INDIAN HORSEMANSHIP.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8765, 16 March 1907, Page 1

INDIAN HORSEMANSHIP.

Lord Minto and the vice-Begal I party witnessed some marvellous feats of horsemanship at Patiala recently by the Imperial Service Lancers. The Imperial Service troops are trained for service by certain feudatory princes under the superintendence of British officers, and constitute a splendid reserve. Some of these troops have displayed the utmost hardihood and courage in frontier operations. On this occasion four squadrons paraded to show what could be done with trained horses under the excitement of service conditions. The first squadron galloped past in open order until they were almost in front of the Viceroy, and then in a moment the men dis- | mounted and lay down. Horses that I would not lie down were thrown by , lifting a forefoot with one hand and twisting the head round on the same side with the other. Clumsily done, such a fall might injure a plunging charger, but the practised sowar causes bis horse to fall softly on its flank and then has only to keep its head close to the ground. Lying prone in the grass, neither horse nor r;dor offers an appreciable target to rifle fire even at but 500 yards range,” runs an account of the manoeuvres in the Daily Mail, “ and the stillness is such that a hasty or careless scout a little way off might easily cast a passing glance over the field -without perceiving that it was alive with cavalry. All this takes time to describe, but it is performed instantaneously.” When the first squadron had sunk into the ground / in this way the second galloped I through their line and lay down behind thorn, becoming equally inconspicuous. The third squadron then galloped up and passed through both lines without hurting a single horse or man, and also lay down. Finally, the fourth squadron, without shifting ground, sank down. The steadiness of the squadrons while this difficult manceuvre was being carried out was admirable. It is no easy task to keep a horse whose blood is heated lying down while others gallop past it a few inches from its nose. Some of the horses succeeded in struggling to their feet, but they were at once thrown again. Every horse was now stretched out, and the field silent and motionless. A whistle blew’, and like a flash every sowar rose and stood astride his horse so as to be in the saddle the moment the animal regained its feet. The next moment the entire force was galloping off. A few hundred yards away, and with scarcely a pause, the regiment formed up into perfect line, faced about and charged down upon the Viceroy at a thundering pace until within a couple of horses’ lengths of the party of spectators. “ A thrill went through everbody ; it was grand!”