INDIAN HORSEMANSHIP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 57, 13 March 1907, Page 4

INDIAN HORSEMANSHIP.

Lo:d Minto and the Vice-Regai party witnessed some marvellous feats of horse manship at Patiala recently by Hie Im perial Sorviue Lancers. The Imperial Service troops lire trained for scrvcie 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 operation:,. On this cccasion four squadrons paraded to show wliat could he done with trained horses under the -excitement of service condi tions The first squadron galloped past in open order until they were almost in front of the Viceroy, and then in a moment the mc::i dismounted and lay down. Horses that would not lie down were thrown by lifting a fore-foot with one hand and twisting the head round on the same side with the other. Clumsily done, such a foil might injure a plunging charger, but the practised sowar causes his horse to fall softly on its (lank and then lias only i keep its head close to the ground. "Lyini' prone in the grass, neither horse nor ridi i offers an appreciable target to rifle fir. even at but five hundred yards' range,'' runs the account of his manoeuvre in th Daily Mail, "and the stillness is such thai a hasty or careless stout, a little way of' might easily east a passim? glance ovei the field without perceiving that it was alive with cavalry All this takes tim< to describe, but is performed instantane onsly" Wlien the firpt squadron had sunk into the ground in this way the second galloped through their line and lay down behind them, becoming equally in conspicuous The third squadron then ga l loped 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 divn. The steadiness of the squadrons while this difficult manoeuvre 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 j 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 rost and stood astride his horse so as to be ir. the saddle the moment the animal regained its feet. The nest moment the entire force was galloping off. A few hundred yards away and with scarcely a pause the regiment formed tip '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 o! spectators. "A thrill went through everybody; it was grand."