HORSEMANSHIP IN ENGLAND.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.'] SIR,—May I be allowed to take exception to the concluding sentence of your interesting article on' " The World's Riding Animals" (Spectator, March 26th) ? You say : "A time seems close'at hand when horsemanship will be confined to Colonial- bred Englishmen, and to a very limited number who can either afford to hunt or who are artificially trained in the Arniy."- One has only to visit Wimbledon or Tooting Com- mon, or Battersea Park, any morning, or more especially on a Saturday afternoon, to discover that this statement is not applicable to South London at least. Numbers of young men on horseback are to be seen on the riding tracks there, and several whom I know take a keen interest in horsemanship, though we can neither "afford to hunt" nor are we "artificially trained in the Army." A well-known riding-master in Smith London has given me his opinion that the war greatly stimulated a love of riding among young men at home, and I am sure this has been due in many cases to the demonstrated folly of the policy which dictated the notorious " unmounted- men-preferred " telegram.—I am, Sir, &c.. - EMBRYO HORSEMAN.
[We are delighted to read our correspondent's letter, and to note the hope he holds out that our statement was too pessimistic. We fear, however—we say it with regret—that the expense of keeping riding horses in England, now that the necessity for riding has disappeared, will more and more tend to make horsemanship the pastime of the rich. That no more manly, healthy, and delightful exercise exist& we are fully convinced.—ED. Spectator.]
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