South African Horsemen. 257 



narrow-waisted saddles which are greatly in vogue in 

 Australia. Their saddles, with few exceptions, are very 

 clumsy affairs ; but they serve their purpose. South Africa 

 being an extremely open country, little attention is paid to 

 jumping. As the young men connect riding chiefly with 

 shooting, they almost all ride with only the left hand on the 

 reins, while the right hand is supposed to be occupied with a 

 rifle. The use of a sharp curb or pelham is a natural 

 consequence of the adoption of their one-handed form of 

 equitation. With the object of being able to carry the rifle 

 comfortably, the most of the saddle horses are taught to 

 amble or * tripple/ as it is called. Their style of horsemanship 

 and taste in bridles and saddles are entirely different from 

 those of the Australasian colonists, who regard riding as the 

 art of clearing a five-foot post and rails and of sticking to a 

 buckjumper, and who, consequently, like to have both hands 

 on the reins, and to use no other bit but a snaffle. I can only 

 say that both parties are right from their own very different 

 standpoints. 



Before I went to South Africa, Frank Fillis used to tell 

 me that the Africanders were wonderful fellows for teaching a 

 horse to stand quietly in any required spot, by taking the 

 reins off his neck and putting them round any convenient post, 

 or even by letting them hang down on the ground. When 

 I heard this, I vowed that if I ever went to the Cape, I would 

 learn how to teach a horse this valuable habit. Having 

 arrived there, I sought instruction on this point from the best 

 horsemen I could find. They all told me that there was no 

 teaching required ; for their animals are naturally so quiet 

 that the difficulty is not to make them stand still, but to go 

 on. When a man rides into a town on business in England, 

 France, Germany, Australia, or other similar country, and 

 wants to dismount, he either deposits his animal in a stable, 

 or gets it held by one of the unemployed who are always 

 ready for an easy and well-paid job ; if in India, China, or 

 Japan he brings along with him his respective syce, mafoo, or 



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