ARAPHOE HORSEMANSHIP

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1694, 24 October 1887, Page 2

ARAPHOE HORSEMANSHIP

General Buskin, of the United States, haa just been describing m the American papers some extraordinary feats of hone* manßhip which he witnessed In the Indian camp of the Araphoe Chief Friday : — •'The ridtrj drew up before the tents m war paint and feathers, and were," says the general, "as five a looking act of young fallows aa I had ever seen. Hardly cue but waa 6ft m height, and baantifally proportioned. In a moment they dis« appeared over the neighboring hill to the right, and 1^ thought they had gone, but hearing a mighty trampling of horses, I looked oq the left, and there they oame. They swept by so swift and compact that they looked like a ball of horaes and men. Splitting m two, one body swept to the right and another to the left, and again disappeared. In about twominntel the tiro bodies charged each other m , solid linea, and I waited almost breathleßaly for the Bhock, bat as the hones' heada almost touched eaoh other the filet skilfully opened to the right and left, and the linea passed through the intervals without touching. Wheeling to the right-about, they passed baok m an instant, and a?ain disappeared over the hills, It was alter warda we saw the finest n dvldual horsemanship4|Some would fide that nothing but the horse oould be ston» Other* stood np and rode as circus men do. tiome would hang with one foot and one hand on the horses and swept by, their bodies coa.pletoly protected by the bodies of the animals. Some leaped upon the ground holding to the mane of the horse, and after running n step or two ' would Bwing themselves up on the backs of the horses again as easily as any circus man could do it. The portions they aßßumed and the feats of horsemanship whioh they performed were incredible, and I doubt if anything outside of a circus ring ever equalled it. They would throw objects on the ground aud piclr them np again while p«sing at full speed, the warriors hanging to the sides of the horoea vith one foot and one hand. I They drew bows and Bhot arrows from underneath the ntckß and evai bellies of their horses while ridiagat a fast gallop. Our cavalry could not learn to ride as well as ihesa India-s did if eech man was trained for 20 years. They exchanged horses whilo riding, aud got behind eaoh other. O.ie man would fall off his horse as if wounded, and two others would ride up beside him, and, taking him by an arm and leg, swing him between their horses and carry him off. The exhibition, or drill, as Friday called it, lasted nearly two hours, and the men and horses were completely exhausted."—* II Eoho."