Horsefolk

The National Horse Show, the U. S. No. 1 equine exhibition, has always been an excuse for female socialites to show off their minks and ermines. Last week, however, when this annual event was held in Manhattan's Madison Square Garden, women in practical clothes outshone their sisters in finery.

P:Leading lady horse shower was grey-haired Mrs. Loula Long Combs, a Kansas City horsewoman with 30 years of National competition behind her. Mrs. Combs' harness horses won her eight first-place blue ribbons. A brown mare named Admiration helped her to five of them.

P:Mrs. John Hay ("Jock") Whitney caused gleeful nodding of heads when three of her beautiful greys won the Amory L. Haskell Trophy (for teams of three hunters) and her team of two bays and a brown placed second.

P:Surprise of the show was 15-year-old Joan Dixon of Greenwich, Conn. Miss Dixon, mounted on Colonel Vadim Makaroff's old chestnut mare, Melody Girl, jumped in the touch-and-out sweepstake, competing with nearly 50 professional horsemen, experienced cavalry officers and expert amateurs. Miss Dixon leaped faultlessly over the difficult course, blithely rode off with the championship.

P:Disappointment of the show was much-publicized Lady Wright of Durley, one of the most famed horsewomen of Europe, who shipped to the U. S. a string of four horses trained by lady trainers, and handled by lady grooms. Lady Wright had fair cause to look down-in-the-mouth after winning only one fourth-place white ribbon in five days of competition.

Military Jumping. The U. S. Army team went into the first international jumping event on the program with high hopes of retiring the trophy (on which they already have two legs) donated by Chilean President Arturo Alessandri-Palma. First night U. S. hopes burned bright when the team jumped into the lead with only seven faults in the first phase of the competition which required two riders to ride two horses each. Second night the U. S. riders held their lead with 16 faults, though they performed badly (nine faults) in the pair-jumping which was won by the Irish Free State. Third and final night the U. S. riders, out to protect their slim lead, were charged with twelve faults in the team jumping. The Canadian and Belgian teams tied with eight faults each, and Belgium was awarded first place on the flip of a coin. When the final scores were totaled. Canada had nosed out the U. S. by one point: Belgium was third. Irish Free State fourth and The Netherlands an ignominious fifth.

Artillery. Novelty of the show was an exhibition drill by six six-horse units of the Black Horse Battery from Fort Myer, Va. For seven minutes each night they cut intricate didoes, ended by tearing around the arena at a dead gallop in two sets of three. As they swerved sharply at the last possible moment, the heavy guns skidded into the end boards, and, to the delight of the gallery, sprayed the ermine wraps and starched shirts of the socialite boxholders with great gobs of dirt.

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