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i RIGHT TYPE OF THE HORSE I International Expert F. V. Gooch Strong in Praise of the Thoroughbred. BY C. J. FITZ GERALD. NEW YORK, N. Y., November 23. An interested spectator at the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden last week was the international expert, F. Vivian Gooch of London, Eng- la.nd, who has always received the credit of establishing the thoroughbred type of saddle horse in tlie United States when he came oyer to serve as a judge more than twenty years ago. Mr. Gooch on that occasion upset traditions and set heads wagging when he selected the thoroughbred gelding Brigand, by Belvedere Livonia, as the champion saddle horse of the exhibition. He showed that he had the courage of his convictions by purchasing Brigand and taking him back to England, where he was a conspicuous winner for many seasons. Mr. Gooch was in the visitors box watching a saddle class on Thursday afternoon last when he was asked if there had been any appreciable improvement in the American saddle type since his last visit. "The change for the better is remarkable," said the British expert. "Your horses all show more quality, and you now have the real riding type. I saw a competition here yesterday afternoon that was surprising for its excellence. It was as good as anything I have witnessed -in a long time. If you follow along the lines responsible- for .these horses your success is certain." : Mr. Gooch was asked if he was still as strong for tlie thoroughbred as when he was here before. Without a moments hesitation lie leplied: "I am keener than ever for that type. Thoroughbreds give you a better ride than any other horsei How about their being hot? They are the same as all other courageous animals. If you hurt one he will fight you back just as a courageous man will battle for his rights. We see temperament In the human family, and the higher the artistic development the greater the display o. ;tha. elemental force we call temperament. Tlie horse of blood is.an aristocrat, and, ofcourse, . he woii.t: -sinnd : .!eIi:filni?aroati will. I never had. one, though, that I could not handle, and my greatest successes have been won with them." Mr. Gooch -was; asked "if the establishment of the National Stud had exercised a favorable, influence on the sportsmen of Great Britain, and if it had led to a better understanding among the. people at large as to what tlie thoroughbred meant to tlie country. RACING ENGLANDS NATIONAL SPORT. "The English didnt need anything to stimulate their interest in the thoroughbred," was Mr. Goochs rejoinder. "They have long been keen for racing and steeplechasing, and, of course, for hunting, which is so closely related to the other sports. Our love for a good horse is centuries old, and there would be a tremendous hue and cry if anybody interfered with what we consider our legitimate pleasures. Racing is a fundamental in the Britisli sport-loving life, and any attempt to restrict it would be met with a determined opposition. Without it we would soon be in a bad way for good horses, and then, too, it keeps alive a spirit which no nation can well afford to be without. It develops the sporting instinct, and works beneficially in many ways." "Has Ireland maintained her. supremacy as the home of tlie best type of heavy-weight hunter? Mr. Gooch was asked: "I am sorry to say," was the reply, "that the high-elass hunter in Ireland is not nearly as plentiful as before tlie war. The best horses were taken when the war broke out, and there was such demand for troopers mounts at high prices that the breeders became careless in their .eagerness to make money. They sent their mares to the nearest available horse, and ofttimes this was a half-bred, and as a result there was a deterioration. We look for a return to the old conditions in time, however. The demand with us for hunters is as strong as ever, but I am sorry to have- to say Unit the riding horse does not enjoy the degree of favor he formerly did. The cause is due to the specially built roads for motor cars. There are few places where the horse may be ridden with comfort, and there is not much being done to bring about a movement for relief." When asked what he regarded as the greatest educational factor in the work of horse improvement, Mr Gooch said: "Unquestionably the horse show. These should be a part of the life of every community. They establish type and are a guide to those who want, to progress. They produce healthy" rivalries too, and that is what we want in all our undertakings, whether business or pleasure is the consideration. "I have just learned of your Remount Associa-; tion, and tlie work it is doing, and I cannot praise it too highly. Such co-operation is what has evolved Frances splendid system of horse breeding. You have the ideal combination of a civil and military organization, and 1 shall look for great results, when I next return to. the United States as a result of its establishment."
