Post by tintin on Feb 6, 2013 14:15:20 GMT 1
Published originally in 1935 and illustrated by Robert Bartleet “Riders of Tomorrow” is the story of the equestrian education of the twins Pamela and John.
When we first see them Pamela and John are 8 years of age and their father, Dick, is considering their riding lessons. His brother, Uncle Travers, is a man wise in the ways of equitation who exercises a strong influence over what is taught and how it is taught. The brothers are ably assisted by the groom, Wisp, who is quiet, wise and industrious – as grooms often are.
We follow the instruction over a three year period and meet a great many splendid characters from the horse world. These include, somewhat flashy, neighbouring farmer Crack Morgan and his young son, Bert, who deal in horses as a sideline.The larger, and much more sober, professional horse dealer Bartholomew Substance who is a gentleman of splendidly Victorian appearance. There are also the marvellous Major Spur and Captain Whip who run the Gymkhana – the very active Major produces chaos and the Captain translates it into order. The Major looks like he spent a lot of time in India. Colonel Hance follows the old custom of giving his characters appropriately descriptive names, such as Sir Stephen Stirrup MFH. There are a great many characters.
During the three years we see the young riders at their lessons, a gymkhana, cub hunting, hunter trials and a full blown hunt. These are people from quite a priviliged background with cook, governess, groom etc, who dress for dinner and go away to school.
The book is not really a story, nor really a text book, but a series of character led scenes in which the author illustrates his views on riding and riding instruction. They are views worth reading. Colonel Hance clearly states that it is a book for parents and children to read together in a spirit of discussion and that some parts are more for parents than children, he also believes that example, preferably humorous example is amongst the best forms of instruction. Both the illustrations and descriptions are first class.
Having read Colonel Hance’s autobiography “Riding Master” I felt the urge to read his other books, and they are very revealing. I have, without any real thought, always looked on the pre-war riders as paragons. They gaze at us from sepia tone photographs immaculate upon their beautifully groomed hunters, The standard of military riding in this period was very high and it is natural to think, as the army taught most of the men to ride after their enlistment, that the standard in civil life would be higher as most people were riding from childhood. Unfortunately this was not the case and in his books (as well as this one and his auto-biography, there is “School for Horse and Rider”) Hance clearly explains the reasons behind this. Having suddenly been forced to leave the Army when the War Office dismissed all Royal Artillery Riding Masters due to impending mechanisation he was pitched head first into the world of civilian instruction.
Hance’s books are a very good background to the Pullein-Thompson sisters as most of the riding faults they write about are the ones that were so prevalent during his instructional career. That there was an awful lot to correct is apparent from “School for Horse and Rider” which is a reasoned plea for the acceptance of the need for schools and formal instruction at all.
Hance was a fine rider and a fine instructor (he rose from the ranks reaching Colonel in WW2, at the time of publication he was a Captain), like all of us he was not without faults, which he freely describes and acknowledges. He served under the system of General Birch who was practically the father of modern Army riding. He admits he was not the world’s most patient man, neither his wife nor his daughter learnt under him (His CO taught his wife forbidding him from even talking to her about it, Hance fumed quietly about how long the officer kept her lessons at the walk, but freely admitted he was wrong when he saw how quickly she progressed once moved on to trot and canter. In the case of his daughter she learnt secretly as she did not want to disappoint father – father seems to have got his revenge by using her to illustrate incorrect dress in a photo in “School for Horse and Rider”, the poor girl is festooned in every possible unsuitable or inappropriate garment and looks severely hacked off). Surprisingly Hance was very sympathetic to the nervous rider and his books are full of empathy and encouragement in this area. In his early days in the RHA he had a very spectacular accident when a horse somersaulted with him on it during jumping instruction. He was very shaken, although not physically harmed and his understanding superior excused him riding until he felt ready. When Hance asked to ride again he was forbidden to do so, and kept being forbidden until he was practically busting down the school doors in frenzy to ride. That officer knew his man well…
During the Great War Hance had the job of teaching riding to all officer applicants for the RHA. These men came from all over the world and many had ridden for a living or ridden since boyhood. As an Instructor this was difficult as he was expected to make them conform to the Army system. Hance, wisely, relied on reason to demonstate that in most cases the system was best however in one significant and interesting way it was n’t and it was improved, which gives rise to one of the more amusing parts of the book.
The way we mount the horse today is the Australian method introduced into the Army in the Great War. It is safer than the previous method and in the book is the sentence, “a Colonial who is used to riding horses who play up does not take unnecessary risks” – this is illustrated by a marvellous picture of a cowboy on a horse which is going absolutely crazy, real rodeo stuff.
Other marvellous bits of humour are the description of the backward seat jumping as “strap hanging” and the description of riders “lifting” their horse (the practice of the elbows going round and round like the wheels of a paddle steamer in, a perhaps subconscious, effort to will the horse over the obstacle). You can still see “lifting” today and in comparatively high levels of competition too. I also liked the soldierly way in which Wisp handled his superiors, the firm, but gentle warning to the boy against over riding his horse and the diplomatic way he got round his belief that the instructor might be wrong without actually contradicting him, givining him the chance to change technique later if he wished without making a show of him.
Perhaps not the book for those who want a gripping narrative, but amusing and a great insight into the horse world before the war. Although almost certainly superseded by more detailed books (thankfully the majority of people have at least accepted the need for formal teaching – although there is a lady in my office who still favours the “discovery” method of riding instruction) there is still a lot to learn from his philosophy of instruction. The illustrations are great (as are the photos in “School for Horse and Rider” which are worth getting the book for).
More a work of instruction that is entertaining than a work of entertainment.
When we first see them Pamela and John are 8 years of age and their father, Dick, is considering their riding lessons. His brother, Uncle Travers, is a man wise in the ways of equitation who exercises a strong influence over what is taught and how it is taught. The brothers are ably assisted by the groom, Wisp, who is quiet, wise and industrious – as grooms often are.
We follow the instruction over a three year period and meet a great many splendid characters from the horse world. These include, somewhat flashy, neighbouring farmer Crack Morgan and his young son, Bert, who deal in horses as a sideline.The larger, and much more sober, professional horse dealer Bartholomew Substance who is a gentleman of splendidly Victorian appearance. There are also the marvellous Major Spur and Captain Whip who run the Gymkhana – the very active Major produces chaos and the Captain translates it into order. The Major looks like he spent a lot of time in India. Colonel Hance follows the old custom of giving his characters appropriately descriptive names, such as Sir Stephen Stirrup MFH. There are a great many characters.
During the three years we see the young riders at their lessons, a gymkhana, cub hunting, hunter trials and a full blown hunt. These are people from quite a priviliged background with cook, governess, groom etc, who dress for dinner and go away to school.
The book is not really a story, nor really a text book, but a series of character led scenes in which the author illustrates his views on riding and riding instruction. They are views worth reading. Colonel Hance clearly states that it is a book for parents and children to read together in a spirit of discussion and that some parts are more for parents than children, he also believes that example, preferably humorous example is amongst the best forms of instruction. Both the illustrations and descriptions are first class.
Having read Colonel Hance’s autobiography “Riding Master” I felt the urge to read his other books, and they are very revealing. I have, without any real thought, always looked on the pre-war riders as paragons. They gaze at us from sepia tone photographs immaculate upon their beautifully groomed hunters, The standard of military riding in this period was very high and it is natural to think, as the army taught most of the men to ride after their enlistment, that the standard in civil life would be higher as most people were riding from childhood. Unfortunately this was not the case and in his books (as well as this one and his auto-biography, there is “School for Horse and Rider”) Hance clearly explains the reasons behind this. Having suddenly been forced to leave the Army when the War Office dismissed all Royal Artillery Riding Masters due to impending mechanisation he was pitched head first into the world of civilian instruction.
Hance’s books are a very good background to the Pullein-Thompson sisters as most of the riding faults they write about are the ones that were so prevalent during his instructional career. That there was an awful lot to correct is apparent from “School for Horse and Rider” which is a reasoned plea for the acceptance of the need for schools and formal instruction at all.
Hance was a fine rider and a fine instructor (he rose from the ranks reaching Colonel in WW2, at the time of publication he was a Captain), like all of us he was not without faults, which he freely describes and acknowledges. He served under the system of General Birch who was practically the father of modern Army riding. He admits he was not the world’s most patient man, neither his wife nor his daughter learnt under him (His CO taught his wife forbidding him from even talking to her about it, Hance fumed quietly about how long the officer kept her lessons at the walk, but freely admitted he was wrong when he saw how quickly she progressed once moved on to trot and canter. In the case of his daughter she learnt secretly as she did not want to disappoint father – father seems to have got his revenge by using her to illustrate incorrect dress in a photo in “School for Horse and Rider”, the poor girl is festooned in every possible unsuitable or inappropriate garment and looks severely hacked off). Surprisingly Hance was very sympathetic to the nervous rider and his books are full of empathy and encouragement in this area. In his early days in the RHA he had a very spectacular accident when a horse somersaulted with him on it during jumping instruction. He was very shaken, although not physically harmed and his understanding superior excused him riding until he felt ready. When Hance asked to ride again he was forbidden to do so, and kept being forbidden until he was practically busting down the school doors in frenzy to ride. That officer knew his man well…
During the Great War Hance had the job of teaching riding to all officer applicants for the RHA. These men came from all over the world and many had ridden for a living or ridden since boyhood. As an Instructor this was difficult as he was expected to make them conform to the Army system. Hance, wisely, relied on reason to demonstate that in most cases the system was best however in one significant and interesting way it was n’t and it was improved, which gives rise to one of the more amusing parts of the book.
The way we mount the horse today is the Australian method introduced into the Army in the Great War. It is safer than the previous method and in the book is the sentence, “a Colonial who is used to riding horses who play up does not take unnecessary risks” – this is illustrated by a marvellous picture of a cowboy on a horse which is going absolutely crazy, real rodeo stuff.
Other marvellous bits of humour are the description of the backward seat jumping as “strap hanging” and the description of riders “lifting” their horse (the practice of the elbows going round and round like the wheels of a paddle steamer in, a perhaps subconscious, effort to will the horse over the obstacle). You can still see “lifting” today and in comparatively high levels of competition too. I also liked the soldierly way in which Wisp handled his superiors, the firm, but gentle warning to the boy against over riding his horse and the diplomatic way he got round his belief that the instructor might be wrong without actually contradicting him, givining him the chance to change technique later if he wished without making a show of him.
Perhaps not the book for those who want a gripping narrative, but amusing and a great insight into the horse world before the war. Although almost certainly superseded by more detailed books (thankfully the majority of people have at least accepted the need for formal teaching – although there is a lady in my office who still favours the “discovery” method of riding instruction) there is still a lot to learn from his philosophy of instruction. The illustrations are great (as are the photos in “School for Horse and Rider” which are worth getting the book for).
More a work of instruction that is entertaining than a work of entertainment.