INTRODUCTION 



"Four things greater than all things are, 

 Women and Horses, Power and War." 



— Kipling. 



The Duke of Wellington's statement that "The 

 Battle of Waterloo was won on Eton's cricket fields" 

 may possibly not apply with equal force to the last 

 great war. It remains a fact, nevertheless, that the 

 sportsmen of America and England were among the 

 first to enlist, and in many cases, particularly among 

 the horsemen, they joined the most hazardous branches 

 of the service. 



What is more important, however, than that sport 

 should render the men of the nation fit and game 

 fighters, is that sport may become — is in fact rapidly 

 becoming — one of the means of establishing more 

 friendly international relations. International tennis 

 tournaments, golf matches, yacht races — or the recent 

 splendid polo match played at Hurlingham — do untold 

 good in building up a mutual understanding, a closer 

 feeling of fellowship, and a common interest between 

 the peoples of the world. 



It is often foolishly argued that wars are a neces- 

 sary evil, without which nations would lose their viril- 

 ity and become soft ; but. what war does to maintain 

 the stamina of a nation, sport can do, and do far better. 

 For, whereas war not only brutalizes men, but also de- 

 stroys the very manly vigor it creates, sport keeps its 

 votaries in splendid health until advanced old age. 



This last is especially true of riding, and the old say- 



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