Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 September 1894 — A Study in Horsemanship. [ARTICLE]

A Study in Horsemanship.

The South American Gauchos are by far the most picturesque, and at the same time the most reckless riders in the whole outfit, although it is possible that the Cossacks might dispute this claim. They ride with a stirrup so short that their knees are hunched up close to the horse’s neck. The Gauchos never let their horses stumble or fall, in which respect they are the exact opposite of the Mexicans, who are the poorest riders in Zhe show. A Cossack looks almost like a centaur. He appears to be a part of the horse, and depends upon the stirrup almost entirely to keep in his seat. The horsemanship of the Gauchos and Cossacks is a convincing argument in favor of short stirrups. The Mexicans use the fanciful Mexican saddle, which means that the legs are extended full length, and rest very lightly in the stirrup. They control their horses by touching the neck with the rein, never by pulling on the bit. The American cowboys ride after a fashion peculiarly their own—a long leg and a tight hug with the calf. The Irish are exemplars of the old-fashioned English cross-coun-try style, very graceful, and capable of being continued for hours without fatigue. It cannot be said that the German cavalrymen are good riders. Most of them are heavy men. They adhere strictly to the German army style, stirrup and leg, and make a high rise from the saddle. The American cavalrymen are splendid horsemen, and they are just the weight. All of them are lithe, muscular fellows. They stick close to the saddle. The Frenchmen are a little heavy for graceful riding, but they follow the French school closely, which is not unlike the English. The natural riders are the Indians. They spurn a saddle. An unstrapped blanket serves for a seat. Indians are never thrown. Their horses seldom, if ever, fall. They cling to their horses with the inner muscles of the leg, which, from constant riding, become as hard and tough as steel.'—[New York Mail and Express.