfactory, the pace during this lesson may be increased, though not hurried, and the incline tried at a trot. The pupil may also, while riding without stirrups, be encouraged to trot once or twice round the school without them, of course going back to the slow trot while this part of the lesson lasts. He must not be allowed to hold on by the horse's mouth, but trust to his balance and the grip of the knee and thigh, getting his thigh well down into the saddle, but without leaning forward, keeping the body supple and the hands steady. A little of this goes a long way ; about twice round will be enough at first ; then sit at ease and take the stirrups again, and before the end of the lesson put the stirrups up again, and try a couple or three times round without them on the other rein. The lesson should now last about an hour, but it must be left to the discretion of the instructor to make it a little shorter if the pupil is not strong or if he is fatigued. LESSON VII Continue, as in the previous lessons, to work for steadiness, about a quarter of an hour in the middle of the lesson being without stirrups ; as the seat gets steadier the pupil will not grow tired so soon, and may trot a little longer at a time with- out them. It will very likely be found that, after riding without stirrups, on taking them again they will be too short and may want letting down a hole, but care must be exercised at the same time not to get them too long, or else the body will go too much forward and he will get off his seat on to his fork. Particular attention must still be paid to the position of the body, hands, and legs ; also to keeping the feet properly placed in the stirrups, and to regularity of pace. The pupil should also still be practised in making a few turns 378 RIDING each lesson at a walk, care being taken that the horse is not pulled round by the feeling of the inward rein only, but supported by the outward rein as well, and that both legs are kept closed, the outward the stronger. In speaking of outward or inward leg or rein, the pupil should be made to understand that the hand to which he turns is the inward hand. LESSON VIII The same as before, still working to get the rider and horse in unison with each other. As the pupil gets on, and finds himself able to sit on the horse's back without much trouble to himself, he must not be allowed to take it too easy, but be kept more up to his work as he gets firmer and stronger in his seat. A little more may be asked of him each lesson, but still the instructor must be careful not to ask so much as to make him over-tired. He should now be able to keep his position fairly well at a steady trot, and the feet properly placed in the stirrups. The pace should now and again be increased at a trot and slackened again, and a little more be asked from him when riding without stirrups. He should also be taught to 'rein back,' it being explained to him that in doing so he is not to keep a dead pull on his horse's mouth and allow him to run oack, but that he is to take a step to the rear at a time, by an alternate feeling of the reins and closing of the legs, the horse halting at each step ; also, that the reins are to be felt and the legs closed evenly, so that he reins back on a straight line. LESSON IX It would be advisable that by the time this lesson is reached the horse should be changed. It is not at all desirable that the pupil should be put on to a rough horse ; on the contrary, the new mount should be as quiet and easy as the one he has been on all along, and the pupil should be assured of this ; but as no two horses go exactly alike, it is as well that he should feel LESSONS IN RIDING 379 the motion of another. He may be a little nervous at first, but when he finds that the horse is quiet he will soon be as confident as on the other. If he is not quite at home, it would be as well not to take his stirrups away the first day ; otherwise the lesson should be continued as before. It is very good practice, where a few beginners are riding together, to change their horses once or twice during a lesson, as it not only gives them the practice on different horses, but each one tries to ride his neighbour's horse better than it was ridden before. It will also be found that the seat is different on some horses than others. Horses with a round barrel and low in front have .a tendency to work the seat and legs more forward than those with flat sides and good shoulders ; but it is necessary that the pupils should feel the difference. LESSON X The change of horses should be continued, and the same lesson gone on with. The turns may now be made at a trot, and in doing so care is to be taken that the same pace is kept as in going round the school ; also when crossing the school the horse must not be allowed to hurry or incline, but is to be ridden straight across at the same pace, and on arriving at the opposite side, another square turn must be made to the same hand as he turned before. The pupil should also when walking be taught to circle. On the command ' Circle right ' or ' left ' he should describe a half-circle by feeling the inward rein and closing the outward leg so as to arrive at the centre of the school, then advance on a straight line about two horse's lengths down the middle of the school, and describe andther half-circle to the side. The horse's head should be bent a little to the hand to which he circles, and the hind feet should go over exactly the same ground as the fore feet. About a quarter of the lesson may still be without stirrups, but the instructor must use his discre- tion, especially with the change of horses, as to pace, c. The principal object in making the pupil ride without stirrups is to 380 RIDING get him down into the saddle and keep him there. The lesson; should still last about an hour. LESSON XI The turns at a trot should be continued, the pupil being now and again halted while crossing the house to see that he is going straight. Horses soon get cunning at this sort of work, and cut their ground .off by inclining to the hand to which they turn, but they must not be allowed to do so. It is good practice after halting when crossing the house to rein back a few steps before going forward, care being taken that the horse reins back on a straight line and that the hands yield- after every step. The turn should not be made at the same place every time, nor every time he goes round the house. If it were so the horse would get accustomed to it, anticipate the rider and make the turn himself, which would not do the pupil much good. Particular attention must be paid to the seat and position, as the rider may, while having his thoughts fixed on turning his horse properly, lose his position if not looked to. He should lean his body a little inwards as he turns, but other- wise no alteration of seat should be allowed. LESSON XII The circles as well as the turns may now be tried at a trot, halting now and again in the circle as in the turn, correcting, anything that may be wrong and explaining how to avoid it. It will generally be found that horses which are accustomed to this sort of work are inclined to leave the middle of the school too soon. This should not be allowed, the inward leg being closed strongly to prevent it. The same steady, even pace should be kept in the circle as in going round the school. It is not to be supposed that every pupil will be far enough advanced at the twelfth lesson to do this, but a young active fellow, with plenty of confidence and anxious to- learn to ride, should on an easy horse be able to do so. It LESSONS IN RIDING 381 inust, however, be left to the discretion of the instructor, and if his pupil's seat is not steady enough (and if it is not he cannot be expected to use his hands) he must be kept at straightfor- ward work till the seat improves. In all turns and circles the hands are to be kept down, and the motion is to be made from the wrist and not from the elbow or shoulder, the elbow being kept close to the side but without stiffness. LESSON XIII The turns and circles at a trot should be continued at a steady pace, and if they are fairly well made and the seat and hands tolerably steady, the pupil may towards the end of the lesson he tried a few steps at a canter. In beginning to canter it will be found to come easier to the rider to put him on a large circle, taking nearly half the school, and begin the canter from a trot ; after he has trotted a few times steadily round the circle, the pace should be a little increased, and the word given to canter just as the horse is coming to the side of the school .after crossing the centre. He is then pretty sure to strike off correctly, that is to say, leading with the off fore leg followed by 4he off hind if -going round to the right, and with the near fore followed by the near hind if to the left. It should be explained to the pupil that in striking his horse off at a canter, the fore- hand should be raised by a light feeling of both reins, that the haunches should be kept under him by a pressure of both legs, tut that the inward rein should be felt, and the outward leg closed the stronger, so that the horse strikes off true and united. Of course in beginning this part of the lesson the pupil should be on a very steady horse that knows his work and does not require much riding to make him do what is wanted of him. He must not be allowed to hurry. If the horse is increasing his pace too much, it will be best to bring him to a trot and walk at once. The pupil must be instructed to sit well down on his seat, and not to bear too much weight on the stirrups, as if he does the body will go too much forward, and the 382 RIDING balance will be lost. A few times round the circle is sufficient at first, and if he has managed to keep fairly well down on his seat he will have done all that should be expected of him. It is a great help to lean the body a little inside the circle during this lesson. After sitting at ease a short time he may try a few times round to the other hand. In coming from a canter to a trot the reins should be felt so as to bring the horse nearly to a walk, then yield the hand and sit quite still, and in most cases the horse will settle down to a steady trot ; but if the seat is not steady the hands are sure not to be, and in that case the sooner he walks and halts the better, care being taken not to pull the horse up roughly or suddenly, which will only make him unsteady and of course more difficult to sit on. In speaking of cantering true and united, it should be ex- plained that when cantering to the right the horse is true and united if leading with both off legs, if to the left if leading with both near legs ; he is disunited if leading with the off fore followed by the near hind, or if leading with the near fore followed by the off hind. It of course takes time to find out all this, but as soon as the rider is able to sit steadily on his horse's back at a canter he will 'be able to feel whether his horse is true or otherwise, and if he is false or disunited the best way is to pull him up quietly and apply his aids again. LESSON XIV It would be as well to allow the pupil to ride the same horse again during the time he is cantering. In the first part of the lesson he should still ride a short time without stirrups, and continue the turns and circles at a walk and trot, also reining back a few steps now and again ; and towards the end of the lesson he should again be put on the circle for cantering in the same manner as yesterday. In the first few lessons in canter- ing, it will in most cases be found that the pupil will be inclined to get his hands too high. This must not be allowed, as by raising the hands the reins are shortened and he holds on to LESSONS IN RIDING 383 the horse's mouth instead of keeping his seat by the grip of the knee and thigh and the balance of the body. He will soon get into the way of keeping his seat at this pace. The mam thing is not to keep him at a canter too long at a time, but frequently sit at ease for a few minutes, and then try a few steps- more. LESSON XV The cantering part of the lesson should now be begun a little earlier, the object being to give the pupil a little more of it and to vary the lesson. About twenty minutes' work at a walk and trot should be gone through, getting the rider to use his snaffle and legs to collect his horse and then begin the canter. If he has done fairly well on the circle order him to * go large ' round the house, giving the word soon enough so that he may have time to prepare himself for it. He should be told beforehand what 'to do, otherwise the horse will get halfway across the school, on the circle, and the rider will grow confused and upset his horse. On the command ' Go large ' (which, as before stated, should be given in good time), the rider should begin to feel the outward rein a little stronger, and work his horse up a little more with the legs, and before coming to the part of the school where the horse leaves the side to come across the centre, close the inward leg and feel the outward rein strongly enough to keep him going on by the side at the same pace. After about once round the school, ' Trot ' should be ordered, and if the rider is steady, the pace may be increased by the word ' Trot out,' then ' Trot short,' 'Walk,' 'Halt,' and 'Sit at ease.' After cantering, the pace of the horse at a trot feels rougher than at any other time ; great attention should therefore be paid to the steadiness of seat and hands at this part of the lesson. LESSON XVI If the previous lessons have been fairly well done, the pupil .may now be taught when at a trot to rise in his stirrups, but a 384 RIDING short time should be devoted first to going through what he has been working at all along. The general mistake in begin- ning to rise in the stirrups is that the rider works too hard and continues bobbing up and down without getting the time, taking a great deal out of himself and his horse and doing no good. He should be instructed to begin to rise down the long side of the school only, and sit still again round the short end of it. As the corners are at first almost sure to put him out of time, he should count the time to himself, ' i 2,' ' i 2,' 1 i 2,' and so on ; ' i ' being to raise the body from the saddle by bearing a little more weight on the stirrup and inclining the body a little forward, ' 2,' to lower the body quietly into the saddle again. In rising, the seat should just clear the saddle, but the body must be kept long enough up to, as it were, rise with one step and sit down with the next (although the horse really takes a step between). If he loses the time, which he is pretty sure to do at first, it is no use to keep on working the body up and down to try and recover it, but sit still for a few steps and then try again. It is found advisable with some pupils in beginning this lesson to shorten their stirrups a hole for the time, and with others to take a lock of mane in the right hand, first putting both reins into the left hand, of course resuming the proper position as soon as they got into the way of it a little. Care must also here be taken that the lower part of the legs are kept steady. Nothing looks worse than to see a man kicking his horse under the jaw with his toe and in the flank with the heel every time he rises on the stirrup ; besides, as long as the legs are swinging backwards and forwards the seat cannot be very secure. LESSON XVII The same as yesterday. If the instructor find he has more to do than he can do well in about an hour, or if the pupil does not get into the way of rising in the stirrups, discretion must be used and some part of the lesson left out, say the quarter of LESSONS IN RIDING 385, an hour without stirrups. While rising, it must be particularly noticed that he does not pull himself up by his horse's mouth,, as a great many beginners (and also plenty of people wha can hardly be called beginners) are very apt to do. Rather, if he must have something to help by his hands, let him start with the mane or front of the saddle, and when he has got the motion and time leave go and try to keep them without. Of course it is to be understood that he is not to be turned or circled during this part of the lesson. He will do very well to go straightforward and keep the time and motion with the pace of the horse. LESSON XVIII Persevere with the previous lessons, especially rising in the stirrups. If the pupil can do it fairly well, get him to sit still now and again while the horse is trotting, and while doing so correct the position of the seat if necessary, and then let him rise again without bringing the horse to a walk. Also, after cantering once or twice round the house, give the word ' Trot ! ' and as soon as the horse settles quietly at a trot, make the pupil rise in the stirrups and then ' walk,' ' halt,' and ' sit at ease/ giving the horse his head. While sitting at ease the time may be profitably used by the instructor in talking to his pupil, tell- ing him what he would have to do under different circumstances, as for instance, that in case his horse rears, he is to give him his head and lean his body forward to avoid pulling him over, or that if he is inclined to kick, he should lean his body back and raise his hands a little so as to keep the horse's head up and attract his attention by moving the snaffle lightly across the bars of the mouth ; in fact, he can nearly always find some- thing to tell him, as for instance about awkward positions he himself has been placed in, and how he got out of them. This sort of thing is always interesting to a beginner, and. if he remembers it may some day be of service to him after he has; taken to riding by himself. c c 3 86 RIDING LESSON XIX Supposing that the pupil has done fairly well all that has yet been asked of him, this is the last lesson that need be given him before putting on the bit ; so it would be as well to work up thoroughly all that has been done in the previous lessons, beginning with mounting and dismounting correctly, riding a short time without stirrups, then a few turns and circles at a walk and trot, going on to cantering to both hands, and rising in the stirrup at a trot. He ought also by this time to be able to make the change from one hand to the other at a canter by the incline, and on arriving at the opposite side walk a step or two, and apply the aids already given to canter to the other hand. He may also increase his pace a little at a canter down the long side of the school, taking care to collect the pace again round the short end ; otherwise if the horse does not get the necessary support, which the rider will probably not be able to give him, he will very likely come down on his side. LESSON XX In beginning with the bit, the first thing is to explain to the pupil the fitting and action of the bit and curb. In fitting the bit, the mouthpiece should be placed one inch above the lower tush in a horse's mouth, and two inches above the corner tooth in a mare's ; it may be necessary with some horses to have the bit higher or lower, but this is about the rule. The curb should be placed quite flat and smooth, and should admit two fingers between it and the horse's jaw. It should be explained that the lower the bit is in the horse's mouth the more severe it be- comes, so that it is safer for a beginner if it be rather too high than too low. The pupil should mount on the bridoon in the same man- ner as on the snaffle, leaving the bit reins loose on the horse's neck, and then he must be instructed how to take up all four reins. There are several ways of doing so, but the following LESSONS IN RIDING 387 is preferable : take the centre of both reins in the right hand, the bridoon rein being on the top of the bit ; then, place a fin- .ger of the left hand between each rein, beginning with the little finger, so that the left bridoon rein is outside the little finger, the next finger being between the bit reins, and the right bri- doon rein between the forefinger and middle finger ; the whole being brought over the forefinger, and the thumb closed firmly on the top of the reins. Thus the bit reins are the two centre ones, and the bridoon reins on the outside. For the first few lessons, the right bridoon rein should be taken out of the left hand and held in the right, in the same manner as the pupil has been used to hold the snaffle, the bit reins being let out so as not to feel the horse's mouth on them at all. The left hand must now be placed opposite the centre of the body, .and the right hand about four inches from it. The position of the left hand must be particularly attended to, as, if the rider gets it in the position he has been used to have it in while riding on the snaffle, he will be pulling the whole time at the right bit rein without knowing it. The pace at a trot during this lesson should be kept very steady, and the pupil should be frequently halted, so as to correct the position of the hands if necessary, and he should be kept at straightforward work with- out turning. LESSONS XXL, XXII. , AND XXIII These lessons are principally intended to get the rider to understand the feeling of the bit on the horse's mouth. He should still ride with both hands, in fact, the right hand should .always assist the left, and the bridoon rein be used as well as the bit. It is all very well for a soldier, who wants his right hand .at liberty to use his weapon, to ride on the bit alone with one hand, but horses' mouths are kept fresher, and, as a rule, they go much more pleasantly if ridden on all four reins. As the pupil gets accustomed to keeping his hands in the proper place and to the feeling of the bit, the reins should be gradually shortened till he feels all four reins evenly, and the c c 2 388 RIDING same lesson be practised as when on the snaffle. He will have to be careful that in turning he does not feel the wrong rein, a very common mistake. If he turns to the right, the little finger of the left hand should work towards the right shoulder; if he turns to the left it should work towards the left shoulder. He should also be instructed not to have a dead pull on his horse's mouth at any time, but to ease and feel the reins, and occasion- ally draw the bridoon lightly across the horse's mouth, at the same time closing the legs to him, so as to take the weight of . the horse's head off the hand, if he is inclined to lean on it. Some horses will not bear the slightest feeling of the bit on the bars of the mouth, but these horses are not fit for a beginner ta ride ; they are behind the hand, and require to be firmly ridden for some time by an experienced rider LESSONS XXIV. AND XXV It is now time that the pupil should be taken out of doors, but on the first few occasions it would be well to begin with a short lesson in the school. The instructor should then mount himself on a steady horse and ride with him on the near side. A quiet road should be selected. The pupil may perhaps miss having the four walls of the school round him and be a little nervous, but will very soon get accustomed to his position, and enjoy his ride outside more than in the school. He should be made acquainted with the rule of the road, that is to say, that if he meets another horse or vehicle he keeps to the left-hand side, and that in passing anything that may be in front of him he is to pass it on the right-hand side. If the lessons in the school have given the rider as much control over the horse as they should have done, he will not be much at a loss outside. The pace at a trot should be steady, and he will find it much easier to rise in his stirrups outside the school than in, as it will be all straightforward work and no corners to put him out of it. He should only be allowed to trot where the road is pretty level. After about half an hour in the school and three-quarters out- LESSONS IN RIDING 389 side, he should ride his horse home and dismount at the door or at the stable as may be most convenient, and mount him there on the following day, and always in future ; but if he mounts or dismounts at the stable the horse's croup should at the time always be turned towards the stable-door. He should .also before mounting be required to look round his horse to see that he is properly girthed up, and the bit and curb properly fitted ; in fact, to see that his horse is in every way properly turned out. LESSON XXVI As it is proposed at the end of this lesson to try a little jumping, the first part of the lesson should be out of doors. The pupil should not now be confined to the roads, but taken to the fields also. A good- sized grass field, where the instructor can ride some distance from, but nearly in line with him, is best. He should be made to trot and canter the same as in the school, the instructor occasionally halting his own horse and making his pupil describe a large circle round him, then going forward again, increasing the pace by degrees and decreasing it, so as to make sure the horse goes at the pace required and does not regulate it for himself. He should be kept out for about an hour and then taken into the school. The reason for beginning the outdoor work first is that the rider will be firmer and more confident at the end of the lesson, and the horse, having had a certain amount of work, steadier than at the begin- ning of it. The bar should at first be laid on the ground so that the horse can walk over it. The pupil must be instructed to ride entirely on the bridoon reins. After walking over it a few times the bar may be put up into the first hole, which should not be more than eighteen inches from the ground, the horse should be led up to within about three horse's lengths of it, and then let go quietly ; but before doing this it is necessary to explain to the rider, and to get him thoroughly to understand, what he is to do. It is no use talking to him while he is on the move with the bar in front of him, for it is ten to one that he is 390 RIDING so intent on holding on that he does not hear a word you say.. (Of course he is supposed to be on a horse that knows his work, and will jump quietly and not hurry.) When the horse rises he should lean the body a little forward, but as a general rule beginners are apt to lean too much forward, and as all the spring of the horse comes from the hind quarters, it is most necessary that the body should be inclined backwards as the horse springs forward. He must not be allowed to hold on by the reins,, as by so doing he not only punishes the horse and perhaps makes him refuse, but also by feeling the rein as the horse rises he causes him to jump far more awkwardly than he would if allowed his head. The seat should be retained by the knee and thigh, and as far below the knee as the top of the calf of the leg. Nearly every one in learning to jump has a tendency when the horse rises to raise his hands and open his legs, which of course is the very opposite of what he should do ; for by raising the hands the reins are shortened, and by opening the legs the horse is allowed to jump from under his rider. The horse should be quietly collected to a steady pace again after jumping, but care must be taken not to check him suddenly or too soon. If the pupil be at all nervous, the best plan before letting him try, and perhaps giving him a fall, is to dis- mount him and put some one else up so as to let him see exactly what he has to do and how to do it. LESSON XXVII Begin again with an hour outside, and then finish up as yesterday with a little practice in leaping. The pupil must be careful not to allow the horse to hurry, but keep a steady pace ; a collected canter is the easiest. When once he gets into the way of it, the hands must be kept down, and the thigh and knee closed firmly to the saddle. The body should be supple from the loins ; anything in the way of stiffness is to be avoided. The stirrup should be kept under the seat, as by getting the leg too far forward the rider is apt to kick his horse in the shoulder ; LESSONS IN RIDING 391 also he should guard against putting too much weight on the stirrup ; if he does so when the horse springs forward it has a tendency to throw the body forward, and in case of the stirrup- leather breaking he would be pretty sure to get a fall. If he progresses fairly well the bar may be raised to about two feet six, which is as much as should be asked of the young rider. LESSONS XXVIII. TO XXX These three lessons should be principally devoted to out- door work and general instruction, and may last from an hour and a half to two hours. The instructor should keep away from his pupil, letting him by degrees out of leading- strings, and taking him into the school each day after the exercise outside for a jump. The instructor should occasion- ally ride on some distance on the turf and name the pace at which his pupil is to come up to him, and see that he pulls up correctly, keeping his hands down and his legs closed in doing so ; he should also instruct him how to open gates, in fact, in a country ride there is always something to be learnt. If in town, it should be impressed upon the pupil that in turning a corner of a street or road, he should never make the turn too short or at a fast pace, especially if he happens to be on stones or wood pavement ; also, that if his horse is inclined to shy at anything the greatest mistake he can make is to put his head straight at the object he is afraid of and abuse him for being frightened, but that in most cases if the horse's head be inclined a little away from the cause of his fright he will pass it quietly enough. When the pupil first starts for his ride, he is to see himself \hak his saddle and bridle are well fitted, and the horse well turned out. He must be made to understand that he is to mount correctly, see that everything is as it should be before starting, and then to start his horse off quietly ; that if his horse be fresh and inclined to round his back at starting, he should raise his hands a little so as to keep his head up and distract his attention by moving the bridoon across his mouth 392 RIDING lightly ; that he should not unnecessarily canter or gallop his horse on hard ground or up and down hill, and that on returning from his ride he should walk his horse some distance so as not to send him heated to his stable. It is not to be supposed that these lessons, in the same rota- tion as they are given, will be applicable to every beginner. Some young men are much quicker to learn than others, and some again have much more confidence and are more anxious to get on than others. Nor is it to be supposed that the pupil who has had these few lessons will have become a first-rate horse- man. He will, however, or should, have the groundwork of horsemanship, should be able to ride well enough on a tolerably quiet horse to ride for pleasure, and should be able to improve himself from the instruction he has received. 393 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RIDING Circa 1434 Da Arte de domar os Cavallos. By Duarte, Rei de Portugal e do Algarve, e Senhor de Ceuta. [Preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale de Paris. Printed 1842, 410, Paris, under the title : Leal conselheiro, o qual fez Dom Duarte, pela gra9a de Deos Rei de Portugal ... a requirimento da muito excellente Rainha Dona Leonor sua mulher ; seguido do libro da ensinan9a de bem cavalgar toda sella.] 1462 Liber Marescalciae Equorum. By Laurentius Ruffus. MS. 410, iRome. [This is probably the original manuscript, and shows by the following colophon that Gordon Russo, or Rusto the generally accepted name of the author is wrong : ' Hie ergo explicitur Liber Marescalciae Equorum compositus per Magistrum Laurentium, dictum Ruphum de Urbe, fami- liarem et marescalcum Reverendissimi in Christo Patris Domini Napoleonis de Ursinis Sancti Andriani Diaconi Cardinalis. Anno Domini 1462.' The following are the printed editions : Liber Marescalciae, 410, Rome, 1490. Another edition, 410, printed at Speyer, about the same date. Another, Hippiatria, sive Marescalia Laur. Rusii ... in qua praeter variorum morborum plurima, ac saluberrima remedia, quadraginta tres commodissimas fraenorum formae excusae sunt, ut nullum tarn novo oris vitio laborantem equum invenias, cui non hinc occurrere possis. Folio, Paris, 1531. Another edition of the same, by the same printer, but differing from the above, 410, Paris, 1532 ; 8vo, Padua, 1818. Italian editions : Arte di cognoscere la natura de' caualli, &c. . . . in vulgare, per Fratre Gabriele Bruno. 4to, Venice, 1492 ; 8vo, Venice, 1554 ; 4to, Bologna, 1561 ; 8vo, Venice, 1563 ; I2mo, Venice, 1559. French editions : La Mareschalerie de Laurens Ruse, translated de Latin en fran9oys, avec les figures des Mors. Folio, Paris, 1533. Another by the same printer, but different edition and title. Folio, Paris, 1541. Other editions : 410, Paris, 1558, 1563 ; 410, Paris, 1583 ; 4to, Paris, 1610.] 394 RIDING 1565 The fowre chiefyst offices belongyng to Horsemanshippe. That is to saye. The office of the Breeder, of the Rider, of the Keper, and of the Ferrer. In the firste parte whereof is declared the order of breding of horses. In the seconde howe to breake them, and to make theym horses of seruyce. Con- teyninge the whole arte of Ridynge lately set forth, and nowe newly corrected and amended of manye faultes escaped in the fyrste printynge, as well touchyng the bittes as otherwyse. Thirdly, howe to dyet them, as well when they reste as when they trauell by the way. Fourthly, to what diseases they be subiect, together with the causes of such diseases, the sygnes howe to knowe them,, and finally howe to cure the same. Whyche bookes are not onely paynfully collected out of a number of aucthours, but also orderly dysposed and applyed to the vse of thys our coutrie. By Thomas Blundevile. 4to, London, 1565-6 ;; 4to, 1580 ; 410, 1597 ; 4to, 1609. 1584 The Art of Riding, set foorthe in a breefe treatise, with a due inter- pretation of certeine places alledged out of Xenophon and Gryson, verie expert and excellent Horssemen : Wherein also the true use of the hand by the said- Grysons rules and precepts is specialise touched : and how the Author of this- present worke hath put the same in practice, also what profit men maie reape thereby : without the knowledge whereof all the residue of the order of Riding is but vaine. Lastlie, is added a short discourse of the Chaine or Canezzan, the Trench, and the Martingale. (By John Astley.) 410, London. 1585 Schoole of. Horsemanship, wherein is discovered what skill and knowledge is required in a good horseman, and also how to reform any restive Horse ; briefly touching the knowledge of the Breeder, Sadler, Smith, and the horse-leach, with a strange and rare invention how to make a new Racke, and how to teach a horse to lie upon his belly until the Rider take his Ba'cke. By Christopher Clifford. 410, London. 1591 De Arte Equestri Germanice. By Joh. Creutsberger. Vienna, 1591. Opera di mescalzia, doue si contiene tutte 1'infermita de' caualli, cosi interiori,. come esteriori, et gli segni da cognoscere, et le cure con potioni, et untioni, et sanguigne per essi caualli. By M. Filippo Scaccho da Tagliacosso. 4to, Rome. 1593 A Discovrse of Horsemanshippe. Wherein the breeding and ryding of Horses for seruice, in a breefe manner, is more methodically sette downe then hath been heretofore. With a more easie and direct course for the ignorant, to attaine to the same arte or knowledge. Also the manner to chuse, trayne, ryde and dyet, both Hunting-horses and Running-horses : with all the secretes thereto belonging discovered. An art neuer heretofore written by any Authour. Printed by T. C. for Richard Smith. (By Gervase Markham. ) 410, London. [Hazlitt, never having seen a copy of this work, suggests that it is Astley's work of 1584 with a new title, on the ground that the running headings of the latter are the same as Markham's title, and the collation is the same. The works, however, are entirely distinct. Moreover, Markham's is printed in black-letter, while Astley's is in roman. characters.] BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RIDING 395. 1596 How to chuse, ride, traine and dyet both hunting and running Horses. (By Gervase Markham.) 410, London, 1596; 4to, London, 1599; 4to, London, 1606. [Published first in the Discourse of Horsemanshippe. 410, London,. I593-] 1607 Cavelarie, or the English Horseman. By Gervase Markham. 410,. London. [Another edition, newly imprinted, corrected and augmented, with many secrets not before known. Divided into eight books with separate titles. The 2nd and 3rd books bear the date 1616, with the title : Cavelarice, or the English Horseman ; Contayning all the Art of Horse- manship, as much as is necessary for any man to vnderstand, whether hee be Horse-breeder, Horse-ryder, Horse-hunter, Horse-runner, Horse- ambler, Horse-farrier, Horse-keeper, Coachman , Smith or Sadler. To- gether with the discovery of the subtil trade or mystery of Horse-coursers, and an explanation of the excellency of a horse's understanding : or how to teach the to do trickes like Banke's his Curtail. And that Horses may be made to draw dry-foot like a Hound. Secrets before unpublished, now carefully set downe, for the profit of this whole Nation. By Gervase Markham. 410. London, 1617.] 1609 The Perfection of Horsemanship, drawn from Nature, Arte, and Practise. By Nicholas Morgan. 410, London. [Another edition, 1692.] 1620 The Horsemans Honour, or the beautie of Horsemanship, as the Choise, Natures, Breeding, Breaking, Riding, and Dieting, whether outlandish, or English Horses. With the true, easie, cheape, and most approved manner, how to know and cure all diseases in any Horse whatsoever. Not invented and drawn from foreign Nations, but by long experience and knowledge of many years practice, and now published at the request of divers honorable and worthy persons for the generale good of this noble nation of Great Britain. (Anon., probably by Gervase Markham.) i2mo, London. 1623 Maneige royal, oil Ton peut remarquer le deTaut et la perfection du chevalier en tous les exercises de cette art ... fait et pratique" en 1'instruction du roy, par Antoine Pluvinel, son ecuyer principal. . . . Obi. folio, Paris,. 1623, 1624, 1625, 1671. [In German, A la ville de Eruire, au de"pens de Gotfried Miiller. Folio, 1626. The plates of this last ,are inferior copies of the original, by Crispin De Pas.] 1624 Fiftie years Practice: or an exact Discourse concerning Snaffle- riding. By T. Browne. 410, London. 1639 The compleat Horseman, and expert Farrier, in two Bookes. The- first shewing the best manner of breeding good horses, with their choyce, nature, riding and dieting, as well for running as for hunting, and how the: rider ought to behave himself in the breaking and riding of colts, as also teaching the groome and keeper his true office touching the Horses and Colts- committed to his charge, and prescribing ^ the best manner how a stable ought- .396 RIDING to be scituated and made not hitherto so fully described by any ; the second directing the most exact and improved manner how to know and cure all maladies and diseases of the horse, a work containing the secrets and best skill belonging either to Ferrier or Horse-leech ; the cures placed alpha- betically, with many hundreds of medicines never before imprinted in any Author, &c. &c. By Thomas De Grey. Folio, London, 1639, 1651, 1656, 1670. 1656 The Perfect Horseman, or the experienced secrets of Mr. Mark- ham's Fifty years Practice, shewing how a man may come to be a general horseman by the knowledge of these seven offices, viz. : Breeder, Feeder, Ambler, Rider, Keeper, Buyer, Farrier. Published by Launcelot Thetford, practitioner in the same for the space of forty years. 8vo, London, 1656, 1671, 1673, 1680. 1679 L'e'cuyer fran9ois, qui enseigne a monter a cheval, a voltiger, et a bien dresser les chevaux. (By Turbotti de Beaumont.) 8vo, Paris, 1679, 1682 or 1685. There should be at the end of the volume some extra sheets, viz. A F 3, containing thirty-five plates and explanation, originally published separately in 1679. 1726 The Farrier's and Horseman's Dictionary : being a Complete System of Horsemanship. Anon. 8vo, London. 1727 Description de Manege moderne dans sa perfection. By Baron -d'Eisenberg. Obi. 410. Paris. [Reprinted a La Haye, under the title of ' L'Art du monter a cheval ou description du Manege Moderne.' 410, 1733, 1737, 1740. Another edition, Amsterdam and Leipsic, 4to, 1749, to which is added the ' Dictionnaire des Termes du Manege,' and sometimes the ' Anti-maqui- gnonage.' ' L'Art de monter 1 has fifty-nine plates by Picart, and an engraved title-page. The ' Anti-maquignonage ' has nine plates.] Circa 1750 Manege et Equitation. By Harguinez. Folio, Paris. 1763 Rules for Bad Horsemen, addressed to the Society for the Encourage- ment of Arts. ' Nescit equo rudis Haerere," Hor. By Charles Thompson. .'8vo, London, 1763, 1765. A new edition, with additions by J. Hinds, i2mo, London, 1830. 1765 The Art of Riding ; or Horsemanship made easy, exemplified by Rules drawn from Nature and Experience. By J. L. Jackson. i2mo, London. 1766 L'Art du Manege, pris dans ces vrais principes. By J. B. de Lind. 4to, Bonn, 1766 ; 8vo, Vienna, 1772, 1774. 1771 The History and Art of Horsemanship. By Richard Berenger. 2, vols. 4to, London. [This work is a compound of Xenophon's Treatise on Horsemanship; Bourgelat's Elemens, 1750-53 ; and contains a Dissertation on the Ancient Chariot, the exercise of it in the race, and the application of it to real service in war, by T. Pownall. 1 BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RIDING 397- 1771 or 1772 Trait6 d'equitation, avec une traduction du trait6 de la Cavalerie de Xdnophon. By Duparty de Clam. 8vo, Deux-Ponts and Paris. 1772 The Compleat Horseman, or the Art of Riding made easy. Illus- trated by rules drawn from nature, and confirmed by experience ; with direc- tions to the ladies to sit gracefully, and ride with safety. By Charles Hughes. i2mo, London. 1773 Essai sur I'dquitation, ou principes raisonne's sur 1'art de monter les chevaux. By Mottin de la Balme. i2mo, Amsterdam and Paris. 1774 The Moderne Riding Master, or a key to the knowledge of the- Horse and Horsemanship, with several necessary rules for young Horsemen^. By Phillip Astley. 8vo, London, 1774, 1775. 1776 La science et 1'art d'equitation de'montre's d'apres nature. By Duparty de Clam. 410, Paris. [Counterfeit edition, 8vo, Yverdon, 1777.] 1778 Traite" d'e"quitation. By Montfaucon de Regies. 410, Paris, 1778 ;. 8vo, Paris, 1810. 1787 An Academy for grown horsemen, containing the completest instruc- tions for walking, trotting, cantering, galloping, stumbling, and tumbling ; twelve plates and portrait of the author, Geoffrey Gambado, Esqre., Riding. Master, Master of the Horse, and Grand Equerry to the Doge of Venice. [Also published with and generally bound with the above, though with separate title-page : Annals of Horsemanship, containing accounts of accidental experiments, and experimental accidents both successful and unsuccessful, together with most instructive marks thereon and. answers thereto, &c. By Geoffrey Gambado (H. Bembury). Folio ;. London, 1787 ; 410, London, 1787 and 1791 ; 8vo, Dublin, 1792 ; 410, London, 1796; 8vo, London, 1809; 8vo, London, 1811 ; 410, London,. 1822.] 1796 A Complete Dictionary of Farriery and Horsemanship, containing the Art of Farriery in all its branches, with an Explanation of the Terms and a- Description of the various particulars relating to the Manege and to the Knowledge of Horses. By James Hunter. 8vo, London. 1799 Analysis of Horsemanship, teaching the whole Art of Riding in the- Manege, Military, Hunting, Racing, or Travelling System, together with the Method of Breaking Horses and Dressing them to all kinds of Manege. By- John Adams. 8vo, London, 1799 ; 3 vols. 8vo, London, 1805, 1812. 1800 System of Equestrian Education, exhibiting the Beauties and Defects of the Horse, with serious and important observations on his general excel- lence, preserving him in health, grooming, &c. By Phillip Astley. 410, London, 1800, 1801 ; 8th edition, 1802. [Another edition : Projects in the management of the Horse, render- ing it calm on the Road, in Harness, &c. Such acquirements may prevent dreadful accidents. By Phillip Astley ; being an abridgement of his popular- Book of Equestrian Education. To which is prefixed many excellent, remedies for the diseases in Horses, &c. i2mo, London, 1804.] 398 RIDING 1804 Genius Genuine. By Samuel Chifney of Newmarket. A Fine Part in riding a race, known only to the author. Why there are so few good runners, or why the Turf Horses degenerate. A guide to recover them to their strength and speed as well as to train horses for hard running, and hunters and hacks for hard riding. To preserve their sinews from being so often destroyed, with reasons for horses changing in their running, likewise a full account of the Prince's horse ' Escape,' running at Newmarket on the aoth and 2ist days of October, 1791 ; with other interesting particulars. 8vo, London, 1804, 1871. 1805 Scuola Equestre. Element! di cavallerizza, lezioni equestri, il cavallo ammalato, catechismo, avvertimenti ed istruzione. By Fed. Mazzu- chelli. 2 vols. 4to, Milan. 1806 The Art of Horseman, altered and abreviated according to the principles of the late Sir Sydney Medows. By Strickland Freeman. 410, London. 1806 L'e"cuyer des dames, ou lettres sur 1' Equitation, contenant des prin- cipes et des exemples sur 1'art de monter a cheval. DEdie" au beau sexe. By L. H. Pons-D'Hostun. 8vo, Paris. 1815 The Improved Art of Riding. By G. Lloyd and R. Symes. 8vo, London. 1820 The Art of Riding, and to Manage a Vicious Horse. Anon. 8vo, London. 1825 Principles of Modern Riding for Ladies, in which all improvements .are applied to practice on the promenade and the road. By John Allen. 8vo, London. 1825 Principles of Modern Riding for Gentlemen, in which the late im- provements of the manege and Military systems are applied to practice on the promenade, the road, the field, and the course. By John Allen. 8vo, London. 1825 The Art of Manage, Riding and Breaking Horses systematically. By T. Gibbons. 8vo, London. 1827 Cours e'le'mentaire et analytique d' Equitation, ou Re'sume' des prin- cipes de M. d'Auvergne suivi d'un essai sur les Haras. By Chabannes. 1827 The Young Horsewoman's compendium of the modern art of riding, comprising a progressive course of lessons ; designed to give ladies a secure and graceful seat on horseback ; at the same time so effectually to form the .hand, that they may in a short time acquire perfect command of their Horses. By Edward Stanley. 8vo, London. 1829 Rules for Bad Horsemen. By John Hinds (pseud, for John Bad- .cock). i2mo, London. Circa 1831 The Horse. By William Youatt. Knight's Store of Know- ledge. 8vo, London. [Also published in Vol. I. of the Farmer's Library. 8vo, London, (1847). 'Appendix to the Horse,' by W. C. Spooner. 8vo, London, 1849. 'The Horse, its History, Management, and Treatment.' 8vo, BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RIDING 399 London, 1853. A new edition, re-edited and revised, with observations on breeding Cavalry Horses, by Cecil. 8vo, London, 1855. Under the superintendence of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Revised and enlarged by W. Watson. 8vo. London, 1866. Another on the same superintendence. By E. N. Gabriel. 8vo, London, 1859.] 1835 The Adventures of a Gentleman in Search of a Horse. By Caveat Emptor (Sir George Stephen). 8vo, London, 1835, 1836, 1837. 5th edition, 1841 ; another, 1861. Another reprinted in America. Svo, Philadelphia, 1857- 1836 A Comparative View of the Form and Character of the English Racer and Saddle-Horse during the last and present centuries. Anon. 410, London, 1836, 1855. 1836 Traite" raisonne" d' Equitation. By P. A. Aubert. 2 vols. 4to, Paris, 1836, 1839. 1838 The Young Ladies' Equestrian Manual. Anon. i2mo, London. 1839 Hints on Horsemanship, to a Nephew and Niece ; or common .sense and common errors in common riding. By an officer of the Household Brigade of Cavalry (Colonel G. Greenwood). 8vo, London, 1839, 1861. 1839 The Equestrian, a Handbook of Horsemanship. By Captain M. With illustrations by Frank Howard. i2mo, London. 1841 Nouvelle e"cole d'e'quitation, a 1'usage des militaires et des particuliers, suivie de la Die"te"tique. Anon. Svo, London. 1842 Handbook of Horsemanship. Anon. 121110, London. 1842 Equitation des Dames. By P. A. Aubert. Svo, Paris. 1842 Me"thode d'e'quitation base'e sur de nouveaux principes, augmented de documents ine"dits, de rapports officiels en faveur de 1'application de la me'thode aux chevaux de troupes. By F. Baucher. Svo, Paris, 1842 ; gth edition, 1850. [A German translation, Svo, Berlin, 1843 and 1852. A Spanish translation, 410, Madrid, 1848. A Russian translation from loth edi- tion, Svo, St. Petersburg, 1857. In English : A method of Horsemanship founded upon new princi- ples, including the Breaking and Training of Horses, with Instructions for obtaining a good seat. Third American edition from the ninth, Paris, i2mo, Phila- delphia, 1852.] 1842 De l'e"quitation et des Haras. By Count Lavary de Laucosme-Bre'ves. 4to, Paris, 1842, 1843. 1842 Equitation Fashionable. By St. Ange-Saint-Paul. Svo, Paris. 1843 Refutation complete de la nouvelle me'thode d'e'quitation proposed par M. Baucher. By Legros. Svo, Paris. 1843 Nuovo trattato d'equitazione. By Carlo Le Maire. Svo, Turin. 400 RIDING 1843 Trait^ d'Equitation sur des bases ge"ome"triques, contenant 74figures.. By A. C. M. Parisot. 8vo, Paris. 1844 Traite" d'e"quitation illustre". Pre'ce'de' d'un apercu des divers modifi- cations et changements apportds dans I'Equitation depuis le XVIesiecle jusqu'a nos jours : suivi d'une appendice sur le jeune cheval, du trot anglais, et d'une lettre sur I'dquitation des Dames. By Antonio Henri Phillippe Le"on, Comte d'Aure. 8vo, Paris, (1844) ; 3rd edition, 8vo, Paris, 1846 ; 8vo, Paris, 1870. 1844 Dialogues sur 1' Equitation. Premier dialogue entre le grand Hippo- Theo, dieu des quadrupedes, par un cavalier, etun cheval. By F. Baucher. 8vo, Paris. 1845 Dictionnaire d'hippiatrique et d' Equitation. By Francois Cardini. 2vols. 8vo, Paris, 1845, 1848. 1845 Handbook of Horsemanship. By H. R. Herschberger. 321110,. London. 1845 Manuel Equestre. By C. Raabe. 8vo, Paris. 1846 The Horse and his Rider. By Rollo Springfield (pseud.) i2mo,. London, 1846, 1847. Circa 1849 Manuel du Cavalier. By Orfaure de Tantaloupe. i8mo, Paris. 1849 The Stud for Practical Purposes. By ' Harry Hieover.' lamo,, London. 1850 Practical Horsemanship. By Harry Hieover (Charles Brindley). 8vo, London, 1850, 1856. 1850 Manuel de 1'eleveur, ou Me"thode simplified de dressage des chevaux. au montoir et au trait. By Count de Louis Edme Montigny. 8vo, Paris. 1850 The Young Lady's Equestrian Assistant. By Captain A. F. Oakes. 8vo, London. 1850 The Equestrian's Manual ; or the Science of Equitation, with Ad- vice to Purchasers of Horses, Saddlery, &c. By Samuel C. Wayte. Svo,. London. [Abridged and revised : Graceful Riding, a Pocket Manual for equestrians. 8vo, London, 1859.] 1850 The Hunting Field. By ' Harry Hieover.' i2mo, London. 1852 Cours d'Equitation, adopte* officiellement et enseigne" a l'e"cole de cavalerie et dans les corps de troupes a cheval. By Antonio Henri Philippe Le"on, Comte d'Aure. Saumur, 1852. 5th edition. i8mo, Paris, 1859. 1852 Aux eleveurs, aux cultivateurs, a tous les cavaliers. (By Casimir Noel.) 8vo, Paris. 1852 L' equitation naturelle enseigne"e en vingt-cinq minutes avec la bride & mors rEgulateur sans gourmette et a re"nes croise"es. De"die" aux amazones et aux jeunes cavaliers. By Casimir Noel. 8vo, Paris. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF' RIDING 401 1852 Herr Baucher und seine Kiinste. Ein ernstes Wort an Deutschlands Reiter. By Louis Seeger. 8vo, Berlin. 1853 De 1' Equitation qui convient aux Franfais et des races qui y sont propres. By Pinto. 8vo, Paris. 1853 Horsemanship, or the Art of Riding and Managing a Horse, adapted for the Guidance of Ladies and Gentlemen on the Road and in the Field, with instructions for breakihg-in Colts and Young Horses. By Capt. M. Richard- son. 8vo, London. 1853 MEthode d'Equitation sur de grandes lignes. By Col. AimE Theodore Marie Rigault de Rochefort. 8vo, Paris. Circa 1854 The Equestrian. A Handbook of Horsemanship containing plain practical rules for Riding, Driving, and the Management of the Horse. Anon. i2mo, London. Circa 1854 The Ladies' Equestrian Guide. Anon. 410, London. 1854 Examen du cours d'Equitation de M. d'Aure. By C. Raabe. 4to, Marseilles . 1854 Equitations-Studien. Mit besonderer Riicksichtsnahme auf den Un- terricht in den Artillerie-Equitationen. By Alexander von Nadosy. 8vo, Vienna. 1855 Le Cavalier. Cours d'Equitation pratique. By Victor Franconi. i2mo, Paris, 1855, 1860. 1855 Light Horse. By Jacob Omnium (Mathew James Higgins). 8vo, London. 1857 The Habit and the Horse. A Treatise on Female Equitation. By Mrs. Stirling Clark. 4to, London, 1857, 1860. [In French : Le cheval a 1'amazon guide complet de 1'Equitation des dames, 8vo, Brussels, 1861.] 1857 MEthode d'Equitation et de dressage basEe sur la mEcanique animale, contenant : i. Precis de 1'Equitation depuis XEnophon jusqu'i nos jours. 2. Etude me'canique du cheval. 3. Equitation proprement dite, ou Ecole du cavalier, d'apres une nouvelle mEthode. 4. Equitation d'agrEment, haute e'cole, fariboles d'Equitation, Equitation de course, Equitation des dames, suivie de dressage des chevaux de remonte, dEdiEe a la cavalerie. By Pierre Joseph Isidore Daudel. 8vo, Paris. 1857 Frank Forresters (pseud.) Horse and Horsemanship of the United States and British Provinces of North America from 1818 to 1856. By Henry William Herbert. 8vo, New York and London. 1857 Le BauchErismerEduit a sa plus simple expression, ou 1'art de dresser les chevaux d'attelage, de dame de promenade, dechasse, de course, d'escadron, de cirque, de tournoi, de carrousel. Programme des Cours d' Equitation Civile et Militaire professes a Bruxelles, Malines, Coblentz, Prague, Vienne, Breslau, Naples, &c. Suivi de notes militaires (organisation, instruction de 1'armEe, D D 402 RIDING academic militaire), avec planches rEpresentant le travail de Buridan, Cap5 taine. By Louis Joseph Reel. 8vo, Paris. 1857 Precept and Practice, By ' Harry Hieover.' ismo, London. 1861 Equitation et dressage. M^thode Joseph." (Anon.) i6mo, Paris. 1861 The Horse ; How to Ride him. By Butler. 1861, 1865. 1 86 1 The Book of Aids, whc 1 -system of Equitation. By Thomas Martin. I2mo, London. 1861 L' Equitation pratique. By Jules Pellier, junr. i2mo, Paris, 1861, 1863, 1875. 1861 Horse and his Rider. By Sir Francis Head, Bart. 8vo, London. 1863 Mdthode de haute e"cole d'e'quitation. By G. Raabe. 8vo, Mar- seilles. [With Atlas in 4to.] 1864 De I'dquitation et de la haute e"cole, ayant pour base la position de jambette, par un amateur d'e'quitation. Anon. 8vo, Paris. 1868" On Seats and Saddles, Bits and Bitting, and the Prevention and Cure of Restiveness in Horses. By Francis Dwyer. 8vo, London, 1868, 1869, 1879. 1869 The Book of Aids, or Catechism of the System of Equitation. Anon. Canterbury. 1869 Equitation, haute e"cole et courses de chevaux. By B. J. Jullien. i2mo, Paris. 1873 Graceful Riding. A Pocket Manual for Equestrians. By S. C. Waite. Fcap 8vo, London. 1874 The Barb and the Bridle, a handbook of equitation for Ladies and Manual of Instruction in the Science of Riding, from the preparatory suppling exercises on foot, to the form in which a lady should ride to hounds. By Vieille Moustache (pseud.). 8vo, London. 1874 Le cheval et son chevalier. By Count J. de Lagondie. 2 vols. I2mo, Paris. 1874 Manuel d' Equitation. By Louis Charles Pellier, senr. 8vo, Paris. 1875 Les aides du chevalier, ou simples observations sur 1'art de con- duire et de dresser les chevaux ; suivi de dialogues, simplification du dressage &c. De'die'e aux jeunes gens appelEs a faire partie de I'arme'e dans la cavalerie. By F. Burdelot. 8vo, Paris. 1875 Traite" complet d'e'quitation. Cours elEmentaire. By C. Mausny.. 8vo, Paris. 1876 Book of the Horse. By S. Sidney. Demy 410, London. 1877 Horses and Riding. By G. Neville. 8vo, London. 1877 Horsebreaking. By Robert Moreton. 8vo, London. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RIDING 403 1878 Horseback Riding from a Medical point of view. By G. Durant. 1 2 mo, New York. 1878 Riding Recollections. By G. J. Whyte-Melville, 8vo, London. 1878 Methode de l'e"quitation Emery de Collomb. 8vo, Bruxelles (3rd edition). 1880 Recherches sur I'dquitation militaire. Par A. Gaume. i2mo, Paris. 1880 Principes d'e"quitation. Par Leclanne. i2mo, Paris. 1881 The Horse and how to manage him. Anon. 8vo, London. 1881 On Horseback, in the School and on the Road. By E. L. Anderson. i2mo, London. 1881 How to Ride and School a Horse, with a System of Horse Gymnas- tics. By Edward L. Anderson. 8vo, London. 1881 Ladies on Horseback, Park Riding and Hunting, with Hints on Costume and Numerous Anecdotes. By Mrs. Power O'Donoghue. 8vo, London, 1881, 1886, 1891. 1881 Vulgarisation d'e"quitation. By J. A. F. J. Pigouche. i2mo, Paris. 1881 La Russie chevaline. By P. Salin. 8vo, Milan. 1882 Le dressage des chevaux. Par G * * * 8vo, Paris. 1882 Riding on the Flat and across Country. By M. H. Hayes London. [This work deals almost entirely with Race Riding."] 1882 Was konnen wir zur Hebung der Reitkunst thun ? By P. Plenzner. 8vo. Stendal. 1883 The Saddle-Horse, a New Method of teaching Riding and Training by means of pictures from the life. By E. L. Anderson. 8vo, Edinburgh. [2nd edition, containing some observations upon the mode of chang- ing lead in the gallop. 8vo, Edinburgh, 1886.] 1883 How to Outwit the Horse. Anon. 8vo, London. 1883 Die Zaamung des Pferdes. By R. Schoenbeck. 8vo, Berlin. 1883 Paris a cheval. By Crafty (pseud.). 410, Paris. 1884 La femme a cheval. The'orie Pratique, Anecdotes. By Le Vicomte de He"douville. i6mo, Paris. 1884 Die Amazone. Einfiihrung in das Gebiet der edlen Reitkunst fiir Damen. By Leopold von Heydebrand und der Lasa. 8vo, Leipzig. 1884 The American Horsewoman. By E. Karr. 8vo, Boston. 1884. Traite" d'dquitation pratique au point de vue da la promenade et de la chasse. By Charles de Poly. 8vo, Paris. 1884 Die Dame als Reiterin. Informirung iiber die Reitkunst der Damen. By Ads. Schlaberg. 8vo, Berlin. D D 2 404 RIDING 1884 Nouveau Manuel complet de l'e"quitation. Encyclope"die-Rorie. Par A. D. Verguand. i8mo. Paris. 1885 Patroclus and Penelope : a Chat in the Saddle. By Theo. A. Dodge. Boston and Edinburgh. 1885 The Saddle and Stable. The Common Sense of Riding. By Mrs. Power O'Donoghue. i6mo, London. 1885 Training and Horse Management in India. By Captain M. H. Hayes. 8vo, Calcutta. 1886 Vice in the Horse, and other papers on Horse and Riding. By E. L. Anderson. 8vo, Edinburgh. 1886 Manuel pratique d'e'quitation. By Le Brun-Renaud. i2mo, Paris.' 1886 Le cheval. Traite" complet d'hippologie, suivi d'un cours d'e'quitation pour le cavalier et la dame. Avec 182 vignettes et figures. By E. Santini. 1886 The Badminton Library. Racing, by the Earl of Suffolk and Berk- shire, and Mr. W. G. Craven, with a contribution by the Hon. F. Lawley, Steeplechasing, by Arthur Coventry and Alfred E. T. Watson. 8vo, London. 1886 Horsebreaking. By R. Moreton. Fcap 8vo, London. 1887 L'art d'e"questre. Traite" de haute e"cole. By Etienne Barroil. 8vo, Paris. 1887 -The Saddle Horse. Complete Guide for Riding and Training. Illus- trated. Anon. 121110, New York. 1887 New Method of Horsemanship, including the Breaking and Training of Horses. With instructions for obtaining a good seat. By F. Baucher, i6mo, New York. 1888 Das Buch vom Pferde. By C. G. Wrangel. Royal 8vo, Stuttgart. 1888 Functions of the Hands in Riding. By Count E. M. Cesaresco. 8vo, Edinburgh. 1889 Illustrated Horse Breaking. By Captain M. H. Hayes. 8vo, London. 1890 The Art of Riding, by H. G. English. 1890 Principes de dressage d'e'quitation. Par James Fillis. 8vo, Paris. 1891 Dressage me'thodique de cheval de salle d'apres les derniers -enseignements de F. Baucher. Par un de ses Sieves. 8vo, Paris. Hints 6n Horsemanship. Anon. Cr. 8vo. Horses and Riders, By Crauford. Cr. 8vo, London. INDEX ABB ABBAS Khan, 351 Acland, Mr. Thomas, 314 Adams on horsemanship, 229 Adelaide (Australia) polo club, 261 Africa, polo in, 261 Airlie, Earl of, 236, 287, 296, 308, 3i3> 334, 3395 on polo, 328 Ali Bey, Nawab Mahomed, 351 All Ireland polo club, 295, 333 Allsopp, Capt. the Hon. H. T., 305, 347 Alston, Mr. W. S., 350 America, visit of a Hurlingham polo team to, 260 ; match for the America Cup at Newport ground, 260, 261 American cowboys, 179, 180 Apperley, Capt., 184, 188 Apperley, Mr., 352 Arab horses, importation of, into Australia, 177 ; polo ponies, 308-310 * Arabian Nights ' quoted, 252 Archer, F., 139, 144, 147, 153; on horsemanship, 147 Armour, the age of, 224, 226 Ashburton (N.Z.) hounds, Mas- ter of the, 196-198 Ashtead polo club, 349 BEL Asia, Western, earliest mention of the horse in, 212, 213 Australia, horse-breeding in, 158-210; starting and pro- gress of polo in, 261 Ava, Lord, 351, 354 BABINGTON, Major, 346 Backing young horses, 80-85 '> see Training Baird, Mr. E. W., 339, 347 Baldock, Mr. E. H., 256, 259, 287, 333 Balls, polo, 301, 302 Baring, Hon. E., 313 Barrackpore polo club, 280 Barrow, Mr. Seymour, 350 Barry, Capt. 'Jim,' 346 Barton and Drake's ' Unex- plored Syria ' quoted, 251 Barton - under - Need wood polo club and ground, 299, 342, 349 Baucher, 54, 55, 217, 227, 229, 230 Beatson, Major, 351 Beaufort, the Duke of, on horsemanship, 44 Behrens, Mr., 26 Belmont, Mr. R., 261 406 RIDING BEN Bending, 92-97, 323 ; see Horsemanship, hints on Bentley, Mr. H. C, 349; on polo, 237 Beresford, Lord William, 333 Berjeau's Plates, 225 Bibliography of riding, 393-404 Bird, Messrs., 349 Bits, 10, n, 42, 44, 113-119, 128; earliest representation of, on Egyptian and Assyrian monuments, 214 ; of the Greeks, 217-219 ; the Mexi- can bit, 260 ; for training polo ponies, 324, 326 Bitting, 113-119, 145 ; see Horsemanship, hints on Blinkers, danger of, in polo, 327 Blundeville, T., on horseman- ship, 45,- 228 Boring, remedy for, 89, 104 Boscawen, Hon. H., 255 BoutelPs 'Arms and Armour,' 224 Brainquant, M. de, 259 Breaking horses, 86; the Maories' methods of, 201-204 Bridles, 7, 42, 113, 114; early Egyptian and Asiatic, 214 ; invention of, ascribed to the Romans, 221 ; for training polo ponies, 326 Bridoons, 10, II, 113, 115, 116, 118, 124 Brisbane, Sir Thomas, 177 Brocklehurst, Mr., 258, 335 Bromley, Davenport, on horse- manship, 12 Browbands, 67 Brown's (Mr. Meredith) stuffless saddle, 7 Browne, Mr. Percy, 347 Bruce, Capt. C. D.,236, 350 CHA Brydges, Sir S. E., on horse- manship, 228 Bucking, 125, 129 Buckle on horsemanship, 226 Buffalo Bill, 1 80 Buller, Mr. Hughes, 350 Burn, Capt. C. R., 347 Butler, Mr. James, 333 Butson, Tim,' 333 CACHAR KAN-JAI polo club, 291 Cadogan, Countess of, 9 Calcutta polo club, 282, 297 ; ground, 352 Cambridge University polo club, 349 Cameron, Capt., 346 Cannon, Tom, 139, 140, 142, 153, 155, 156, 157 Cantering, 100-106 Cape Town polo club and ground, 261 Carew, Mr., 352 Carre, Col., 164 Carthorses, colonial, 206 ; popu- larity of the Clydesdale, 206 Cartland, Mr., 349 Cavalry Regulations, 113 Cavendish, the Hon. C., 334 Cavesson, fitting on a young horse, 71 ; taking off, 85 ; use of, in training to jump, 107, 112; in curing bucking, 131 Cawnpore polo club, 280 Chain, Capt., 254, 255 Chaloner, 166 Chaloner, Capt., 348 Chamberlain's ' Classical Poetry of the Japanese ' quoted, 261 Chapman, Mr. R., 41 Chariot of Sargon I. (2,800 CHA B.C.), 212; tessera in British Museum representing two- horse chariot, 213 ; invention of, ascribed to the Romans, 221 Chaugan, 238-253 ; sticks, 244 Chesham, Lord, 334 'Chifheys,' 42, 117 Chisholme, Mr., 333 Chupaan, 240 'Cicero on horsemanship, 220 Clanricarde, Lord (the late), 23 Clarence and Avondale, H. R. H. the Duke of, 352 Clayton, 'Dick,' 333 Cloth boots for polo, 328 Clydesdales, popularity of, in Australasia, 206 Collars, stall, 67 Colonial horse, the, 158 ; intro- duction of horses into Austra- lia, 159 ; the earliest races, 159; colonial stud-books, 159-161 ; confusion of pedi- gree, 161 ; superiority of New Zealand bred horses, 161 ; successful and unsuc- cessful sires, 162 ; rareness of affections of the wind, 162 ; great number of racecourses, 1 66, 170; Flemington ( Vic- toria) racecourse, 166-170; absence of bookmakers at New Zealand meetings, 1 70 ; race-cards arranged to suit sweepstakes, 174-176; 'scrub- bers,' 178; catching and break- ing horses on the runs, 178- 1 8 1 ; stockmen and theirhorses, 1 80 ; great increase and whole- sale destruction of semi-wild horses, 181 ; effect of Vic- torian gold discovery on the INDEX 407 COL value of horses, 181 ; rate of annual increase and export of colonial horses, 182, 183 ; price of horses, 184-186 ; 'Walers,' 184, 187; disfigur- ing brands, 185 ; commercial aspect of horse-breeding, 186 ; deterioration of horses caused by the introduction of sheep- farming, 1 86 ; class of horse bred in the colonies, 187 ; Australia as a source of supply for Indian military remounts, 187, 1 88 ; police and artillery horses, 189 ; the bush horse, 190; suitability for making hunters, 190 ; prevalence of barbed wire fencing, 194 ; its influence on hunting, 194- 200 ; mode of shoeing for wire fence jumping, 196; schooling overwire, 198; jumping power of colonial horses, 198, 210 ; steeplechasing, 200 ; the Maories' methods of breaking horses, 201-204 '> horses spe- cially trained to ford rivers, 204 ; scarcity of good hacks, 205 ; colonists' mode of riding, 205 ; Australian cart- horses, 206 ; low price ob- tainable for pure-bred Clydes- dales, 206 ; relative excel- lence of English and Austra- lian racehorses, 207, 210 ; tendency to curtail length of races, 208 ; general leg- soundness of colonial horses, 208 ; hacks and harness horses, 209; general practice of horse-riding, 210 ; excel- lence of horses in public con- veyances, 210 408 RIDING COL Colvin, Capt., 346 Connaught, H.R.H. the Duke of, 335 Constable, H., 147 Cooch-Behar, Maharajah of, 282 Coppinger, Mr., 350 Cottiswold, Legend of the, 32 County Carlow polo club, 333, 343 Coventry, Countess of, 9 Cradock, ' Monte,' 334 Craigie, Mr., 350 Craven, Earl of, 9 Crawfurd, Sterling, 21 Crosstrees, wooden, 79 Cruppers, 77 Cunard, Sir Bache, 335 Cups (polo) : All Ireland Military Cup, winners of, 296 ; All Ireland Open Cup, 258, 348 ; winners of, 295 ; America Cup, 260; Bombay Open Cup, winners of, 297 ; Calcutta Open Cup, 281 ; Calcutta Turf Club Cup, 297 ; Champion Cup, 330 ; Hur- lingham Champion Open Cup, winners of, 293, 294; Hur- lingham Open County Cup, winners of, 295 ; Indian Na- tive Cavalry Cup, 282, 283 ; the Maharajah of Mysore's Cup, 282 ; the Nizam of Hyderabad's Open Challenge Cup, 283 Curbs, 10, 42, 114 DAKIU (Japanese polo), 262 Dansey, Capt., 255 D'Arcy, Mr. M., 350 Dawson, Mr., 350 Dease, Mr. E., 350 EUS De Lisle, Mr., 352 De Quatrefages on horseman- ship, 214 Derby, times of the English. New South Wales, and Vic- torian contrasted, 183, 208 Derbyshire polo club, 299 Desaraj Urs, Subadar, 351 Desultores (riders in the Roman public games), 222 Dodge, Col. Theodore A., on horsemanship, 53, 54 Dordogne, horses' bones found in the caves of, 21 1 ; the cave- dwellers of, 214 Dorrien, Mr. Smith, 255 Downe, Lord, 335 Downe (trainer), 26 ' Druid, The,' quoted, 310 Duff, Capt., 348 Duncombe, Col., 257 Dundas, Mr., 348 Durham, Capt. Philip, 334 EARLE'S (Mr.) picture of pole- at Hurlingham, 346 East India Company, 184, 188 Edge, Mr., 346 Egypt, earliest representation of the horse in the monuments of, 213 ; of the bit, 214 Ellis, Mr. A. G., 236 Elvaston Castle polo ground, 299, 323 Elvaston polo club, 363 ' Encyclopaedia Britannica ' on horsemanship, 223 Eqztus fossitis, 21 1 ; E. speleus, 211, 212; E. caballuS) 211. 212 Eustathius on horsemanship, 225 FEN FENWICK, Mr. ' Phil,' 345 Fergusson, Capt., 305, 346 1 Field, The,' quoted, 237, 268, 276 Fitzhardinge, Earl (the late), 29 Fitzwilliam, Hon. C. H., 255, 335 Fitzwilliam, Hon. T., 255 Flatman, 152 Flemington (Victoria) race- course, 166-170; club, 167 Fordham, George, 139, 140, 142, 148, 150, 151, 154, 156; anecdote of, 139; on horse- manship, 151 Fores's ' Sporting Sketches,' 368 Fort, Mr. Richard, 287 Fossbrooke's 'Antiquities,' 222, 226 France : the first work on the manege, 227 ; Baucher's in- fluence on the art of riding, 229 ; polo match between an English and a French team at Dieppe, 259 ; establish- ment of a polo club in Paris, 259 Fraser-Tytler, 349 Freebooters polo club, 295 Futteh Khan, 298 GAGS, 10, 42 Gallais, Capt. le, 348 Galloping, 123-125; see Horse- manship, hints on Germany, horsemanship in, 228 Gilmour, Mr. Walter Little, on horsemanship, 20, 21 Girths, 81, 129, 130 Glasgow, Lord (the late), 165 Goal- posts, polo, 304, 305 INDEX 409^ HAN Gore, Capt. the Hon. H. Ormsby, 348 Gough, Major B., 333 Gough, Mr. C., 298, 350 Gould, Mr., 333 Grace, Dr. A., 28 Greaves, Mr. Henley, 30 Greeks (ancient), horsemanship of, 2 1 5 ; formation of cavalry, 215 ; high estimation of horse- manship, 216; the sacred games, 216 ; the best riders of any age, 217, 220 ; position in the saddle, 217 ; bits, 217- 219 ; first known users of the spur, 218; saddle-cloths, 219; method of mounting, 219 ; highly trained condition of their horses, 220 ; treatment of manes and tails, 220 Greeks, cavalry of the early, 215 Green, Capt. Philip, 333, 335 Gregg, Mr., 333 Grenfell, Mr., 346 ' Gridirons,' 42 Guise, Due de, 259 HACKS, 52-61 ; scarcity of, in Australia, 205 ; 'see Saddle- horse Haig, Mr., 352 Hales,J., 165 Hall, Brothers, 332 Hamilton, Capt. Bruce, 350, 351 Handling young horses, 63-69 ; see Training Hands and seat, 133-138 Hands, bad and good, 8, 9, 10, 133 138 ; use and position of, in riding, 88, 90, 93, 94, 99, in, 116, 123, 127 .410 RIDING HAN Hanwell, Ca.pt., 352 Hardy, Mr. Gerald, 287, 317, 342 Harford's, Mr. William, stuffless saddle, 7 Hargreaves, Mr. Percy, 310, 348 Harrington, Earl of, 236, 287, 299, 304, 309, 3I5> 3i6, 319, 323, 33 1 , 338, 341 5 on polo, 324 Hartopp, Mr. ('Chicken'), 254, 255, 334 Hayes's ' Sporting News ' quoted, 322, 365, 366 Heera Singh, 298, 351 Herbert, Capt. 'Tip', 236, 256, 287, 329, 335, 345 Herbert, Mr. Reginald, 258, 259, 335, 345 Hickie, Mr., 351 ' High ports,' 42 Hill, Eustace, 280 Hills, Mr. ' Archie,' 352 Hitchcock, Mr. T., 261 Hoare, Sir Henry, 35 Holbrow's, Mr., patent polo ball, 301 Hone, Capt. T., 261, 342, 345 Hone, Mr. Geoffrey, 333 Hope, Sir William (1696), on horsemanship, 228 Hornby, Capt., 350 Horse furniture, 41 ; early Egyptian and Asiatic, 214; Roman, 222 Horsemanship, early history of, 211 ; the first riders : the bit, 211 ; antiquity of the horse in Europe, 211 ; varie- ties of, 211 ; used as food in the 'reindeer period,' 211; horses' bones found in the HOR caves and lake-dwellings of Europe, 211, 212 ; earliest records of the horse in Western Asia, 212, 213 ; in Egypt, 213 ; representations of the bit on Egyptian and Assyrian monuments, 214 ; the early horsemen of Egypt and Asia, 214 ; their bits, bridles, and saddle-cloths, 214, 215 ; the stirrup and spur unknown to them, 215 ; the Greeks : the spur, 215 ; early Grecian cavalry, 215 ; high esteem in which horsemanship was held, 216 ; horse and chariot races in the sacred games, 216 ; the Greeks among the best riders of any age, 217, 220 ; Xenophon's system of horse- manship, 217-219; the 'seat,' 217 ; form of bits, 217, 219 ; use of the spur, 218 ; the standing leap, 218 ; substitutes for saddles, 219 ; mode of mounting, 219 ; highly trained condition of Grecian horses, 220 ; the Romans : the saddle, 221 ; formation of a body of horsemen by Romu- lus, 221 ; the order of Equites or knights, 221 ; perfection of the art of schooling horses, 221, 222; the gestatiO) 221 ; prominence of horsemanship in the public games, 222 ; elaborate decoration of trap- pings, 222 ; earliest evidence of the saddle-tree, 222-224 ; the Age of Armour : the stirrup, 224 ; difficulty of mounting, 224 ; the scala, 224 ; first mention of the HOR stirrup, 225 ; chiefly used by .armed horsemen, 225 ; origin and development of the tour- nament, 226 ; modern horse- manship, 227 ; in Italy : Pig- natelli and Federigo Grisone, 227 ; in France : La Broue and Pluvinel, 227 ; Baucher, 229 ; in Germany, 228 ; in England : principal works on horsemanship, sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, 228, 229 ; superiority of the English as horsemen, 230 ; the form of the art in which they fail, 230 Horsemanship, hints on : In the school, 86 ; superiority of snaffle to bit in breaking a horse, 86 ; how to carry the whip, 86 ; object of first lessons, 87 ; get the horse to step out freely, 87 ; to prevent horses from stopping, 87 ; handling the reins, 87, 88 ; a properly placed horse, 88 ; trotting, 88 ; riding badly formed horses, 88 ; advantage of running reins, 88 ; remedy for boring, 89 ; management of the snaffle, 90 ; accustom the horse to the pressure of the leg, 90 ; when to begin using the legs, 91 ; aiding with hand and leg, 91 ; prac- tice in turning, 91 ; bending, 92-97 ; its importance and usefulness, 92 ; beginning the lesson, 92 ; how to get the bend, 92 ; the turn on the forehand, 93 ; the turn about from the left rein, 93; turning Bright about on the haunches, INDEX 4 1 1 HOR 94; 'shoulder in,' 94, 95; the ' passage,' 96 ; * passage shoulder out,' 96 ; ' half- passage,' 97 ; reining back, 98-100; begin the lesson dis- mounted, 98 ; dealing with an obstinate horse, 98, 99, 100 ; reining back when halted, 99 ; cantering, 100- 106; commencing the canter, 100; pulling up, 101 ; chang- ing to either hand, 102 ; cor- rection of faults, 104 ; taking up the canter from the walk, 105; the ' half passage ' at a canter, 105 ; leaping, 106- 112; practice over the bar, mounted and dismounted, 107-110; rushing at a jump, no ; lazy jumpers, no; refusing, in ; occasional open-air practice, 112; bit- ting, 113-119; selecting and fitting the bit, 113; the bridle, 113 ; accustoming the horse to the bit, 114; mounting, 115 ; how to hold the reins, 116 ; severe bits, 117 ; mov- able mouthpieces, 117; nose- bands, 117; danger of stand- ing martingales, 118; Out of doors, 119; meeting objects likely to frighten a horse, 121 ; to overcome reluctance of young horse to leave home, 121 ; the gallop, 123-125 ; pulling up after a gallop, 123 ; shying at other galloping horses, 124; remedy for, 124, 125 ; Punishment, 125- 132 ; obstinate horses, 126 ; { cow kicking,' 127 ; rearing, 127 ; pulling the horse over, 128 ; 412 RIDING HOR rearing bits, 128 ; bucking, 129; causes of, 129-131; how to be dealt with, 131 ; when to inflict punishment, 132 Horses, English and colonial, referred to : Abercorn, 165; Albany, 162, 163 ; Anteros, 162 ; Apremont, 162, 163 ; Arab Child, 177; Bay Camer- ton, 159; Bee Hunter, 152; Black Doctor, 152; Cado- gan, 162 ; Captivator, 163 ; Carbine, 166 ; Castor, 163 ; Chester, 165; Crunning, 174; Dagworth, 183 ; Duke of Parma, 56 ; Gladiator, 163 ; Grace Darling, 201-204 ; Hector, 177; Ingomar, 163; King Cole, 163 ; King Pepin, 35 ; Kirkham, 165 ; Leolinus, 162, 163; Lucy Sutton, 142; Manto, 159; Martini-Henry, 163, 165, 166 ; Maxim, 166 ; Musket, 162, 163, 165, 1 66 ; Narellan, 165 ; Nordenfelt, 163, 166 ; Onyx, 163 ; Pa- cific, 162; Petronel, .166; Ravensworth, 162 ; Reprieve, 183; Riddleworth, i52 ; Satellite, 177 ; Southampton, 144; St. Leger, 163; Sylvia, 163 ; The Baron, 159; The Flea, 199, 200 ; The Peer, 162 ; Tirailleur, 166 ; Tra- ducer, 162 ; Trenton, 166 ; Vasco de Gama, 163 ; Young Rockhampton, 159 Horses' mouths, 9 ; cause of bad, 10 ; constant change of bridle a remedy, 10 ; manes and tails, treatment of, by an- cient Egyptians and Asiatics, 215 ; by early Greeks, 220 IND Horseshoe for wire-fence jump- ing, 196 Houghton polo ground, 342; club, 363 Hounds, riding to, 12-42; see Riding to hounds Hudson, Mr. Roland, 352 Hunters, difficulty of obtaining good, 39 ; price of, 41 Hurlingham polo club, 287, 299, 319, 328 ; the committee, 287 ; rules and regulations, 288, 289, 328; by-laws, 290 ;. polo clubs registered at Hurl- ingham, 292, 293 ; colours of, 292, 293 ; winners of cups and tournaments at, 293-295 Hurlingham polo ground, 256, 257, 261, 299, 300, 302, 304, 305, 323, 327,329,331, 337, 342, 345, 363 IBRAHIM Beg, 351 Ince-Anderton, Mr. W., 256, 259 India, polo in, 267; a favourite pastime of the Moghul rulers of Hindustan, 266 ; descrip- tion of the game as played in Thibet, 266-268 ; and in Bal- tistan, 268-272 ; the Munni- poories, 273 ; their origin, 273 ; Munnipore the cradle of Indian polo, 273 ; practised by children from an early age, 273 ; their ponies, 274 ;. saddles and stirrups, 274 ; polo sticks, 274 ; the balls, 275 ; number of players, . 275 ; descriptions of the game r 275-278 ; introduction of polo* into Cachar by Munnipoories, INT 278 ; organisation of a Euro- pean polo club, 279 ; spread of the game to Calcutta, 279 ; Captain Sherer's * Band of Brothers,' 279 ; introduction of polo into the Punjaub and North- West Provinces, 279 ; and into Kashmir, 280 ; taken up by the Europeans, 281 ; establishment of an annual Inter-regimental Tournament, 281 ; the Calcutta Open Cup, 281 ; Native Cavalry Cup, 282, 283 ; cups given by the Maharajahs of Mysore and Cooch-Behar, 282 ; reorgani- sation of the game, 282 ; polo tournaments, 282, 283 ; pro- fessional players maintained by the Nizam of Hyderabad, 283 ; challenge cup given by, 283 ; polo grounds, 283, 284 ; a ladies' polo match, 284- 286 ; rules of the Inter-regi- mental Polo Tournament Committee, 291 ; of the Cachar Kan-jai Club, 295 ; winners of cups and tourna- ments, 296-298 ; shape and size of grounds, 301 ; the Thibetan byntu,' 303 ; the ' tattoo, 'or country-bred pony, 311-314; rule as to height of ponies, 328 ; some famous players and ponies, 333, 334, 350-354 International gun and polo club, 256 Ireland, polo in, 257 ; extreme popularity, 257 ; numerous county clubs, 258 ; All Ireland Open Cup, 258 ; winners of, 295 ; All Ireland Military INDEX 413 KUP Cup, winners of, 296 ; famous players, 332, 343, 349 Italy, revival of horsemanship in the sixteenth century 227 JAMESON, Mr., 346 Janzy, Vicomte de, 259 Japanese polo, 261 ; differs widely from ordinary polo, 261 ; introduced from China in the sixth century, 262 ; de- scription of the game, 262- 264 ; rules, 264 ; the sticks, 264, 265 Jeffreys, Capt., 346 Jenner, Capt., 310, 346 Jockeys, 139-165 Johannesburg polo club and ground, 261 Jones, 'Bengey,' 334 Jones, Capt. Heywood, 287 Jones, Mr. Oliver, 334 Jones, 'Wengey,' 334, 346 , the Munnipore name for polo, 265, 273, 277, 280 Kashmir, Rajah of, 280 Keen, Mr. F., 261 Kennedy, Mr. T. S., 236, 287, 338, 339, 340 Keyser, Capt., 348 Khaifa Singh, 280 Kinloch, Capt., 280 Knappan, 252 Knight, Mr., 314 Konai Singh, 280 Kuper, Capt., 351 414 RIDING LAM NEW LAMBTON, Capt. the Hon. C., 261 Lament, Capt., 287, 346 Lawley, Capt. the Hon. H. , 35 2 Lawley, Capt. the Hon. Richard, 287 Leaping, 106-112; among the ancient Greeks, 218, 220 ; see Horsemanship, hints on Legs, position and use of, in riding, 5, 8, 90, 109, in, 123, 127, 136, 230, 231 ' Leonis Imp. Tactica,' 225 ' Les Chevaux de Course,' 44 Lillie Bridge polo ground, 256 Lindsay, Gordon, on horseman- ship, 32 Lingard on horsemanship, 226 Little, Capt. Malcolm, 261, 346 Liverpool polo club, 349 Locke, Mr., 350 Lockett, Mr., 349 Longeing, 69-80 ; see Training Lumley, Hon. R., 261 McCuLLOCH, Capt, on polo, 273 MacDougall,^Capt. , "352 MacKenzie, Capt., 350 MacLaren, Capt. K., 329, 347, 348 McLeod, Mr. 'Jimmy,' 352 McMahon, Mr. G. F., 347 McNeil, Mr. Charles, 346 1 Mall,' 252 'Market Harborough,' 14 Martingales, 118; standing, danger of, 118 ' Mauricii Artis Militaris,' 225 Melbourne, the Cup, 165, 166, 170; price of horses in, 185 Mellor, Mr., 335 Mesham, Mr. Arthur, 347 Mexican vaqueros, 180 Mexico : polo in Mexico City,, 259 ; the Mexican bit, 260 ;: the South California Polo Club, 260 Meyrick, Mr., 348 Mian Mir polo club, 280 Mildmay, Mr. F. B., 236,. 277, 287, 329, 337, 346 Miller, Mr. E. D., 236, 257,, 313, 351 Milne, Mr., 349 Misri Khan, 351 Mohl's ' Le Livre des Rois,' 239, 240 Monmouthshire polo club, 256,, 345 Murat, Prince, 259 Murrieta, Mr. A. de, 258, 334 Murrieta, Mr. C. de, 258, 334 Musket, 165 NATAL polo club and ground f . 261 Needham, Capt., 335 Newmarket racing bandages for polo, 328 Newport Lodge training esta- blishment, 26 Newport (U.S.) polo ground,. 260 New South Wales : earliest races in, 159; stud-books, 160, 161 ; sale of thoroughbred stock (1845), 1 60; rate of annual increase of horses, 182 ;. Sir Hercules Robinson quoted on the horses of the colony, 183 ; times of English and Sydney Derbys contrasted > NEW 183, 208; breeding in, 187 ; hunting in, 192 ; a dingo hunt, 192 New Zealand : stud-books, 159, 161 ; horses, superiority of, 161 ; English stallions im- ported into, 162, 163 ; Stud Company, 163, 164 ; absence of bookmakers from race- meetings, 170 ; betting by means of the totalisator, 171- 174; importation of Arab horses, 177 ; annual export of horses, 183 ; price of, 184 ; shipment of horses to India, 1 88; breeding in, 190; hunt- ing in, 190; barbed wire fences, 192 ; a run with the Ashburton Harriers, 195 ; effect of wire fences on hunt- ing, 195-198 ; training over wire, 198 ; remarkable per- formance of The Flea, 199; the Maories' methods of breaking horses, 201-204 ; horses trained to ford rivers, 205 ; extensive breeding of carthorses, 206 New Zealand Stud Company, 163 ; prices obtained for thoroughbred yearlings, 163, 164 ; proposed reorganisation, 164 Nixon, Capt. J., 350 North, the Hon. W., 349 Nosebands, 117 OGILVY, Lord, 334 Onslow, Mr. Hughes, 347 Oriental manuscripts on polo, 238-252 Osborne, John, anecdote of,]i52 INDEX 415 POL Oswald, Capt., 348 ' Our Horses,' 181, 201, 205,. 207 Ouseley's (Sir Wm.) 'Travels- in the East,' quoted, 243, 249 PALEY, Mr., 333 'Palla Maglia,' 252 Paris polo club, 259 ' Patroclus and Penelope,' 53,. 54 Payne, Mr. George, 165, 166 Peake, Mr. Walter, 349 Peat, Mr. Alfred, 236, 257,. 258, 283, 305, 307, 323, 331,. Peat, Mr. Arthur, 236, 257, 258, 259, 277, 283, 287, 307,. 323, 330, 331, 335, 336, 346 Peat, Mr. James, 236, 257, 258,, 283, 307, 323, 331, 336, 363 Peat, Mr. J. E., 236, 257,258,. 259, 283, 307, 323, 331, 336 Peel, General, 165 Pelham bit, 117 Pemberton, Capt., on polo, 273 Peters, Major Cecil, 287, 317,, 329 348 Peyton, Mr. Algernon, 256 Phayre, Capt., 350 Pietermaritzburg polo club and 1 ground, 261 Pignatelli, 227 Pliny on horsemanship, 221 Plinzner, Herr, equerry to the Emperor of Germany, 228 Plutarch on horsemanship, 224 Pluvinel, 227 Polo, 235 ; antiquity of the game, 238 ; first mention in Eastern literature, 238 ; chau RIDING POL gan (the Persian name for polo), 238 ; descriptions and incidents of chaugan, from Oriental manuscripts, 238- 252 ; the Persian game, 238- 242, 243, 249-252; Persian queen and hand-maidens versusking and courtiers, 241 ; chaugan at the court of the Emperor Comnenus, 242 ; its popularity in Persia in the seventeenth century, 243 ; diffused throughout Europe under various forms and names, 244 ; description of chaugan as played by the Emperor Akbar, 244-247 ; in Central Asia and Thibet, 250 ; a game with human heads for balls, 251; 'mall,' in the time of Charles II., 252 ; the Welsh game of ' knappan ' in Queen Elizabeth's reign, 252 ; derivation of the names 'chaugan' and 'polo,' 252, 253 ; origin of the game in England, 254 ; the first inter- regimental matches, 255 ; the early called ' hockey on horse- back,' 255 ; features of the arly game, 256 ; formation of clubs, 256, 257, 259 ; the game taken up in the pro- vinces and by the Universi- ties, 256 ; changes introduced into the modern game, 257, 258; reduction in the num- ber of players, 257 ; the back- hand stroke, 257 ; laying-out of grounds at Hurlingham and Ranelagh, 257 ; rapid spread of the game in Ireland, 257 ; its present condition, 258 ; POL development of polo through three distinct phases or periods 258 ; match between an Eng- lish and a French team at Dieppe, 259 ; progress of the game in Paris, 258 ;'polo in the New World, 259 ; in Mexi- co, 259, 260 ; visit of a Hur- lingham team to the United States, 260 ; the match for the America Cup, 260 ; polo in Africa, 261 ; in Australia, 261 ; in Japan, 261-265 (see Japanese polo) ; polo in India,. 266-286 (see under India) ; rules and by-laws of polo, 287-292 ; clubs regis- tered at Hurlingham, 292, 293 ; winners of the principal cups, 293-298 ; some famous players and ponies, 332-354 ; breeds of ponies suitable for polo, 306 ; the pure British breeds unfitted for the game, 306 ; merits and demerits of thoroughbreds, 306, 308 ; Arabs and Barbs, 308-310 ; Syrian ponies, 310, 311 ; the Indian 'tattoo,' or country- bred horse, 311 ; high prices obtainable for, 312-314; im- proved Exmoors, 314 ; good points of Barb horses, 315 ; history of the Barb ' Awfully Jolly,' 315, 316; difficulty of procuring good Barbs, 316, 317; South American ponies, 317; New Forest ponies, 317; Connemara ponies, 318 ; the best cross, 318 ; suggestions for improving the breed of ponies, 319; training of ponies for, 321-331 ; a defence of the INDEX 417 POL game against the charge of cruelty, 330, 331 Polo Club, the, 256 Polo grounds, balls, sticks, goal-posts, &c., 299 ; require- ments for grounds, 299 ; marking out, 299 ; keeping in order, 300 ; shape and size, 301 ; polo balls, 301, 302 ; sticks, 302 ; material and shape of heads, 302 ; the handles, 303 ; length of sticks, 303 ; the Thibetan ' byntu,' or stick, 303, 304 ; goal-posts, 304 ; stone-posts, 304 ; wooden posts, 304 ; papier-mache posts, 304 ; dan- gers of thick wooden posts, 305 ; telegraph boards, 305 ; how a polo match should be played, 355 ; preparing for the game, 355; duties of the timekeeper, 355 ; the captain's place, 355 ; duties of the dif- ferent players, 356 ; No. 4, or 'back,' 356; No. 3, or 'half- back,' 357 ; No. 2 and No. I, 358 ; the umpires, 359, 360 ; starting the game, 360; the attack and defence, 360 ; striking the ball, direction, 361 ; avoid dribbling, 361 ; hit hard, 362 ; importance of always galloping, 362 ; ' riding out,' 363 ; long shots for goal, 363 ; a tremendous drive, 363 ; hitting off after a goal, 364 ; penalty for hitting be- hind your own goal, 364; ad- vice and axioms for players, 364-367 ; qualities essential for a player, 367 Polo ponies, 255, 257, 258, 260, POL 264, 267, 274, 282 ; breeds suitable for, 306-320 ; train- ing for, 321-331 ; some famous: Abbess, 319, 337; Aladdin, 352; Algiers, 310; Ali Baba, 323, 331, 338 ; Ally Sloper, 316, 324 ; Apo- lo gy> 352 ; Arab Lad, 351 ; Aunt Sally, 316 ; Awfully Jolly, 309, 315, 316, 319, 324, 338 ; Belinda, 347, 348 ; Blair, 329, 347, 348 ; Blue Blood, 347 ; Budmash, 351 ; Bullfighter, 341 ; Busy- maid, 346 ; Chance, 331 ; Cinderella, 341 ; Conqueror, 313 ; Dancing Girl, 307, 340, 341 ; Dandy Jim, 339 ; De- ception 330 ; Dick, 329, 345 ; Dorothy, 348 ; Dublin, 3 1 7, 329 ; Dynamite, 307, 336 ; Edge, 336 ; Esmeralcla, 307, 323, 336; Euphrates, 339, 347 ; Fritz, 343, 344, 345 ; Gay Lad, 336 ; Grasshopper, 336 ; Happy Lad, 313, 351 ; James Pigg, 351 ; Jenny, 323, 338, 348; Joe, 313, 353; Jolly Nun, 319; Joss, 343, 3445 Judy, 329, 337* 338 ; Jumma, 351 ; Kaleido- scope, 353 ; Kit-Cat, 345, 346 ; Kitty, 337 ; Lalla Rookh, 352 ; Lucille, 353 ; Lulu, 353 ; Maggie, 336 ; Magic, 342 ; Marguerite, 313, 352 ; Marie, 353 ; Marquis, 317; Mary Anne, 342, 343 ; Maud, 353 ; Meg, 345 ; Mickey Free, 339 ; Minaret, 351 ; Miss Jummy, 317 ; Moonbeam, 352 ; Mouse, 348 ; New Guinea, 313 ; E E 4i8 RIDING POL Ninepins, 336 ; Outsider, 351; Paleface, 313; Patch, 340, 345 ; Perfection, 351 ; Perfidy, 336; Picquet, 337, 341 ; Piper, 341 ; Polestar, 313, 353; Polly, 345, 346; Prince, 351 ; Quicksilver, 351 ; Rainbow, 352 ; Rajah, 342 ; Red Lancer, 353 ; Rex, 317 ; Rosamond, 313, 352 ; Rosealba, 317, 342 ; Saladin, 310, 311, 342 ; Sambo, 352 ; Santa Clara, 317 ; Saracen, 315 ; Schoolboy, 353 ; Sea- gull, 336, 347; Sinbad, 310, 31 1, 342 ; Smuggler, 315, 346 ; Solomon, 342; Spider, 315, 346; Starlight, 352; Stella, 352; The Bay, 315; The Doe, 352; The Fawn, 307, 330, 337 5 The Girl, 323, 338 ; The Nurse, 345 ; The Nun, 353; The Rag, 345; Tongs, 333; Umpire, 339; Venus, 342, 345 ; Whiskey, 345; Yellow Jack, 313 Polo regimental teams : Royal Horse Guards, 255 ; 1st Life Guards, 255 ; 7th Hussars, 282 ; 8th Hussars, 282, 333, 343 ; loth Hussars, 255, 256, 281, 282, 305, 333 ; 1 9th Hussars, 280; 5th Lan- cers, 282 ; 9th Lancers, 255, 256, 281, 333 ; 1 7th Lancers, 282, 353 ; Rifle Brigade, 280 ; 25th Regiment, 282 ; 33rd Regiment, 282 ; 54th Regiment, 281 Pony, selection of, for a child, 6 ; treatment of, 8 ' Post and Paddock ' quoted, 310 RAC Potter on horsemanship, 215 Priory polo club, 349 Proctor, Mr. J. B., 317 QUEEN, Her Majesty the, and the improvement of the breed of New Forest ponies, 318 Queensland, horse-breeding in, 189 Quin, rapt. Wyndham, 256 RACE riding, 139; paucity ot competent jockeys, 140 ; es- sentials for a perfect jockey, 140; knowledge of pace, 141, 146 ; riding in obedience to orders, 141, 146; the two chief requisites, 142; 'hands,' 142-144; 'head,' 144; bitting racehorses, 145 ; disqualifica- tions, 145 ; saddles slipping, 145 ; carrying wrong weight, 145 ; false run races, 146 ; 'getting off,' 147; 'steadying,' 148, 153; making the rush, 148; taking advantage of the incidents of a race, 149 ; im- portance of examining the ground, 150; the final effort, 150-153 ; injudicious use of the whip and spurs, 150, 153, 155, 156; how races are lost and won, 153; 'leaving it too late,' 154 ; races thrown away, 154; 'drawing it too fine,' 155 ; need of tenderness in riding young horses, 155- 157 5 roguish horses, 155 Racing (Badminton), 153 Racing bits, 128 RAN Ranelagh polo club and ground, 257, 299, 319, 335, 345 Rawlinson, Mr., 351, 352 Rearing, 127 Rearing bits, 128 Reid, Capt., 350 Reining back, 98-106 Reins, 67, 71, 72, 73, 78, 79, 85, 88, 107, 112, 115, 116, 128, 131,, 326 Renton, Capt., 313, 351 Richardson, Capt. G., 350 Riddell, Lady Evelyn, 9 Ridgeway, Mr., 259 Riding : early practice, 3 ; its advantages and disadvan- tages, 3 ; how to place a girl on her saddle, 4 ; fitting the stirrup, 5 ; selection of pony for a child, 6 ; putting a boy on a pony, 6 ; evil effects of learning without stirrups, 6 ; the first thing to impress on a boy, 7 ; handling the bridle, 7 ; importance of girls learn- ing to ride on either side, 9 ; riding to hounds, 1242 ; methods of teaching in the seventeenth century, 48 ; school riding, 53 ; hints on horsemanship, 86-132; hands and seat, 133-138 ; race rid- ing, 139-157; early history of horsemanship, 211-231 ; les- sons in, 372-392 ; bibliography of, 393-404 Riding to hounds, 12 ; different styles of riding, 13 ; the lead- ing division, 14 ; a ' shuffler's hole,' 17 ; sheep in the way, 17 ; ' imperial crowners,' 18 ; an impossible fence, 21 ; the second division, 21 ; all- INDEX 419 SAD round men, 23 ; the man who will be with them, 24 ; professional rough riders, 25 ; going first, 26; the cunning man of the hunt, 29 ; point riders, 29 ; importance of a good start, 31 ; the best way of going at obstacles, 31 ; fences, 31, 35 ; timber and walls, 32 ; brooks, 33 ; ' doubles,' 34 ; blind ditches, 36 ; ' keep inside hounds when running hard,' 36 ; ' overmarking ' horses, 37 ; horses collapsing suddenly, 37 ; the question of how to procure hunters, 39 ; price of good hunters, 41 ; horse furniture, 41 ; saddles, 41 ; bits and bridles, 42 Robinson, Sir Hercules, 164, 261 ; on horsemanship, 183 Rochfort, Mr. Horace, 257, 332, 333 Rollers, 68, 72, 78 Romans : formation of body of horsemen by Romulus, 221 ; the order of Equites, 221 ; perfection of the art of schooling horses, 221 ; pro- minence of horsemanship, in the public games, 222 ; de- coration of their steeds, 222 ; saddle-trees and saddles, 222- 224 Rossmore, Lord, 255, 335 Rough riders, 25 Running reins, 88, 128 Russell, Mr. T., 166 SADDLE-CLOTHS of the Egyp- tians, Assyrians, and Per- 420 RIDING SAD sians, 215; of early Greeks, 219 Saddle-horse, the, 43 ; compre- hensiveness of the term, 43 ; sources of supply of English horses in the sixteenth century, 45 ; the * Turkic horse,' 46 ; the ' Barbarian,' the Sardinian, and the Corsican, 46 ; the Neapolitan, 47 ; the Spanish jennet, 47 ; the Hungarian, the Almaine, the Flanders, and the Friezeland, 47 ; the Irish hobbie, 48 ; sixteenth century training and treat- ment, 48 ; curious correction for 'restifenesse,' 49; sup- posed influence of colour on disposition, 50 ; Virgil's de- scription of a horse, 51 ; Major Whyte Melville's ideal, 52 ; the English hack of the present day, 52 ; school rid- i n g> 53 5 ' a i fs ' f the school horse, 54 ; the perfect hack, 55 ; thoroughbreds as hacks, 56, 6i; half-breds, 57; effect of breeding from unsound sires, 57 ; requisites for a perfect hack, 57, 60 ; econo- mical way of obtaining a good saddle-horse, 59 ; difficulty of rinding good hacks, 60; ponies as hacks, 61 ; care of the horse in the stable, 61 Saddles, 7, 41, 44, 76, 129, 130, 178, 224, 275 Saddle-trees, earliest Roman evidence of, 222-224 '> in the eleventh to eighteenth cen- turies, 2~4 St. Quintin, Col., 236, 254, 261, 281, 313, 334 STE St. Quintin, Mr., 254, 261 Sarfaraz, Ressaldar, 298 Saunders, Mr., 180 ; on horse- manship, 181, 201, 205, 207 Scala, the, 224 School riding, 53 ; horse, 54 'Scrub' horses of Australia, 180 Seat, good and bad, 131-138 ; causes of bad seat, 133; posi- tion in saddle of rider with good seat, 136; of Australian colonists, 205 ; Xenophon's instructions for the seat, 217 Secunderabad polo ground, 283 Sheffield-Neave, Mr., 349 Sherer, Maj.-Gen. J. F., 236, 279; on polo, 276, 277 Shoeing, 66 Smith, Capt. Arthur, 23, 26 Smith's ' Classical Dictionary,' horsemanship in, 215, 222 Smythe, Capt. Walter, 236, 287 Snaffles, 10, u, 71, 80, 86, 90, 113, 114, 124, 128 South California polo club, 260 Sperling, Mr., 349 Spicer, Capt. Julian, 287, 345, 346 Spurs, use of, 81, 127, 128, 129, 132, 148, 153, 155, 156 ; the ancient Greeks the first known users of, 218 ; should be dis- carded in polo matches, 3 2 7 Stable, care of the horse in the, 61, 68 Startin, Mr., 334 Stead, Mr. G. G., 164 Steeds, Capt., 333 Stewart, Capt. G., 280 INDEX 421 STE Stewart, Capt. Robt, 279, 280 Stewart-Duckett, Mr., 333 Sticks, polo, 302-304 Stirrups, ladies', 5 ; earliest mention of, 225 ; use of, at first confined to armed horse- men, 225 Stock saddle and whip, 178 Storer, Mr., 259 Stow, Mr. E. Kenyon, 256, 340, 34i Strutt on polo, 252 Stud-books, colonial, 159-161 Sussex County polo club, 337 Switzerland, horses' bones found in the caves and lake dwell- ings of, 211, 212 Sydney (New South Wales), earliest races, 159 ; price of horses, 185 TALBOT, Col. the Hon. R. , 335 Tasmania, manuscript stud- book of 1847, 160 ; horse- breeding in, 189 Tattersall's, 40, 59 Telegraph boards, for polo grounds, 305 Theodosian Code, 223 Thorn, Mr. W. K., 261 ' Three Sherleys, The Ad ven- tures of the,' quoted, 251 Tidy, Capt., 348 ' Times, The,' quoted, 262 Tollemache, Wilbraham, 21 Tom Thumb bit, 1 1 Toolane (a Munnipoorie), 279 Totalisator, the, at New Zealand race meetings, 171 ; its effect in promoting sport, 171 ; pro- posal to legalise it in Victoria, TRA 73 ; method of working, 173 Tournaments, origin and deve- lopment of, 226 Tournaments (polo) : Allaha- bad, 283 ; Bombay, 283 ; Calcutta, 283 ; Hurlingham Infantry Inter-regimental, winners of, 294 ; Hurlingham Inter-regimental, winners of, 294 ; Indian Inter-regimental, 281, 283 ; winners of, 296 ; Indian Infantry Inter-regi- mental, 283 ; winners of, 297 ; Indian Native Cavalry, 283 ; Mian Mir, 298 ; My- sore, 298 ; Nusseerabad, 283 ; Poona, 283 Training the young horse, 63 ; first considerations, 63 ; hand- ling, 63-69 ; feeding, 64 ; exercise, 64 ; treatment of horses fresh from grass, 64 ; how to begin handling, 65 ; lifting the feet, 65 ; shoeing, 66 ; in the box, 67 ; the stall collar, 67 ; the reins, 67 ; objections to chains and iron log?, 67, 68 ; in the stable, 68 ; position of the stall, 68 ; putting on the roller, 68 ; longeing, 69-80 ; use and abuse of the longe, 69 ; shape and dimensions of building for longeing, 70 ; the first lesson, 70; fitting the cavesson, 71 ; the best kind of snaffle, 71 ; roller and reins, 72 ; care of the tackle, 72 ; position of man holding the horse, 73 ; avoid hurrying, 73, 75, 84 ; details of the lesson, 74, 75 ; its duration, 75 ; the second 422 RIDING TRO day's lesson, 75 ; principal ob- ject, 75 ; use of the whip, 76 ; saddling, 76 ; position of the saddle, 77 ;. putting on the crupper, 77 ; management of reins, 78, 79 ; use of cross- trees, 79 ; treatment of horses that do not yield, 79, 80 ; backing, 80-85 '> neither spurs nor whip to be used, 81 ; pre- parations for mounting, 81 ; mounting, 82, 83 ; avoid touching the horse with the leg, 83, 84 ; treatment when mounted, 83 ; dismounting, 84 ; nervous horses, 84 ; taking off the cavesson, 85 ; breaking, 86 ; trotting, 88 ; bending, 92-97 ; reining back, 98-100 ; cantering, 100-106 ; leaping, 106-112 Trotting, 88 UMBALLA polo ground, 283 VALENTIA, Lord, 255, 287, 335 Van de Weyer, Lady Emily, 9 Vane Tempest, Lord Henry, 335 Vaughan, Mr., 346 'Vegetii Renati Artis Veteri- riarise,' quoted, 223 Vesey, Capt., 34 8 Victoria : publication of first stud-book, 160 ; Melbourne Cup, 165, 166, 170; Fleming- ton racecourse, 166-170 ; Victoria Racing Club, 173 ; effect of gold discovery on WIL price of horses, 181 ; ship- ment of horses to India, 183 ; horse-breeding in, 187; hunt- ing in, 190 ; importation of hares and harriers, 191 ; a stag-hunt, 192 ; times of English and Victorian Derby compared, 208 Vigne's ' Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh, and Thibet ' quoted, 266 Virgil, quoted, 51 ' WALERS,' 184, 187 Walker, Mr. G. N., 350 Walker, Mr. J. R., 310, 311, 342 Walker, Mr. W. H., 342 Ware, Mr., 261 Warings, Mr. G. L., 317 Watson, Mr. John, 236, 257, 258, 260, 261, 277, 283,287, 296, 333. 340, 342-345, 348 Watson, Mr. Robert, 257, 333 West Meath polo club, 258 Whip, use of the, 76, 81, 86, no, 129, 131, 132, 148, 151, i$3> J 55> J 5 6 ; Australian stock whip, 178 ; in polo, 328 White, Mr., Australian stud- owner, 163, 164; phenome- nal success of his horses, 165 Whyte Melville, Major, on horsemanship, 12, 14, 52 Willesden Paper Company's papier-mache polo goal-posts, 34 Willett, Mr., 352 Williams, Col. Owen, 335 INDEX 423 WIL ZON Willoughby, Capt. the Hon. XENOPHON quoted, 216-220 E., 255 Wilson, Sir Gracroft, 177 Wilton, the Dowager Countess YOUNG, Mr. W. H., 317 of, 9 Younghusband's, Capt. G. F., Wilton, Lord (the late), 16 'Polo in India,' 284, 291 Winthrop, Mr. E., 261 Wolseley, Sir Charles, 287, 335 Woodhouse, Mr. E., 317 ZONARAS, 223, 227-229, 393- Worcester, the Marquis of, 335 404 PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE LONDON THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. r. y 193 APR 16 1S42E 28 LD 21-95w-7,'37 (6396 Sf3 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY