AUSTRALIAN BUCK – JUMPING.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2426, 28 January 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN BUCK - JUMPING.

Somk correspondence has appeared in the Field with respect to the riding of buckjumpors sit the Wild West show. One correspondent, who consider* that the Australians display far more skill in sit. ting their notorious buck-jumper.-', says that an Australian stock rider would be rather amu*ed at the manner in which a cow boy keeps his seat on a buck-jumper namoly, by ' fixing his spur firmly into the saddle c'.oth,' and ' grasping the pommel at the same time' Another correspondent says there is only one buckjumpcr— the Australian. ' No doubt,' ho says, ' the performance at Eaii'.s Court is excellent of its kind; but a man seated between a pommel and cantle each 0 inches or 8 inches high, with his foot jammed into a couple of .small coal boxes ought to make ar'c'mit show on any animal, moreesreciully these obviously weak H-hand hor.sos. The Australian stock-rider is culled upon to sit a powerful 16-hnud horu\ bred from good Euglish stock, onau ordinary English saddle, with a snallle bit. This animal is I often so thoroughly had and dangerous that he must be driven into what is known as a ' crush lane'—two converging fences —the plane at the end of the lane being , so narrow that the animal caunot turn. Jammed in here, with a b.u , above his rump and another behind him, the tackle is put ou. He is then partially roped, edged away to a gate, held by two men while the rider mounts, and on being ;-et free, dashes into the open (-tQckyard and bounds into the air, all his legs a clear 4 or 5 feet from the ground. This height as often been verified by myself and others, by aligning I tho horses' hoofs with tho upper yuili of the stock yard fence, the total height of the fence being- about G feet (5 inches. You can imagine (no, you caunot, unless you have felt it) the effect of a dozen or so of nkock.4 in rapid succession, the horso coming down with all his legs straight as iron bars, and owing to the twists ho makes in the air with his head each time in a difkrent direction. This takes place upon a limited area, perhaps 20 feet by 20 feet, Unless the man goes otC in tho first bound, the horse spins round on Iμ* logs; a few times and renews the bounding, until one wonders whether any of one's tooth intend to remain in their sockets. One of two things must happen—either the man is ' slung , ' handsomely, or he .sticks to the animal uutil the beast becomes exhausted, gives iu, and uttmds sullenly refusing (or unable) to move to any persuasion of the spur. I have seen a horse take severe punishment after one of these bouts without stirring a yard, hfej legs firmly planted wide apart, his head down, his mouth wide open, aud his tail tucked tight between his legs. Even then he will occasionally got fresh wind aud give you another nasty turn i but it generally means that he is done, Good sound girths will sometimes break by tho violence of tho strain, or the crupper may slip—then, of course, man and tackle go off altogether iu a. heap. Incredible as it may appear, horses have bop!! known after a prolonged struggle to buck the saddle righ't off over head and forelegs without breaking t'lC gi.'tl , ."."