Lance Skuthorpe (1909)
The King that Reigns, without his reins,
Though brumbies buck,
And bullocks blare,
Firm seated on his throne remains
The fearless, peerless, Queenslander,
Lance Skuthorpe.
Could you ride a horse that bucking,
When he slings his head back quick ;
Could you meet him with a dainty touch,
That never feels the bit.
Could you ride him as a finished horseman can;
Holding nothing but the reins,
At the buckle in your hands?
I have met some coves could do it,
But they are few and far between;
There's a bloke called L. A. Skuthorpe,
That most of horsemen have seen,
Who hails from Western Queensland;
Where they ride to make their living,
With their bridle in their hands.
There's nothing yet been bridled,
Nothing wore a horses' hide,
Could sling him from the saddle,
When once he got astride.
I've been right out back in Queensland,
Where the mulga dingoes roam;
And I've seen him catch a brumby,
And ride the wild beast home.
On big grassy flats out back,
Where the brumbies come to water,
And the ringing stockwhips crack.
They reared him in the saddle;
He can neither read or write;
If you see him on a neddy
You could pick him at first sight.
They reckon out back in Western land,
That he's a king with a colt--
He could catch and ride in a minute,
A neddy that never was broke.
He has a method of handling a young one,
That was never taught in school,
It's the way that he gets to the wither,
And keeps the youngster cool.
There's none of this roping and crushing.
Or giver that is generally used;
He walks straight to the colt and he's got him,
And he's never the least confused.
Every time he comes to the stock yard.
The horses will welcome him there;
It appears that this man was created to show,
That young horses should be broken in bare:
That is, ridden till quiet, without saddle or bridle.
With no ropes on their legs or their jaws,
To pull and strain them to pieces,
Springing curbs, puffs, spavings and galls.
There are four corners in the yard where he works,
When handling a young horse bare;
With nothing to draw the youngster's attention;
He will be on its back in a minute I'll swear.
He has written a book on this subject,
Explaining the way it is done;
Now, boys, there's a chance, and d'on'b forget--
That every horseman should have
But you see he's getting older,
And the time is rolling on,
And his best days in the saddle--
They won't last very long.
Now, if you want to see this champion
Riding at his very best,
Go out to the Boulder
With the bushmen and the rest.
Notes
SKUTHORP will ride a desperate buck jumper every night during their season in Boulder, which commences To-night. It is the best place, to spend a couple of hours.
There is splendid seating accommodation, and a strong
stockyard which divides the horses and bullocks from the audience.
Prices--3/, 2/, 1/; children half-price. Printed and published by S. E.
Hocking, for the Proprietors,
Hocking & Co., Ltd., at their
Printing Offices, Hannan-street,
Kalgoorlie, and Burt-street, Boulder.