SOME FOREIGN JOCKEYS 65 



Norman flogging and spurring, and in about an 

 equal space of time the rest arrived.' 1 



Hungary and America too have sent horses 

 capable of competing with the best British blood; 

 but neither nation seems to have produced a breed 

 of jockeys. The wild red man of the western prairies 

 would perhaps, if he could be caught and tamed, 

 prove formidable in the saddle. 



' The American Indian is an arrant jockey, and 

 understands all the tricks of professional horse- 

 racing as well as any veteran of Jerome Park. He 

 rarely comes in competition with whites, because his 

 passion being for trick races, he dislikes to come 

 down to a fair and square race over a straight track. 

 Besides this, it is really exceedingly difficult to hit 

 on a fair distance between the Indian and American 

 horse. The start being always from a halt, the 

 small quick pony is almost sure to win at from 100 

 to 300 yards ; while the long stride of the American 

 horse is equally sure of carrying him in winner from 

 600 yards to two miles. A'fmile or two is then 

 doubtful, after which it is safe to back the endurance 

 of the pony. 



A band of Comanches, under Mu-la-que-top, 

 once camped near Fort Chadbourne in Texas, and 

 were frequent visitors and great nuisances as beggars 

 at that post. Some of the officers were decidedly 



1 New Sporting Magazine, 1832. 



