Freshman Holds Bit in Front of Horse's Mouth for Five Minutes But Dobbin Doesn't Bite--Equestrians Saved by Horses' Ears

That Freshman equitators, whose previous acquaintance with horses is problematical, frequently provide entertainment for the officers who instruct them, was revealed last night to a Crimson reporter by the captain in charge of equitation.

"The most amusing incident of last fall," he said, "was when I ordered a group of amateur horsemen to follow me along the bridle path. Before we had gone 100 yards, my companions had left me behind. They went by at a high speed, and one rider suddenly dismounted without command, sitting down with considerable concussion. When I asked him if he had hurt himself, he replied to my amazement that his head had been badly shaken. The rest of the company, however, kept right on going, and ended somewhere in Watertown.

"When an amateur horseman takes a jump, one of two things is apt to happen. Either the man is determined to take the jump and does, regardless of whether the horse has stopped or not, or else he gets over the jump only to land with his arms lovingly clasped about the horse's neck. The only thing that has kept many a man from falling off after a jump," added the captain "is the fact that the horse's ears were pricked up. If they had been pointed forward, the rider would have slid off immediately."

One equitator, when asked to tell what thrush, a disease of the hoof is, described it as a "small, brown bird, frequently seen around the stables." Another student of hippology defined the pastern as a "French scientist, famous for his Institute." A third Freshman came to the captain and complained that his horse would not open its mouth and seize the bit, although he had been holding it out to him for five minutes.

"As you many understand," the captain ended, "we do not allow the students to take out horses alone, until we are sure that there is a reasonable chance that the two will not return individually after the ride."