BAD HORSEMANSHIP

NZ Truth, Issue 1240, 5 September 1929, Page 13

BAD HORSEMANSHIP

Big Number of Jockeys Are Not Competent TERRIBLEI^HIBITIONS

At the start of the Spanish-American war Theodore Roosevelt organised a contingent, and it gave the senors a rough time.

THE contingent was known as the "Rough Riders," and probably the Roosevelt family has , copyrighted the name. Be that -as it may, Theodore, fire-eater as he was, would hoi be m it, nor would his'contlngent 4 , with some of the jockeys at present riding m this country. Ned Mobs, {Sydney's leviathan punter had some nasty remarks to make after his visit to Trentham last January, bui had- he done a trip through the smalls, he i would., have stayed silent— words would have failed him. The standard of horsemanship, is very low at present) and it is going from low to lower. The average rider these days would be charged with false pretences if he murdered 1 another jab as he murders saddle-sitting. Dannevirke last week was a wonderful exhibition of how horses should not be ridden. A , It is the main part of a jockey's job to " win — first, ' last and always — but these days," taking the standard of horsemanship as the criterion, it is the main object of the majority of them tc get beaten. Judging by the- hurried trips some Stake to get to ' the front, and go foi ear life, the idea must be .prevalent /that if they do not hurry back to the birdcage their riding fees will not be there- when they arrive. And, m their hurry, they defeat l their purpose, for very few (horses can do it both ways. Ato ne time the country had a

s swag of class horsemen and there > was never any absence of- promisl ing apprentices. ' To-day, the real horsemen, can be [ numbered on the fingers of one's hands, , while good apprentices are more or less unheard of. Those governing racing must be ! aware of the position, but it cannot be said that any endeavor is being made ' to remedy thls^deploruble state of af- ' The rules of racing only recognise the, apprentice when a meeting extends over three or more days. Then a race for the kids has to be included on the programme. ■ As the majority of' meetings are lim- , ited to two days the apprentice gets i on fine, > , The trainer may work for him, and thus get him the experience of race riding, but most kids are forced to confine their attention to apprentice. races. , * The kid of to-day is the jockey of tomorrow, but -if the kid of to-day is not > .given the opportunity to learn the . game^ what is, going to happen to the , jockey of to-morrow? i 1 Each season finds the position be- , coming graver and it is time those m • authority woke up. ; The conference' should. call l for a * [ report on the position, obtaining the , , ' views' of the^ stipes, owners and trainers. ' That report then could be used as the foundation of some system which would stop the slide that has set m.