HOW TO RIDE A HORSE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2236, 6 November 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

HOW TO RIDE A HORSE.

BoirALo P.ill. i famous prairie scout, in an aiticle in the Philadelphia News, viys — "The English style of riding a f»oi-,e, which is. much in vogue here, is very '•howy, but it will not do for long dist mces. It i-i too hard on man and he.ist. L^t anyone try to ride a horva fiff y miles at anything 1 hUe a pace in this iririnri"!', and b.*th he and his animal will be u*ed up at the end of the journey. It is a emstrtcfc pound, pound, pound on the '*adcilo, and the perem-ion is too much for <i horse or in i»i to -tand. The Earl of D.mr iven and nu nbers of other noted Emrli'shnvm who hunted with me on the plains role *,h°t wiy at first ; bat they <*oon «iw, as he s ud, 'what bad form it \*a>,' and leu-ned to r.de cowboy fashion, greatly to their own comfort and that of fheir steeN. 'We are all wionj? in our ideas of riding; Bill,' said, the Earl, when ho hal mastered the American «tylf\ I feel sure that after the Wild We-t has been in England three months you will see a revolution in t^e manner of riding over th^ie. How do we get *uch perfect 'i liy grippius? our horses with our knees and le_'S, sitting 1 low, and accomd iting our-elvcs to fvery movement of the animil. It becomes seoond nature after ,i whiK I< an fell every move that a hor-<e mt'nls m ikinj' after I have been on his b.iek five minute?. If you want to sot; how the art of perfect riding is acquired, w;i*<h our little Indian boys plajinsr on the burlo-i and pome*. The instin t the y <j;et near th^m they mount them. When they are barebacked they hfive no wiy of holding thcmselvea on except by gripping with their knees. Their legs are not long enough to citch under the rounl of the animal's barrel, and yet a mk -year-old youngster will stick like wax.'"

I In' 1380 one twenty-fifth of the i population of the United States lived in. pities of 8000 inhabitants and upwards ; in IS4O, one-twelfth ; in ISCO, nearly onefourth. During the half-century precedj ing ISBO the piputation in cities increased [ moie th.*n fo ir time* as rapidly as that j of the village and country. The Royal House of Stuart is not vet extinct. A correspondent of the Gil Bias says that, notwithstanding all the attempts made to evtinguish the line, a Princess still remains. She was banished during the revolution at Home in 1849, but wds sived by the care of a Polish doctor. She can produce authentic proofs of hvr identity, and we are told ha* now | retired to await the near approach of th* time when she " can regain her rank and put her feet on the soil of Scotland." She lives in the neighbourhood of Paris, and only sees her most intimate friend?. Her age is not stated, b-it she maintains the characteristics of her ancestor*, for she is physically strong and is a great beauty. Her Royal Highness possesses an eminently artistic temperament and au admirable voice. She has travelled much, and her linguistic attainments go to the length of a perfect knowledge of seven languages. Unfortunately, no particulars aie given of how she is to pove her identity and regain her rank— which, we suppose, means the Crown of Scotland. A Str\n<;k .Si'EornTios*. —Writing of a State issue of paper money, a contetnpoiary is reminded of the death of the Hon. Mr Bathgate by which event Mew Zealand Ins lost a fervent ad\ocate of a Scate Bank of issue. Instead of raising a t<iu<j> for the deceased, or pronouncing a panegyric upon him, I will tell a little story, which, if apocryphal, is amusing, and illustrates Mr Bathgate'a ! character for exactness. When Mr Bithgate was manager of the Otago Bank, he was one day waited upon by the celebrated "Jock" Graham, who was full of a grand money-making project. Jock told a flattering tale of how a regular pile was to be made by shipping a cargo of cats to rat infested trold-digtriugs on the West Coast. Mr Bithtfate was of a speculative turn of mind, and not only agreed to advance the money that Jock required, but also took h ilf shares iv the novel venture. A largo number of harmless necessary cats Wr>re shipped off, sold at Whittington pric"*, and Jock and hia partner netted a haud^ome profit. But in squaring up, there was one cat not accounted for by Jock, and on Mr Bathgate demanding his share of the profit on that cat. Jock assured him that the ammil and jumped overboard on the voyujfo and boeri drowned. Tho banker was nocptioal as to the suicide of hia missing pu-sy, and compelled his partner to ">tump up" for it. Jock paid with what grace he could, but I question if he ever forgave hi> " p ird." For many a year, at any rate, Jock Graham was the most determined opponent of Mr Bathgate when the latter sought election to Parliameiit ; many a time was the episode of the MnVidal cit raked up ; and rumour allirnis that ou not a few occasions the vexed spirit of the feline animal settled the election adversely to Mr Bathgate.— Roquies— "cat" in pace !