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I j J I I , 1 1 , i ; j. II I j !i ! ! : , I I , . | , , : | 1 1 1 1 1 , I , . . I I |i |1 I, WAYS OF RIDING JUMPERS a Discussion of Styles of English and American Jockeys. a French Authority Considered the Late Jimmy Owens as a Model — Short vs. Long Stirrups. ia There has recently been some interesting correspondence in the Knclisli Bpertiag and Ibttmatic News over the ways and form of BJagUaa and American steeplechase ride,s "Kapier." the expert of that journal, recently printed this: "From Massachusetts. Mr. .1. !.. Cboate writes me another letter, am! 1 have also received one from Mr. P. S. Pace. Faultier Club, Warrenton, Virginia, dealing vviih Mr. Choates previous communication. • • • We will have Mr. Caaatea letter first. Dear Riipier," he writes. Many thanks for .iir courteous treatment of my article on Fng lish si.-, aledkaaa jockeys imt I must ehcek yea ap on ■ few paints. The p 1. olographs I sent you -be w«s critical about the seat of ear ereae-eeaatry horsemen ---were typical of hundreds I have seen n roar paper during the past tea reare, and ladade some of your crack joilieys. Would thai 1 were at your elbow with a pile f papers to pick up any of them and shea* yea how i.-ally aharklai .- the fona of the Fnglish steepleehaae Joekep over fences I would soon convince yoa. " "May I venture to say ilia I he is respoaaible for at least si* out of u n f;ills. he Baae 1 •■ •annoi tee thai Laterferiag with h.s looses aaaath at 1 fence eaaaes bha te hlaader ar arap his hiad legs into it. You must not think thai 1 am oee of our hrassarl Aaterieaaa who • atwaya telliag the world haw we do thine*. .Nevertheless. I think the American ateepleehase Jockey raa teach hhi , Piillah cousin a lut ahaat sitting still and steadyiag the horse at a fence rather than riding either with a loose rein or pulling the horses month, thta -i ting back, sticking his feet on! and y. oiling Irs haraes head int.. the air as he goes over the aeap. TIMMY 0WEIT S STYLE COPIED. I | f " No less an aathority than .lames Okhaysea. 1 late Iraiaer for Baroa l Bothaehikl, with whom I 1 spent a delightful afteraooa at MaiKOBS-ltfTitte ill l October. 191S. tohi m. thai the aaaerieaa .lames Owen is the bes steepleehaae jockey thai rode ia 1 France ten or fifteen years ato. II- seat aiarii im- 1 pressed the French Jorfcey, who saeeeasfallj copied ■ i;. He rode short, firm and stead; . and -at slill goittg into a fence, so thai I s hone Was aUojiing 1 with his cars pricked, his raied aa his bus aeaa, aa nigclint to dfatraei hfaa. As tiis horse landed, he ] aa forward laataad ef haek with his hands aad !ie is . well down, toe- up. |et;s thrust slightly forward, i His teehninue is ;l raptare to slid;. from ■ photo ; graph. ] " Cecil Brahaaaa, one of the crack Irish centle-1ian steepleehaae lid.-.- of ■ I u n.n« ago. eaaie over here. I think in WIS, aad rode a number . [of races. 1 partiealarl noticed his form on a ; horae called Knight ol Merci ay yoar Kaighl of I , the Thistle. n wheal he won -everai races. Taj] j 1 satisfy my curiosity and to vindicate my opinion lihai hs - . ie 1, dttiag back aad jabbing bis horses . 1 , jn:outh as he leaded over a fence coal hha several I I. Ileagth*. I placed a man with .1 camera abonl twenty 1 feet from ihe take-off si..- of the feace aad oae abaal thirty feel from the binding sii!- of Ibel4 I feace; and he prints rlearlj prored thai his style j of riding .li.l aat eaablc h: horse ;.■ gel away J qnickly after landing aad rosl him at least two j il |e;iLih- ai very feace: while the other horses ridden who forward landed 1 • bj Jockeys sal 1- they gained two leagtba or wan Aa aaaaaied bnl well credited Eaglish aaaatear | ridel a riten: ■tor the past thirty yeurs 1 hare been atore .• lea .-• dated with the .-port ..f steepleel isiag, :al 1 do no. recall Mr. "hoate as aa owaer, rider " or trainer aader N. S. and H. A Roles Dues , he Know thai the Ragliah Jockey, Tighe, headed the I: list here a few years hacl ; aad Itglie was hardly In the first flight at home; I.razel. ■ of the heel jockey- I i;,e ever seeB, ..tine from year country j. ini when Mr. Atty* Persae was here ridiag many winners far the bite Mr. Robert Hooper he hadl. n saperior, profeaaioaal ar aaaatear. AMERICAN JOCKEYS CHANGED. ! I "Before Ihe war, arhen l always had a few i it borats in training. ! Tockey aad i!. Wall, whoa . brought OTCr, and Mr. Cecil Brahaaaa, who won , •.our Xational Hunt Steepleehaae, were connected ; with the stab!.-. - a 1 know aataethiag of their ability as jockeys nad baraeaaea. Aituoagh I have t never ridden over. I have walked aroaad nuiay of the Kni; tish and Irish ear see, and know why your j Jockeys rule with a longer reta than ours aa, why j they sit well ha.-k ii landing, loei fences are , i.i iter than ours, aiul yoar goiaf hi apt te be much :l deeper The stHig seal t i; a i i:. Cboate arritea ; abaal may do well eaoagh orer hardies or the Preach | t feaeea, but If tried over regalatioo feacea, aalessj« Itheae are soft. the Jockej ai the leaal mistake I, nahalaaeea his horse. -,i. ;s rerj like!] to be spilt | , over his he id I v "The *aaag* soji i ;,n right far ■ paaaeager, latt Is 1:01 for a horaamaa. Mr. Poxhall Keeae t.«.k bis j r Aaaericaa Jockey, Hewitt, la look at the Aiatreeli fentes before ri..ing Jos-j;, aoBM years ago. and the I a firsl thing Hewitt did was 10 lengthen his Stirrap- la " , I: j. I i it . , ; t j j , :l ; t I, , v Is r a la leathers ilr.- boles! Ihi- was a gaud lead. 1 shoald say tot all modem steepleehaae riders." "Here, ilien. rnntinnes Kapler, "ne have the diaaaetrieally oppositi view- ,,; two asen who have both ai .m. rate devoted macl atteatiaa ;.. the aabject ro hare sent dowa two paotographera with cameras to take pictares of a rider jnmpiag ■ feace -how- boa keen Mr. 1 hoate was to gel the correct hang of thiaga; but whatever photographs may reveal to us. 1 thiak our own eye- shoo us more still, and 1 entirely differ from M.-. rhoates mtiatate of our stc piechaae jockeys, belieriag that the .•-: of them are goodi ladeed. They strike mi- a- riding at their feacea ia the style which enables their homes to JaajejBoal eaally and to get away from tiielil WltJ P pTl l! "If tHfeV"" came over and watdi.-d I II Aiiihoii.veion th, broth.!- ![•■. -. Mr. 11. A I.rown. |m. -cott. Captain Ilenriei and others who ould i" Bni d.*4 Wink lie would ciiauge his views. ndmitti.igL:t strejlgth does seem to he added to his iadbfatenttJBie hel that in a field of frre-aaa-1 thirty r r Wlast Liverpool Grand National aaiy on- . emWetep the course aithont mishap. There could aothaveafllecB anything particnlarly wrong with Mr. H. A. Brewaa balaace last spring, wbea, with broken reiaa and brakea rellarboae, he aer- saaded The Bore to Jaaap the last feme. I am by-no means arguing that all our ateealecbaee jockeys are good, but I think the average is respectable. and that the leaders would have held their own against the beat of any former general ion."