The Question: Balzac once said: "I have noted that most women who sit a horse well are lacking in tenderness." Are they? (asked of participants in national horse shows).
HONEY CRAVEN, Brookline, Mass.
Ringmaster
"Not most women. A few may be mannish, but the average woman who sits a horse well is keen on life. She loves competition and excitement. At the finish of a ride, I have observed that a woman really glows. Competition gives her a greater zest for everything and makes her more desirable."
MRS. ROBERT BURKE, MIDDLEBURG, Va.
Rider and trainer
"Balzac never met the right woman. There are many women like me who love the feminine approach. Know something? The men love it, too. Even hard-boiled judges and ringmasters are susceptible to the feminine in a horsewoman. Men as well as horses respond to tenderness."
LT. COL. VALENTIN BULNES, Captain
Spanish team
"No. On the contrary, she's most tender, particularly when she's done well in competition. Tell her how wonderfully she rode and she rewards you with that oh so tender look. She can lead a man as she does a horse. She couldn't if she were masculine and lacked tenderness."
DR. GUSTAV RAU, Captain
German team
"No. The real horsewoman is a charming socialite. Among those who sit a horse well are the finest ladies. But I know the type of horsewoman Balzac refers to. Horses are her only interest. She does little else but ride, breed and train horses. She even cares for them in the stable."
W. R. BALLARD, Captain
Canadian team
"I agree 100%. If a woman has a horse in her heart, she has no room for a man. The one who takes top honors isn't going to take dictation. She's so accustomed to digging her spurs into the flanks of a horse that she'd have no hesitation booting a man out of her life."
MRS. CHARLES B. LYMAN, West Chester, Pa.
Breeder
"No. My father, a cavalry colonel, said to me when I married: 'Now that you are about to leave me, I want you always to be the finest horsewoman while riding. But when you're off your horse, I want you to be the best-dressed, sweetest-smelling and prettiest girl at the party.' "
GEN. ALBERT H. STACKPOLE, Harrisburg, Pa.
President
Pa. Natl. Horse Show
"No. Look how well those lovely ladies ride their horses in the ring. Any of them can be as feminine as a clinging vine, although I've known some 'clinging vines' who were as hard as nails underneath. Lack tenderness? Well, they don't shimmer as they walk their horses."
WALTER B. DEVEREUX, RYE, N.Y.
President
National Horse Show
"No. A woman must have understanding and compassion in order to ride a horse well. Horses must like her. She can't be a great rider without these qualities. Since horse and man are the two principal beasts of burden, it logically follows that she can handle men equally well."
ARTHUR J. McCASHIN, Pluckemin, N.J.
Captain, U.S. team
"She stands on her own feet, but she can be as feminine as any woman. My wife has been master of the hounds for seven years. She rides as hard as any woman. But she loves the daintiest things. We have four boys. She dotes on them. No one is more feminine."
BRIG. GEN. HUMBERTO MARILES, Captain
Mexican team
"Yes. It is very difficult for a superb horsewoman to find the right man for a husband. Unfortunately, she herself is the stronger personality. That is rather sad, but true. She must marry a man who rides better than she does. Generally he is the only man who can control her."
JOE MULRANEN, New Britain, Pa.
Ringmaster
"They look stunning in their riding habits, and any of them can be tenderness itself when they want to. It makes me feel so good when I see a lady gently stroke a horse's neck. Then I see her savagely dig her spurs into the same horse and I begin to reason like Balzac."
ILLUSTRATION
ELEVAN PHOTOS
NEXT WEEK'S QUESTION:
It has been said that boxing cannot exist unless it does business with the underworld. What do you think?