178 PLEASURE HORSEMANSHIP 



is merely an application of these range prin- 

 ciples to the study of horses and horseman- 

 ship. 



The pretension of range horsemen as a class 

 is to earn a living by the use of cheap working 

 horses, riding with a weight-distributing equip- 

 ment and pack transport, while we base our 

 mobility upon a herd of remounts. 



For pleasure horsemanship our feehng is one 

 of admiring envy. No men are better able to 

 appreciate the incomparable gallantry and elan 

 of the hunting field, especially in Ireland, the 

 beautiful spectacles afforded by racing, horse 

 shows, and tournaments, the grand pageantry 

 of state functions in European capitals. Even 

 such pretty futilities as Portuguese bull-baiting 

 and the Haut Ecole of France appeal to us as 

 horsemen. As to military horsemanship we 

 have an unbounded admiration for the fine 

 driving of the Royal Horse Artillery, and the 

 obstacle riding of the Mexican Regular Cavalry. 

 On the other hand we are not stricken with awe 

 at the circus tricks of the Cossack, although we 

 may be surprised to see a luggage strap used for 

 girth. Nor are we emulous of the horse- 

 killing man-endurance rides which used to 

 be considered good sport by European cavalry. 

 We can do the little circus tricks ourselves, 



