The /foRSEWcfMAN JOHN A. SEAVERNS TUFTS UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 3 9090 013 421 462 Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University n^^ THE HORSEWOMAN C^^tll<. 9?^ . V/V^A^A^^ THE A Practical Guide to Side-Saddle Riding BY ALICE M. HAYES Author of "My Leper Friends." edited by M. HORACE HAYES, E.R.C.V.S. (Late Captain " The Buffs "j Author of Points of the Horse," "Veterinary Notes for Horse-Owners,^ " Riding and Hunting," etc. Second Edition^ revised^ eftlarged and ijj photographic illustrations added. NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1903 All 7'ights reserved /I I ft ?3 PREFACE. The first edition of this book was the result of seven years' experience of riding hundreds of horses in India, Ceylon, Egypt, China and South Africa ; the most trying animals being those of which I was the rough-rider at my husband's horse-breaking classes. Since that edition came out, I have hunted a good deal, chiefly, in Leicestershire and Cheshire, and have taught many pupils, both of which experiences were of special advantage to me in preparing this new edition ; because English ladies regard riding, principally, from a hunting point of view, and the best way to supplement one's education, is to try to teach. The directions about side-saddles and seat are the out- come of practical work and fortunate opportunities ; and I hope they will be as useful to my readers as they have been to my pupils. Although I have ridden, when abroad, some of the worst buckjumpers that could be found in any country, I have never " cut a voluntary," thanks to the adoption of a seat and saddle which gave the necessary grip. Of course I have had " purls," when horses have '* come down " with me out hunting ; and on one occasion viii PREFACE. in China, when a horse which I mounted for the first time, reared and came over. I have taken Figs. 32 to 51, 71 to 7d> and Fig. 90 from Riding and Hunting, and Figs. 147 and 148 from Points of the Horse. My husband has written Chapter XXII. I have omitted the chapter on my Riding Experiences, as I thought it out of place in a purely teaching book. Knowing the immense value of photographs in explain- ing technical subjects, I have gladly availed myself of the expert help of my husband and son in that form of illustration. I am greatly obliged to Miss Harding, Miss Burnaby, Miss Neil, the Rev. G. Broke, the Rev. R. J. Gornall, Mr. Clarence Hailey of Newmarket, the Editor of Country Life and the Editor of The Queen, for the admirable photographs and blocks they most kindly lent me. I regret that I in- advertently omitted to place the names of Mr. Clarence Hailey and the Gresham Studio, Adelaide, South Australia, under the excellent photographs which are respectively re- produced in Figs. 2 and 3. This edition is practically a new book. Yetv Tree House, Crick, Rugby, 25M March, 1903. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Beginning to Ride i to 7 CHAPTER II. Horses for Ladies 8 to 24 CHAPTER III. Side-saddles 25 to 69 CHAPTER IV. Bridles . . . 70 to 88 CHAPTER V. Riding Dress 89 to 124 CHAPTER VI. Mounting and Dismounting . . . . . 125 to 135 CHAPTER VII. How TO Hold the Reins 136 to 144 CHAPTER VIII. The Seat ......... 145 to 159 CHAPTER IX. Hands, Voice, Whip and Spur . . . . 160 to 184 CHAPTER X. First Lessons in Riding 185 to 218 CHAPTER XL Riding Across Country 219 to 226 CHAPTER XII. Hacking 227 to 232 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIII. Riding without Reins 233 to 243 CHAPTER XIV. Nerve ......... 244 to 247 CHAPTER XV. Fences, Country and Gates 248 to 303 CHAPTER XVI. Hunting . . 304 to 380 CHAPTER XVII. Riding and Hunting Abroad 381 to 393 CHAPTER XVIII. Walking Foxhound Puppies 394 to 413 CHAPTER XIX. Kindness to Horses 414 to 425 CHAPTER XX. Cross-saddle Riding for Ladies .... 426 to 430 CHAPTER XXL Riding Difficult Horses 431 to 464 CHAPTER XXII. Names of External Parts of the Horse . . 465 to 473 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23- 24. 25- Frontispiece. — Alice M. Hayes. FIG. Man riding a horse over a fence in a side-saddle Miss Burnaby's Butterfly Miss Neil's Jackeroo ;Mr. Vansittart's Romance Irish mare, Salary Polo pony, Pat Arab pony, Freddie . Side view of saddle tree Underneath view of saddle tree Front view of saddle tree . Underneath view of saddle tree and its webs Grip with improved leaping head ,, ordinary ,, Hook for stirrup leather . Leaping head too low down Side view of a properly made saddle Champion and Wilton's extra stirrup case Capped stirrup-iron Slipper stirrup . I. 2. 3- 4. 5- 6. 7- 8. 9- 10. II. I 2. 13- 14. 15- 16. 17- 18. The Christie stirrup Foot caught Latchford stirrup Scott's stirrup . open Cope's stirrup . PAGE 3 9 II 13 15 17 19 26 27 29 31 35 37 39 40 41 43 44 44 44 45 46 46 47 48 Xll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FIG. 26. 27. 28. 29. 32. 33- 34- 35- 36^ 37- 38. 39- 40. 41. 42. 43- 44. 45- 46. 47. 48. 49. 50- 51- 52. 53- 54. Foot released by Cope's stirrup Scott's stirrup . Foot caught on off side Child mounted. Child jumping without reins Foot caught, on account of its having been put into the stirrup from the wrong side . . . . , " Head " of a single bridle : a, crown-piece ; ^, d, cheek-pieces ; c, throat-latch ; d, front or brow-band Unjointed snaffle Chain snaffle Ordinary snaffle with cheeks Nutcracker action of jointed snaffle on horse's mouth Action of unjointed snaffle on horse's mouth Action of a curb as a lever .... Properly constructed curb for ordinary hunter. Side view ....... Ward Union curb bridle with half-moon snaffle Curb chain covered with india-rubber tube Chin-strap unbuckled .... Chin-strap buckled ..... Curb reversed by horse throwing up his head, in the absence of a chin-strap .... Cavasson nose-band ...... Standing martingale attached to rings of the snaffle Lord Lonsdale's registered running martingale . Maximum length of standing martingale . Side view of horse's lower jaw .... Angle made by the cheeks of a curb, when the reins are taken up ..... View of under-surface of lower jaw The Hayes' Safety Skirt open for mounting Off side of the Hayes' Safety Skirt The Hayes' Safety Skirt closed for walking PAGE 49 50 51 61 63 67 71 72 72 72 73 73 73 74 75 76 76 76 77 79 80 81 33 85 86 87 91 93 95 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Xlll FIG. PAGE 55- Apron skirt open for mounting . • • • • 97 56. The apron skirt closed for walking • 99 57- Riding dress for child . lOI 58. Loose riding coat, too long • 103 59- Front view of good riding coat . . 105 60. Back view of good riding coat . . 107 61. Terai hat and Norfolk jacket . 109 62. Pith hat and drill jacket . • 109 63. Good driving coat • I II 64. Top of boot catching on safety bar flap 119 65. Front view of riding under-bodice • 121 66. Back view of riding under-bodice . 123 67. Foot raised for mounting . 127 68 Ready to mount . 129 69. Dismounting without help • ^33 70. „ with help . 135 71- A rein in each hand = • 137 72. Single reins crossed in one hand . 138 73- 5} J) 53 )J 5) . 138 74- Double reins held separately in two hands 139 75 Holding double reins crossed in one hand 140 76. Double reins in left hand : one crossed, the other hooked up on middle finger , • 141 77- Reins held in one hand in military fashion 142 78. Off rein taken up by right hand from position s ihown in Fig 77 . • • « 143 79- Position of rider's legs at the walk • • < 147 80. Hooked back leg, the direction of the pressure of which is shown by the fore finger of the left hand . 151 81. Seat at the walk • » • • 153 82. Length of stirrup • 155 83. Correct position of legs • 157 84. Leaning back .... • • 158 85. Hunting whip .... * • 171 XIV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FIG. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93- 94. 95- 96. 97- 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. no. III. 112. 113- 114. 115 116. 117. Thong properly put on }5 J3 ?J )) 35 incorrectly put on not quite right A practical bullfinch Spur-carrying whip used for high school riding . Thorough-bred mare at a walk .... Preparing to rise at the trot, with stirrup at correct length ........ Rising at the trot, with stirrup at correct length . Preparing to rise at the trot, with stirrup too long Rising at the trot, with stirrup too long Canter, with right leg hooked back, and stirrup too long Good seat at canter or gallop 33 33 35 53 33 33 Bad seat ; right leg hooked back, stirrup too long, and foot " home " Miss Emmie Harding jumping wire . Maximum amount of pressure on leaping head Position of legs in jumping Driving horse over jumps .... A cut-and-laid fence ..... „ ,, „ during construction . A stake and bound fence .... Post and rails to close gap in hedge . Posts and rails ...... ,, ,, ,, with ditch .... Midland stile ...... An oxer ....... Wire in front of bullfinch .... Gahvay bank ...... Side view of bank shown in Fig. 115 Gahvay bank ...... PAGE 173 173 175 175 177 181 187 191 193 195 197 199 201 203 205 207 211 213 235 253 255 257 259 261 263 265 267 271 273 275 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XV FIG. PAGE Il8. " Cope and dash " wall 277 119. Loose stone wall 279 120. Low bank with ditch on both sides . 281 121. View of country between Yelvertoft and Crick 283 122. Grass on each side of the road . . , 285 123. Ordinary five-barred gate .... 289 124. Bridle gate 291 125- Gate with wooden latch .... 293 126. „ „ spring ,, which has to be drawn back 295 127. „ „ „ „ „ „ „ pushed forwarc I 297 128. Double gate 299 129. A puzzle in gate-opening . 301 130, Ridge and furrow 317 131- ,, „ „ in the distance 321 132. Haystack and gate . 329 133- Brook 337 134- Pollard willows in the next field 339 ^35- The Cottesmore drawing a covert 355 136. Wire board .... 359 137- Red flag .... 3^3 138. " 'Ware wire " . 365 139- Iron hurdle. 367 140! Wire on top of gate . 369 141. Pytchley puppy, Mottley . 401 142. Front view of kennel coat 403 143- Back view of kennel coat . 405 144. Puppies with bicycle 407 145. Pytchley puppy, Monarch 409 146. Riding mountain zebra 457 147. External parts of horse 467 148. Measurements of horse 471 THE HORSEWOMAN. CHAPTER I. BEGINNING TO RIDE. Instruction based on experience assists us in the attainment of all arts, and hastens the process of learning. Although a specially- gifted individual who has not been taught, may be able to sing in a pleasing- style, no one has ever become an accomplished pianist without competent instruction ; the former being some- what in the position of a man, the latter in that of a lady, as regards riding. In all countries we find good untaught horsemen who have got '' shaken into their seats " by constant practice, with or without a saddle, which in most cases is chieily a protection to the animal's back. A side-saddle, on the contrary, is as artificial a production as a musical instrument, and a full knowledge of its peculiarities often cannot be acquired during a lifetime. Here the great difference between men and women is that the former ride the horse ; the latter, the saddle. The tyranny of the side- I 2 BEGINNING TO RIDE. saddle would not be so marked as it is, if this article of gear were of a uniform pattern of the best possible kind. Unfortunately it is generally built according to the fantastic ideas of fashionable makers who have no practical experience of side-saddle riding. Unaided learners have such difficulty in acquiring security and grace of seat and good hands, that many ladies who have ridden all their lives, and have lots of pluck, are poor performers, particularly in the hunting- field. A beginner who is put on a properly made ' saddle and suitable horse, and is taught the right principles of riding, will make more progress in a month than she would otherwise do in, say, five years. The artificiality of side-saddle riding extends even to the horse, which must be free from certain faults, such as unsteadiness in mounting, that would not render him unsuitable to carry a male rider. Competency in the instructor is of the first import- ance. Nothing is more absurd than for a man who cannot ride well in a side-saddle, to try to unfold to a lady the mysteries of seat. Such men, instead of getting into a side-saddle and showing their pupils '• how to do it," generally attempt to conceal their ignorance by the use of stock phrases. If asked '•Why?" they invariably reply, ''Because it's the rio'ht thing to do," or words to that effect. I have never heard of women venturing to teach men how to ride. Davis, a young groom we had, was a rare instance of a man who was thoroughly competent to teach MAN RIDING IN SIDE SADDLE. 3 ladles how to ride, because he had lots of practice in side saddles, and had ample opportunities of learning the theory of the art, while I was teaching pupils in a riding school, where I rode and jumped horses without a. skirt. Fig. i shows Davis riding in a side saddle over a gate, on my grey horse Gustave. The Fig. I. — Man riding a horse over a fence in a side-saddle, fact of his not hanging on to the horse's head is a good proof that he had a strong seat. The first lessons in balance and grip should be given by a competent horsewoman, and the riding- skirt should either be taken off or pinned back (for instance, with a safety-pin), in order that the lady instructor may be able to see and at once correct faults in the position ot the legs, which is hardly a task fit for a man, even were he competent to per- 1* 4 BEGINNING TO RIDE. form it. After the pupil has acquired a good seat at the various paces and over small fences, her further education in the guidance and control of her mount might be entrusted to a competent horseman, prefer- ably to a good cross-country rider, and not, as is frequently the case, to an ex-military riding-master, who, having been taught that a cavalryman's right hand has to be occupied with a sword or lance, con- siders that ladies should also adopt the one-handed system of riding ! As a rule, the services of a good horseman are desirable when the pupil is fit to ride in the open, because he is more helpful than a lady rider in rendering prompt assistance on an emergency. Besides, riding men usually know more about the bitting and handling of horses than w^omen, and are therefore better able to impart instruction in this branch of equitation. It is as impossible to lay down a hard-and-fast rule as to the age at which a girl may be allowed to mount a pony or donkey, as it is to control the spirits and daring of a foxhound puppy. Those who possess the sporting instinct and the desire to emulate the example of their hunting parents or friends, should certainly be encouraged and taught to ride as soon as they manifest their wish to do so. Many hunting women allow their children to occasionally attend meets in a governess car or other suitable conveyance, and the budding sportsmen and sportswomen in the vehicle keenly follow the hounds, as far as they can do so, by the roads. On non-hunting days during the season, it TEACHING CHILDREN TO RIDE. 5 is no uncommon sight in hunting districts to see ladies walking by the side of their tiny daughters who are mounted on ponies, and giving them instruction in riding. In cub-hunting time we may often see the good results of such lessons, when parent and daughter appear together, and the little girl on her pony follows the lead over small fences w^hich " mother " knows can be negotiated by both with safety. Twenty years ago, infants were often carried in panniers or baskets, one on each side of a led pony or donkey, with the supposed object of initiating them to horse exercise. The pannier training was followed by the little girls being placed on a pilch, and conducted about by a mounted groom with a leading-rein. This leading-rein system is absolutely worthless as a means for teaching horse-control to children, and should be used only as a safeguard w^ith an animal which the young rider may be unable to hold. At whatever age a child is taught to ride, we should bear in mind that the exercise always entails a certain amount of fatigue, and should be taken in moderation. The many lamentable accidents which have occurred to young girls from being ''dragged," show the vital necessity of supplying the small horsewoman with the most reliable safety appliances in saddlery and dress. The parent or guardian often overlooks this all- important point, and devotes his or her entire atten- tion to securing a quiet animal. Girls who do not possess any aptitude or desire to 6 BEGINNING TO RIDE. ride should not be compelled to practise this art, for, apart from the cruelty of subjecting a highly nervous girl to the torture of riding lessons, such unwilling pupils never become accomplished horsewomen. In the same w^ay, a child who has no ear for music, and who is forced against her wish to learn the piano, never develops into a good player. The same remark applies to older ladies, who, with the usual angelic resignation of my sex, try their best to obey the command of their lords and masters by learning to ride. I fear that success in this art is seldom attained by ladies over thirty years of age, for by that time they have generally lost the dashing pluck of their youth ; their figures have become set and matronly ; and, as a rule, they find great difficulty in mastering the subtleties of balance and grip. Also, a state of nervous anxiety is apt to add to the general stiffness of their appearance, and to suggest discomfort and irritabilitv. We read from time to time alarming rumours of "spinal curvature" as a result of side-saddle riding, but I have never known a case of this to occur, either to old or young, although the near-side position of the leaping-head has a tendency to develop the muscles of the left leg more than those of the right leg, a fact w^hich I discovered as soon as I began to ride a bicycle, after having had many years' ex- perience on horses. Riding alternately on a saddle with the leaping-head on the near side and on one with the leaping-head on the off side, would help RIDING ON OFF SIDE. 7 to save the back and legs of a lady's horse. In cantering or galloping, the animal puts more weight on the leading fore leg, which is consequently more liable to suffer from the injurious effects of work than the non-leading leg ; and, as we all know, to canter or gallop comfortably, a lady's horse has to lead with his off fore when the leaping-head is on the near side ; and vice vej'sd. Also, the vulnerable side of the back and withers of an animal which carries a side- saddle, is the one which is opposite to that on which the leaping-head is fixed. I am afraid that these practical considerations would not outweigh the dictates of fashion and the expense of having two saddles for one horse. The Young Lady s Equestrian Manual, which was published in 1838, tells us that in the early part of the last century, a plan which was similar to the one in question was adopted of having movable crutches, 'Mn order to afford a lady, by merely changing their relative positions, the means of riding, as she might please, on either side of her horse," and that this change of crutches w^as found advantageous. I do not think that a side-saddle built on this principle would look neat enough for modern requirements. 8 CHAPTER II. HORSES FOR LADIES. A HUNTER suitable for a lady should be temperate, sound, strong, safe and clever over fences, and fast enough for his country. As extra fatigue is entailed on a lady's mount by the side position of his rider, he should be quite 2 1 lbs. above the weight he has to carry. As a rule, he should not be younger than seven, and should have had, at least, two seasons' huntino- in which to learn his business.- Fig. 2 shows us a typical high-class Leicestershire hunter ; and Fig. 3, a good Australian hunter. Mr. Vansittart's Romance (Fig. 4) was one of the nicest of the many Australian horses I rode, during my sojourns in India, between the years 1885 and 1 89 1. He was thoroughbred and was the winner of several races on the flat and across country. In those days, the idiotic custom of docking horses had not found favour in Australia. The requirements of the various hunting countries differ greatly. For the Shires, a lady would want a well-bred galloper which can ''spread himself out" TYPICAL LEICESTERSHIRE HUNTER. 9 over his fences, because there is ahnost always a ditch or a rail on one side or the other of the Midland hedges. Temperate he must be, because the fields in Leicester- Fig. 2. — Miss Biirnaby's Butterfly. shire, for instance, are so large that there is often a crowd of riders waiting their turn at the only practic- able place in a jump, filing through a gate, or waiting 10 HORSES FOR LADIES. en masse In a cramped space at the covert side, and a horse who displays temper on such occasions is naturally regarded as a nuisance and danger by the rest of the held. Besides, it must be remembered that nothing tends to spoil the nerves of any rider, man or woman, more than attempting to hunt in a big country like Leicestershire on a bad-tempered horse, and especially on a refuser which has a tendency to rear. On no account should a lady ride a roarer, although the artful dealer may assure her that the "whistle" which the animal makes, will be a secret unknown to any one except herself and the horse. In the large majority of cases, roaring is a disease which increases with time, and the accompanying noise is distressing to all lovers of horses who hear it. Kickers, even with red bows on their tails, should on no account be ridden ; for they are a danger to man, woman, horse, and hound, and are the cause of many accidents every hunting season. It w^ould appear that ladies — not those of the present day, let us hope — were not sufficiently careful in insisting on this last-mentioned requirement in their hunters ; for Captain Elmhirst, writing in 1883, says, " Horse dealers, farmers, and — we are sorry to add — ladies must especially be avoided ; for who ever saw a vicious kicker that was not ridden by one of these three ? " Apart from the danger to others, it is obvious that no sane woman would ride a horse which would be likely to kick her in the event of a fall. When I was in India, I had to get rid of a horse because of his AUSTRALIAN HUNTER. II vicious tendency in this respect. He was a good- looking Australian, a clever fencer, and had a nice mouth, but so vicious that when we first got him, he Fig. 3. — Miss Neil's Jackeroo. used to rush open-mouthed at any one who went near him, except his syce. My husband took him in hand, and he became sufficiently civilised to take carrots 12 • HORSES FOR LADIES. from me. When I rode him, I found he was always looking out for an excuse to " play up," or to lash out at other horses. In order to test his jumping, a light- weio-ht P'entleman rider one day rode him over a made course. The animal blundered badly at one of the fences, threw his rider, and while the man was lying on his back on the ground the horse deliberately put a fore foot on him, and would have doubtless broken his back, if my husband, who was standing near the fence, had not pulled the vicious brute off. We got rid of him, and I heard shortly afterwards that he had killed his jockey, a native, in a hurdle race at Calcutta, by the adoption of similar vicious tactics. It would have been criminal to have taken such a horse as that into any hunting-field. A hunter should have good shoulders (long, flat, and oblique) and a comparatively high forehand ; for horses which are lower in front than at the croup are uncomfortable to ride, and there is generally some difficulty in retaining the side saddle in its place on their backs. The height of a hunter will depend greatly on that of his rider. For instance, a tall woman with a " comfortable" figure would be suitably mounted on a horse 16 hands or more high, whereas a light girl of medium height would find an animal of say 15-2 as much as she could comfortably manage ; for we must remember that big horses, as a rule, take a good deal of '' collecting." A small horse generally stays better, can come out oftener, is handier, and not so likely to hurt one if he falls. For the Shires I do AUSTRALIAN STEEPLECHASER. 13 not think a lady's hunter should be much under 15-2, and he must be a big jumper and well bred. Hunting- women, as a rule, do not pay much attention to the good looks of their horses, for hunting is not a church Fig. 4. — Mr. Vansittart's Romance. parade, and the finest performer over a country is always admired and coveted whatever his appearance may be. The same may be said about colour ; although, as a grey horse is conspicuous enough to be 14 HORSES FOR LADIES. singled out of a crowd of bays and browns, a lady who is at all ''impartial " in her seat would do well to select a horse wearing a less noticeable tint of coat. As rearing is the worst vice a lady's mount can possess, no horse who has a tendency to rear should be ridden by a woman, as from her position in the side-saddle she is far more helpless than a man on such an animal. A lady's hunter should not have too light a mouth, but should go nicely up to his bridle, and not resent the use of the curb, which is some- times necessary in avoiding danger. He should on no account be inclined to pull. A perfect hunter is like a thorough good sportsman, who regards his share of bangs and blows as all in the day's work. As the majority of hunters have their own likes and dislikes about jumping certain kinds of fences, a lady should know precisely what to expect from her mount and what his jumping capabilities are, before taking him into the hunting-field, which is not the place for experiments. I had many pleasant days out hunting with the Quorn, Belvoir, Cottesmore and North Cheshire on the Irish mare. Salary (Fig. 5). In summing up the requirements of a hunter for either man or woman, I cannot do better than to quote the following sound advice from Whyte Melville : " People talk about size and shape, shoulders, quarters, blood, bone and muscle, but for my part, give me a hunter with brains. He has to take care of the biggest fool of the two, and think for both." IRISH HUNTER. IS To be capable of safely crossing a stiff country, a horse requires at least a few falls — which had best be shared by a man — and much experience, which cannot Fig. 5. — Irish mare, Salary. be obtained without time. Hence, I would advise no lady, however well she may ride, to hunt on a young horse, who will always require a good deal of time in which to learn his business. It is certainly no pleasure i6 HORSES FOR LADIES. to be on the back of a horse who is inclined to drop his hind legs in the ditch on the other side, or to '' chance " a post and rails. Many young horses are so reluctant in going at a fence, and in " spreading themselves out," that they are no good except when ridden by a man who can use his legs, which is a feat that a woman is unable to accomplish. A perfect hack, whether for man or woman, is far more difficult to find at the present time than a good hunter, and when found will command a fancy price. The ideal hack is a showy, w^ell-bred animal of the officer's charger type, which has been thoroughly well " made" in all his paces. Such an animal appears at his best when executing a slow, collected canter, with arched neck and looking full of fire and gaiety, though ridden with an almost slack rein, and intent only on rendering prompt obedience to the slightest indication of his rider. In Germany and France the hacks ridden in the Tiergarten and Bois, for instance, are thoroughly " made," and compare very favourably with the pull- ing, half-broken brutes on which many ladies appear in the Row. In former times, before the introduction of the leaping-head made hunting possible for women, more attention was paid to the breaking and training of heicks than at present, on account of the great demand for "complete ladies' horses." The advent of the bicycle for ladies has almost abolished hacking as a pastime and means of exercise, and hence the difficulty in finding a well-broken animal for this work. The best substitute is, 1 think, a good polo pony, because POLO PONY. 17 the requirements of that game demand that the animal should be temperate, handy, and capable of being ridden with a slack rein. The polo pony Pat (Fig. 6) is a perfect hack, with a snaffle-bridle mouth, and so steady and clever that he can canter round the pro- Fig. 6. — Polo pony, Pat. verbial sixpence. He has played well in several polo matches. Although many ladies in this country have never enjoyed the luxury of riding a high-caste Arab, we occasionally see these animals in the Row and hunting- i8 HORSES FOR LADIES. field. The sight of an '' Arabi tattoo" to an old Indian like myself, revives many pleasant memories of delightful equine friends in the East. The Arab is par excellence the most perfect hack for a lady, and I think it would be ungrateful of me in this new edition to omit the portrait of my Arab pony Freddie (Fig. 7), even though the cut of the riding-habit is out of date. Although a good horsewoman may be satisfied with any animal which is fit for a man, provided he is steady to mount and does not require an unusual amount of collecting ; it is not safe to put an inexperienced or nervous rider on a horse that has not been taught to carry a habit, w^hich a groom can do by riding the animal with a rug or dark overcoat on the near side, and letting it flop about. Horses rarely object to the presence of a skirt, though I have known cases in w^hich the animal went almost wild with terror when the right leg was put over the crutch. It is, therefore, wise to ac- custom a horse to the skirt and leg by means of a groom. The fact of a lady having to ride in a side-saddle, puts her under the following three disadvantages as com- pared to a man in a ''cross-saddle" : she is, as a rule, unable to mount without assistance ; she cannot apply the pressure of the right leg to the side of the horse ; and it is difficult for her " to drop her hands " in order to pull him together. The judicious application of a crop or ash-plant (my husband, though an Irish- man, swears by a Neilgherry cane) may partly make up for the absence of a leg on the off side ; but, how- ever well a woman may ride, she should not have a ARAB PONY. 19 horse which '' plays up " when he is being mounted, or sprawls about and requires constant pulling together when she is in the saddle. Fig. 7. — Arab pony, Freddie The style of hack should be in thorough keeping with that of the rider. A slight lady has a greater range of choice in horseflesh than a portly dame, 2* 20 HORSES FOR LADIES. who would be best suited with a weight-carrying hunter or compact cob. The height might vary from 14-2 to 15-3. I hardly think that even a small woman would look well on a pony which is less than 13-3. A beginner should be put on a lazy animal, whether horse or pony, that will condescend to trot or canter for only a short distance, which will be quite far enough for Its Inexperienced rider. Many parents who are supervising the riding instruction of their children, look too far ahead when selecting a mount. Instead of pur- chasing a steady, plodding, though not unwilling slave, they Invest in a second- or third-stage animal, which is absolutely useless to a beginner, because it wants more riding than she can give it. Such a young lady needs a thoroughly steady animal, no matter how old or ugly it may be, and she will probably learn more about riding on it in a month, than she would In a year on a horse which would have to be led by a groom, on account of Its unsteadiness. A good donkey is a most useful conveyance for young girls, as he can generally be trusted to take things quietly, and will not unduly exert himself without being called upon to do so. For the benefit of inexperienced riders, I must not omit to mention that the measurement of horses Is taken from the highest point of the withers to the ground. A horse is measured by hands and inches, not, as in humans, by feet and Inches. A hand is 4 In., therefore an animal of 15 hands is 5 ft. In height ; 16 hands, 5 ft. 4 in. ; 17 hands, 5 ft. 8 in. ; and one of 17-2 — which would be a gigantic height DOCKING. 21 In a saddle horse, but not in a cart horse — would be 5 ft. lo In. high. A woman of medium height, like myself, who stands 5 ft. 3 In. In '' stocking- feet " — a height, by - the - bye, which is accorded to the Venus de Medici (we might make use of that fact on being termed "little") — would find a horse of 15-1 or 15-2 a very nice, useful height; though she need by no means limit herself to height with any horse which is springy and active, does not require a great amount of collecting, is easy in his paces, and has a good mouth. The bigger a horse is, the more fatiguing do we find him to ride, if his mouth, manners, and paces are not thoroughly "made." The late Esa bin Curtis, a celebrated Arab horse dealer, in speaking of big buck-jumping Walers, said, "God hath not made man equal unto them," and, how- ever well a woman may ride, it is no pleasure to find herself breathless and exhausted in her efforts to control such animals. On the other hand, many small horses which play up are most difficult to sit, lor, although they may not take their rider's breath aw^ay by their display of physical power, they are like quick- silver on a frying-pan, and highly test our agility in the matter of balance and grip. I cannot conclude this chapter on ladies' horses with- out expressing my strong condemnation of the sense- less and cruel practice of docking riding horses, which has nothing In Its favour except Its conformance to fashion, and which in this case Is disgusting cruelty. Thoroughbred horses are never docked, whether they 22 HORSES FOR LADIES. be used for racing, steeplechasing or hunting, and it is a monstrous thing to mutilate unfortunate half-breds, especially mares, and condemn them to be tortured by flies, and to have the most sensitive parts of their bodies turned into a safe camping ground for insects, simply because these poor animals have a stain in their pedigree. In summer time, when flies are troublesome, we may often see a long-tailed brood mare at grass protecting both herself and her suckling foal from these irritating pests by the free use of her tail ; but docked mares are deprived of this means of driving away insects, and have been known to unwittingly injure their young by kicking and plunging violently in their efforts to rid themselves of attacking flies. The unfortunate foal is unable to take its natural nourish- ment in peace, and consequently does not thrive so well as does the offspring of an unmutilated mother. One of the feeble arguments set forth in favour of docking is, that it prevents a hunter from soiling the coat of his rider by his tail ; but, as my husband truly says in his new edition of Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners, " This idea is an absurdity, because an un- docked horse cannot reach his rider with his tail, if it is banged short, which is a fact known to all military men. Besides, mud on a hunting coat is ' clean dirt.' " The actual pain caused by the operation is trivial as compared with the life-long misery to which tailless horses are subjected, for we deprive them for ever of their caudal appendage, and the ridiculous stump sticking up where the tail ought DOCKING. 23 to be, is as ungraceful as It is Indecent, especially in the case of mares. Our friend, the late Dr. George Fleming, says In The Wanton Mutilation of Animals ^ " nothing can be more painful and disgusting to the real horseman and admirer of this most symmetrically formed and graceful animal than the existence of this most detestable and torturing fashion ; and those who perform the operation or sanction it are not humane, nor are they horsemen, but rather are they horse- maimers and promoters of the worst form of cruelty to animals. Let anyone go to Rotten Row during the season, and satisfy himself as to the extent to which the fashion prevails, and the repulsive appearance which otherwise beautiful horses present. The astonishing and most saddening feature of the eques- trian promenade Is the presence of ladies riding mares which are almost tailless. Surely a plea might be entered here for the use of a fig-leaf to clothe the nude." I feel sure that if my sex had a voice in the matter, this wholesale mutilation of mares would soon cease. Dr. Fleming, writing in the Nineteenth Centtcry over twenty years ago, said : *' I hope and believe that when the horse-loving public and the friends of animals begin to realise how cruel and degrading some of these mutilations are, they will not be long In having them suppressed " ; but the horse- lovers do not appear to have done much In this matter so far. This writer tells us that ''the ancient Welsh laws protected it " (the horse's tail) " from harm at the hands of man," and that "an ecclesiastical canon was 24 HORSES FOR LADIES. issued in order to prevent it from being damaged in the eighth century." Cannot our laws do something to protect mares, at any rate, from the cruelty of docking in the twentieth century ? Dr. Fleming, in reviewing the history of docking from its earliest times, tells us that he saw an old print " which represented a very emaciated horse, with a fashionable tail, standing in a luxuriant meadow, his body covered with flies, which prevented him from grazing, and from which he could not free himself; a notice board in the field announced that horses were taken in to graze, those with undocked tails at six shillings a week and docked ones at eighteenpence." When Voltaire visited this country in the first quarter of the eighteenth century, he was so impressed with our barbarity, especially in the cutting off the tails of our horses, that he could not refrain from giving vent to one of his pungent sarcasms in the following epigram : — '' Vous fiers Anglois Barbaras que vous etes Coupez la tete aux rois Et la queue a vos betes ; Mais les Francois, Polis et droits, Aiment les lois, Laissent la queue aux betes Et la tete a leurs rois." 25 CHAPTER III. SIDE-SADDLES. Description of a Side-Saddle — Saddle Tree — Covering of a Side-Saddle — Panel — The Leaping Head — Stirrup Leather — Safety Bars — Safety Stirrups — Girths — Balance Strap — Breast-plate — Weight of a Side-Saddle — Shape of the Seat of a Side-Saddle — The Saddle must Fit the Rider— Crupper- Numdahs and Saddle Cloths — Side-Saddles for Children— Saddling a Horse — Prevention of Sore Backs— Cleaning a Side-Saddle. DESCRIPTION OF A SIDE-SADDLE. A PROPERLY made side-saddle consists of the following parts : — 1. A tree, which is a wooden frame that is strengthened with steel and iron, and is provided with an uppej" crtitch [near head) and webs. 2. A leather cove7'ing\ which comprises the seat, off flap, and safe, which is the trade term for the near flap. 3. A panel (or cushion), which is placed underneath the tree, so as to protect the animal's back from the hurtful pressure of the unprotected tree. 4. A leaping head, which helps the lady to obtain security of seat. 5. A stirrup leather. 6. A stirrup iron. 26 SIDE-SADDLES. 7. A stirrup bar for the stirrup leather. 8. Girths. 9. Balance strap. To these ordinary components of a side-saddle, a Fig. 8. — Side view of saddle tree. breast-plate and 5^^^^/^ <:/^^/^ or numdah are sometimes added. On rare occasions a crupper Is used. SADDLE TREE. The tree (Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 1 1) consists of two bars (side boards), which are connected together in front SADDLE TREE. 27 by the pommel, and behind by the cantle. The pommel is made up of a gullet plate, which is a steel arch that goes over the withers, and its cover- ings. The points of the tree are connected, one on Fig. 9. — Underneath view of saddle tree. each side, to the front ends of the bars and to the gullet plate, and they point downwards. The stir^'up bar, which should be of a safety pattern, is attached to the near bar, a little lower down than the leaping head. 28 SIDE-SADDLES. The webs (Fig. ii) of a tree are strong hempen bands which cover the open space down the centre of the tree, and are nailed, at one end, to the pommel, and at the other end to the cantle. They are tightly stretched, in order to give the rider a comfortable seat, and to keep her weight off the horse's back- bone. The office of the bars of the tree is to evenly dis- tribute the rider's weight, by means of the panel, over the muscles which run along each side of the horse's backbone, and which form the only suitable bearing surfaces for the purpose in question. No weight should fall on the animal's backbone, because it is very sensitive to pressure, even when the pressure is well distributed. In order to obtain this indispensable condition of evenly-distributed pressure, the bars of the tree of a saddle which is to be made for a particular horse, should accurately fit the bearing surfaces of the back upon which they rest, and should be well away from the backbone ; in fact, the distance between the bars should not be less than four inches. When the rider is In the saddle, a fair amount of space should exist between the gullet plate and the withers, so that no injurious pressure may fall on the top or sides of the withers, which are particularly susceptible to inflam- mation from this cause. In order to avoid giving an undue height to the pommel, with the object of keeping it off the withers, it should be "cut back" (Fig. i i), although this cutting back need not be carried to the excessive SADDLE TREE. 29 extent that is sometimes practised. In a man's saddle, the pommel is generally straight. The points of the tree should accurately fit the parts upon which they rest, so as to prevent any *' wobbling " of the saddle. The near point of the tree (Fig. 10) is usually made long, with the idea of Fig. 10. — P'ront view of saddle tree. helping the saddle to keep in its place ; but if this is done, the oft point should be comparatively short, because, if both points be long, they will be apt to become pulled further apart in the event of the horse turning round sharply, as he would have to do in a narrow stall, or even when refusing a jump. The tLpper crutch, or, as it is called by saddlers, the 30 SIDE-SADDLES. near head, is a more or less upright projection which is placed on the near side of the pommel, in order to give support to the rider's right leg. The slope and bearing surface of this near head should be regulated, so that (as we shall see further on) the lower part of the rider's right leg may extend downwards along the shoulder of the horse, and that the lady may be able to exert full pressure against the near head, by the inward rotation of her thigh (p. 157). The height of the near head depends on the thickness of the rider's thigh, because a fat leg will require a higher crutch than a thin one. If the upper crutch be unduly long, it will push the skirt up and give it a bad appearance. We must, however, bear in mind that if it is too short for its legitimate purpose, it will afford an insecure grip to the right leg, which is a consideration that must not be neglected. Before the leaping head (p. ^x) was invented, side- saddles were provided with an off cmtch, which was placed on the offside of the pommel. In a very old saddle which I saw, it took the form of an upright handle, which was placed parallel to the direction of the withers, and which apparently was intended to be grasped by the right hand of the rider in case of emer- gency. In a saddle of mine, which is about 100 years old, the off crutch projects horizontally to the right. Fifty years ago, the off crutch was almost always upright, and was often placed so close to the near crutch that the rider was able to get a fairly firm support for her right leg by jamming it between these OFF CRUTCH. 31 two crutches. As the great utiHty of the leaping head received increasingly wide recognition, the off crutch underwent a gradual process of decadence, because it is of no benefit to a rider who understands the use of a Fig. II. — Underneath view of saddle tree and its webs. leaping head. Indications of its previous existence may occasionally be seen, especially abroad, in the form of an entirely useless thickening of the off side of the pommel. 32 SIDE-SADDLES. COVERING OF A SIDE-SADDLE. The seats of good saddles are generally of pigskin, and the flaps of cow-hide. The fact of the seat being of buckskin or other rough leather will increase the lady's security in the saddle, but may somewhat detract from the smartness of her appearance, especially if the leather is white. I can see no objection to the seat of the saddle being of rough brown leather. Formerly, all side-saddles had a " stuffed safe," in which the front part of the near flap is padded, but nowadays it is rarely, if ever, used by smart hunting people. It is evidently the surviving remains of the voluminous pad, upon which ladies used to rest the lower part of their right leg in the days before the leaping head was in- vented. Ornamental stitching about the seat and safe of a saddle is equally out of date. PANEL. It is all important that the panel should be so care- fully stuffed, that the rider's weight will be evenly dis- tributed over the bearing surfaces of her animal's back. Even if this is done to perfection, the desirable arrange- ment will last for only a short time, if the stuffing is of the wrong kind of material. Instead of using fine wool (best flock), incompetent or unduly economical saddlers often employ flock which is largely composed of cotton waste, and, consequently, when they stuff or re-stuff a saddle, lumps, from the absorption of perspiration, are LEAPING HEAD. 33 apt to form In the panel, with the frequent result of a sore back. Although the stuffing of side-saddles is too technical a subject to attack in these pages, I would fail in my duty to my readers if I omitted to advise them always to go to a first-class saddler for a new saddle, or to get an old one re-stufted, which should be done as may be required, preferably, before the begin- ning of the hunting season, supposing that the saddle has seen a good deal of service. It is often thought that expert saddlers are to be found only in London ; but if a saddler is clever at his trade, the fact of his having a shop in a good hunting district, must be a great advantage to him in studying the requirements of riding people. THE LEAPING HEAD was invented about 1830 by M. Pellier, who was well known in Paris as a riding master. Its object is to help the rider to obtain security of seat by a fixed surface against which she can press the front and lower part of her left thigh. Before the invention of the leaping head, ladies had to rely entirely on the right leg for grip, and consequently few, if any of them, were able to hunt. Mr. John Allen, who wrote Modern Riding, in 1825, tells us that *'the left leg is nearly, if not wholly useless ; for though a stirrup is placed on the foot, the only use of it is to ease the leg a little, which, for want of practice, might ache by dangling and suspension." 3 34 . SIDE-SADDLES. The following are the chief points to be considered about a leaping head : — I. Its curve should be so arranged that the harder a lady presses against it, the more will her left leg be carried inwards, so that the flat (inside) of her knee may be brought in contact with the flap of the saddle (Fig. 12). An ordinary leaping head is curved, as a rule, in such a manner that when a rider seeks to obtain support from it by the pressure of her left leg, this limb is carried outwards, and she is able to get a point d'appui only at the extreme end of this projec- tion (Fig. 13). It is evident that the closer the left leo- is to the saddle, the firmer will be the seat. Besides, the more the left leg is brought outwards, the more weight will be put on the near side, which, as we shall see further on, is the very thing a rider ought to avoid. 2. The leaping head should be close to the upper crutch (Figs. 12 and 16). The usual plan of putting it much lower down (Fig. 15) tends to bring the weight to the near side, a fact which can be easily tested, especially in trotting, by trying the improve- ment in question, which was suggested to me by Mr. Ford of Rugby, who is a very competent and ex- perienced saddler. 3. Usually, the leaping head is attached to the tree by means of a screw, which is an arrangement that has the disadvantage of not allowing the leaping head to be placed close to the upper crutch. If the leaping LEAPING HEAD. 35 head is riveted on to the tree (as in Figs. lo and i6), which is the better plan, it can be placed as near as we like to the upper crutch, and it will have no Fig. 12.— Grip with improved leaping head. tendency to wobble about, as it would be apt to do, if it was fixed by a screw. As the screws of the leaping heads of cheap saddles are almost always made of ,* 36 SIDE-SADDLES. annealed Iron, which is a form of cast-iron, it is not an uncommon occurrence for the screw of one of these saddles to break, w^hich is more apt to occur at a critical moment, as for instance when the horse is jumping or " playing up," than when he is going quietly. On the only occasion I ever rode over a fence in one of these cheap Walsall saddles, the screw broke, but luckily I "remained." 4. When the leaping head is a fixture, the bearing surface which it presents to the rider's left leg- should be in the same direction as the upper part of that limb, so that the pressure on it may be evenly distributed. By placing a straight stick under the leaping head, and holding it in the direction which the left thigh would occupy, when the rider is mounted, we can easily see If the bearing surface Is In the proper position. 5. As an aid to security of seat, it is well to have the under surface of the leaping head and the off side of the upper crutch covered with rough brown leather, which, we should bear in mind, Is concealed from view, when the lady Is In the saddle, and conse- quently it will not detract from the smartness of her appearance. STIRRUP-LEATHER. The Stirrup-leather, which Is on the near side, should always be attached to a bar, and not, as is sometimes done, to the balance strap (p. 53) ; STIRRUP-LEATHER. 37 because, In this case, Its length will be subject to frequent variation, not only when the saddle Is put Fig. 13. — Grip with ordinary leaping head. on different animals, but also when the horse gets slack In his girth from work. When It Is fixed to a bar, which should always be of the safety kind, no 38 • SIDE-SADDLES. alteration in the correct length of the leather will take place. The arrangement for undoing the stirrup-leather is in the most convenient position when it is close to the iron, and not in proximity to the stirrup-bar, as is the case in a man's hunting saddle. If the leather is used in the latter manner, the buckle will be apt to hurt the inside of the lady's left leg, when she brings the knee close to the flap of the saddle ; and it will be more inconvenient to alter the length of the leather, when the lady is mounted, than if the buckle or hook was low down. The hook (Fig. 14) is better than a buckle, because it lies flatter and is easier to arrange. SAFETY BARS. A safety bar is a bar which will release the leather, in the event of the rider falling from the saddle, and at the same time getting her foot caught in the stirrup-iron. To be reliable, it should do this, whether the lady falls on the near side, or on the off side. The best safety bar which has up to the present been put before the public, is un- doubtedly Champion and Wilton's latest pattern. It releases with absolute certainty on both sides, and can be fitted in such a manner that it will allow the flat of the left leg to be brought close to the saddle. As safety bars and safety stirrups are the only means for ensuring a lady from being dragged SAFETY BARS. 39 0 by her stirrup, and as Champion and Wilton's safety bar Is more reliable In this respect than any safety Fig. 14. — Hook for stirrup leather. Stirrup, It Stands to reason that It should be used with every side-saddle. With this bar on a saddle, there Is of course no objection to the use of a 40 SIDE-SADDLES. safety stirrup, in order to make " doubly sure." It is usually fitted with a thick fiap (Fig. 15), which prevents the left leg from being brought close to the saddle; but this objection can be removed by the adoption of Mr. Ford's plan of gready reducing the Fig. 15. — Leaping head too low down. size of the flap of the bar, and making it fit into an opening cut out of the near flap of the saddle (Fig. 16). I have found this arrangement a great improvement on the old clumsy flap, the lower edge of w^hich is unpleasantly apt to catch on the rider's boot, especially when trotting. I shall discuss the failings of safety stirrups further on. SAFETY BARS. 41 Owing to the position which a lady occupies In a slde-sacldle, she is often inclined to draw her foot back to such an extent that she would pull the leather out of the bar, if the action of the bar was Fig, 16. — Side view of a properly made saddle. similar to that of a man's saddle ; but a Champion and Wilton's bar Is so devised that It will free the leather, only when the pressure of the left leg Is removed from the flap of the bar, In which case the lady will have quitted the saddle. Hence, as 42 SIDE-SADDLES. long as she keeps her seat, she cannot pull the leather out of the bar by drawing back her left leg. The only thing which prevents this safety arrange- ment from being absolutely perfect, is the liability the leather has of falling out of the bar and becoming lost, in the event of the rider severing her connection with the saddle, in which case the retaining action of the flap on the bar will cease. For this emergency, Messrs. Champion and Wilton provide side saddles with a small leather case which contains an extra stirrup, and which is attached to the near side of the saddle, so that it is concealed from view, when the lady is mounted (Fig. ly). The weight of the stirrup and case is only half a pound. SAFETY STIRRUPS, both for men and ladies, have been in existence for hundreds of years. Apparently the first variety of this contrivance was the capped stirrup-iron, either simple (Fig. 18) or in the form of a slipper (Fig. 19), which was provided with an arrangement on its sole that prevented the toe of the slipper from yielding to dowiiward pressure, but allowed it to revolve upwards, and thus to facilitate the release of the foot, in the event of a fall. The simple capped stirrup was used by ancient Spanish Cavaliers, and is still employed by many of their descendants in America. In apparent oblivion of these facts, the Christie stirrup (Fig. 20), made on the samc^ prin- SAFETY STIRRUPS. 43 ciple, was patented about four years ago. Besides its undue weight {i% lb. as compared to the j4 lb. M Fig, 17. — Champion and Wilton's extra stirrup case. of the sHpper stirrup), it has the further disadvantage of allowing the possibility of the toe being caught 44 SIDE-SADDLES. between its bars (Fig. 21). Want of neatness appears to have been the only cause of the abandon- Fig. 18. — Capped stirrup-iron. Fig. 19. — Slipper stirrup. Fig. 20. — The Christie stirrup. ment of the capped stirrup, which is certainly safer than any of its successors, the first English one of SAFETY STIRRUPS. 45 which appears to have been the Latchford safety stirrup (Fig. 22). It consists of two irons ; the small one, which is placed within the large one, P'ig. 21. — Foot caught. being made to come out the moment the foot gets dragged in it, in which case it parts company with its fellow, and is then liable to get lost. The Scott safety stirrup (Figs. 23 and 24) has not this fault. 46 SIDE-SADDLES. for its Inner iron always retains its connection with the outer one, and can be replaced without delay, if the ladv after her tumble desires to remount. The Latchford, Scott ordinary, and Cope safety stirrup (Figs. 25 and 26) open only one way, so that the foot, when correctly placed in any of them, may not be liable, as in the event of a fall, to be Fig. 22. — Latchford stirrup. Fig. 23. — Scott's stirrup. forced through the outer iron, in which case the lady would almost to a certainty get hung up if her saddle w^as not provided with a safety bar. In these stirrups, the side of the "tread,"* which ought to be to the rear, is generally indicated by the fact of its being straight, while the other * The "tread" is the part of the stirrup-iron on which the sole of the rider's boot rests. SAFETY STIRRUPS. side is curved (Fig. 24). This is done in Fig. by the word " heel." 47 27, The chief faults of so-called safety stwrups are as follows : — I. They may catch on the foot, on account of get- ting crushed by coming in violent contact with a tree, Fig. 24. — Scott's stirrup open. wall or other hard object, or by the horse falling on his near side. When I was living in India, I had a Scott safety stirrup jammed on my foot in this manner, by a horse which I was riding, making a sudden shy and dashing against a wall. The iron was so firmly fixed to my foot by this accident, that it could not be taken off until, after much pain and trouble, my foot was 48 SIDE-SADDLES. freed from both boot and stirrup. Had I been un- seated, I would probably have been killed, because my saddle had not a safety bar. 2. Those which open only when the foot is put Into them in one way, are apt to cause a fatal accident if put in the wrong way, which may easily happen from Fig. 25. Cope's stirrup. carelessness or ignorance (p. 64). The methods (straight edge of ''tread," or word "heel") used with these stirrups, to Indicate the proper side on which to put the foot into the Iron, may convey no meaning to persons who are not well acquainted with the details of side-saddle gear, and In moments of hurry and excitement may be easily overlooked. 3. Any ordinary safety stirrup which is used without SAFETY STIRRUPS. 49 a safety bar may cause a lady to get ''hungup," if she is thrown to the offside and her heel gets'jammed against the saddle in the manner shown in Fig. 28. Fig. 26.— Foot>eIeased by Cope's stirrup. ^ 4. If the outer iron is small in comparison to the size of the foot, the rider may easily get dragged. 5. If the outer iron of a Scott's reversible safety stirrup is large in comparison to the size of the foot (as 4 50 SIDE-SADDLES. in the case of a young girl), the rider may get dragged in the event of a fall, by the foot going through the stirrup. Accidents caused by a foot going through a stirrup have often occurred to men from falls when hunting and steeplechasing. Some ladies think it '' smart " to ride with a man's Fig. 27. — Scott's stirrup. ordinary stirrup iron, or (madder still) with a small racing stirrup, attached to a leather which does not come out. I once saw a lady who adopted this sense- less plan fall and get dragged. By an extraordinary piece of good luck she was saved from a horrible death by her boot coming off. All that can be said in favour of safety stirrups, is GIRTHS. 5^ that they are less liable to cause accidents than ordinary stirrups. The fact remains, that the danger of being- dragged by the stirrup can be entirely obviated only by the use of an efficient safety bar. Fig. 28.— Fool caui^ht on ofif side. GIRTHS. In referring to this subject, I cannot do better than give the following extract from Riding and Hunting :-^ " Girths, while fulfilling their duty of efficiently keeping the saddle on a hor.se\s back, should be as # 52 SIDE-SADDLES. little liable as possible to hurt the surface on which they press. Hence they should be broad, soft, and constructed so that their tendency to retain sweat between them and the horse's skin may be reduced as far as practicable. They can best fulfil the last-men- tioned important condition when they are absorbent and open in texture. It is evident that sweat retained between the girth and the skin will have the effect of the moisture of a poultice in rendering the part soft and unusually liable to injury from pressure or friction. " As a material for girths, wool is superior to cotton or leather, because it is softer, more absorbent, and does not become so hard on drying after having become wet. The only drawback to ordinary woollen girths is that they are not sufficiently ventilated, an objection which has been overcome in specially constructed woollen girths that are sold by many good saddlers. " The plan of giving ventilation by slitting up a broad leather girth into several narrow straps, or by using a number of cords of cotton or of plaited or twisted raw hide often acts well ; but its adoption may give rise to girth-galls, if care is not taken to smooth out, when girthing up, any wrinkles there may be In the skin underneath the girth. It is evidently more difficult for the pressure to be evenly distributed by these cords, than by a broad girth which consists of one piece. " Great care should be taken to keep girths clean and soft, and to oil them from time to time, If they be of leather. BALANX'E STRAP. 53 " I prefer a broad girth attached at each side by two buckles to two narrow girths. The Fitzwihiam girth, which consists of a broad girth with a narrow one over it, is handy with a martingale or breast-plate, through the loop of which the narrow girth can be passed." In a Fitzwilliani girth, the pressure of the narrow- one on the centre of the broad one, makes the edges of the broad girth incline outwards, and thus apparently helps to save the horse from becoming girth-galled. Girths should always be buckled high up on the near side, in order to prevent their buckles hurting the rider's left leg, by making an uncomfortable bump in the flap of the saddle ; and also to allow plenty of space on the girth straps of the off side, for shortening the girths as may be required. BALANCE STRAP. This is a leather strap which is attached to the off side of the rear part of the saddle, at one end ; and to a strap close to the girth straps of the near side, at the other end. Before the days of safety bars, its near side end was usually buckled on to the stirrup leather, which was a faulty arrangement, not only as regards the leather (p. 36), but also because its degree of tightness was a constantly varying quantity which en- tirely depended on the amount of pressure that the rider put on her stirrup. The presence of a properly tight- ened balance strap helps to prevent lateral movement on the part of the saddle. Also it counteracts, to some 54 SIDE-SADDLES. extent, the excess of weight which ahiiost every rider puts on the near side of her saddle ; this good effect beino- due to the fact that the off attachment of the balance strap is farther away from the centre line (axis) of the animal's body than the near attachment ; ' and consequently the pull of the balance strap on the off side acts to greater mechanical advantage than the pull on the near side. BREAST-PLATE. The breast-plate is attached at one end to the girth or girths, and at the other end to the staples of the saddle. Its use is to prevent the saddle shifting back- wards, as it might do if the girths were slack, espe- cially if the animal was very narrow waisted. Even with a well-shaped horse, a breast-plate is often useful on a long day and In a hilly country. It is much In favour with hunting ladies. Staples are small metal loops which are fixed to the front part of the saddle-tree. W^EIGHT OF A SIDE-SADDLE. In order to avoid giving a horse a sore back and consequently disabling him for the time being, It is essential to have the tree rigid, so that the weight may remain evenly distributed over the bearing surfaces of his back, which rigidity cannot be obtained without having the tree fairly heavy. The necessary width and length of saddle and strength of upper crutch and leaping head are also questions of weight. Hence If we require a saddle for rough and dangerous work like SEAT OF SIDE-SADDLE. 55 hunting, we must not entertain the ridiculous idea of having a light saddle, so that it may look particularly smart. A fair weight for a side-saddle is one-seventh of the weight of the rider, that is to say, two pounds for every stone she weighs, with a minimum weight of 18 lbs. SHAPE OF THE SEAT OF A SIDE-SADDLE. The level-seated fad which some fashionable saddlers try to impress on their inexperienced customers is an absurdity from a hunting point of view, because no one out of an idiot asylum would care to sit for several hours on a perfectly level surface, whether it was a saddle or a chair. The discomfort which such an attempt would entail, is due to the fact that the nature of our anatomy requires a certain amount of dip in that portion of the seat upon which most of the weight falls. The level-seated idea is purely theoretical, because no saddles are made in conform- ance with it. For huntino- we must have comfort, without, of course, any undue violation of smartness. Besides, a certain amount of dip in the seat, similar to that shown in Fig. 16, is an aid to security. A cut- back pommel (Fig. 11) improves the look of a side- saddle without diminishing the rider's grip. The seat on the near side should be eased off, so as to allow the rider's left leg to. get close to the horse; and the near side, close to the cantle, should be made a little higher than the off side, in order to correct any tendency there may be to sit too much over on the near side. The saddles which I used on Romance (Fig. 4), 56 SIDE-SADDLES. and Freddie (Fig. 7), about fifteen years ago, were not called "level seated," but we may see that they are quite as neat and smart as those of the present time, which fact shows that very little change has been made in the shape of side-saddles since the eighties. THE SADDLE MUST FIT THE RIDER. The two great points in this requirement are that the upper crutch and leaping head should be in a suitable position, and the saddle sufficiently long, so as to be about a couple of inches clear of the back of the rider's seat. The right position of the upper crutch and leaping head can be determined only by experi- ment. If the tree is so short as to allow any undue weight to fall on the cantle, the horse will naturally run the risk of getting a sore back. The height of the upper crutch and the length of the leaping head will vary according to the thickness of limb. We shall see on pages 150 to 152, that the position of the upper crutch which will suit a lady who hooks back her right leg, will not be applicable to one who carries her right foot forward ; and vice versa. A saddle which suits a rider's style of equitation will invariably fit her, if its tree and its crutches are long enough. Hence, if more than one member of a family wants to ride and there is only one horse, a saddle which will fit the biggest will suit all the rest. CRUPPER. The office of a crupper is to prevent the saddle NUMDAHS AND SADDLE-CLOTHS. 57 working forward on the horse's back, which it will not do if the animal is of a proper shape and the girths sufficiently tight, hi ancient days, when riding-horses were more rotund than they are now, and saddles were not so well made, cruppers were generally used, but within the last forty years they have gone entirely out of fashion. A crupper is not to be despised in out-of- the-way parts abroad, when we have to ride animals of all sorts and sizes, and when we have only one saddle. NUMDAHS AND SADDLE-CLOTHS. As the principles which regulate the use of these appliances with cross saddles are the same as those with side saddles, I cannot do better than give the following extract from Riding and Htinting, with one or two additions : " Saddle-cloths are generally made of felt, and their primary object is to prevent the panel from soaking up sweat and becoming thereby soiled and more or less spoiled. The term numdah or numnah, which is applied to felt saddle-cloths, is derived from a Hindustani word that signifies 'felt.' A saddle-cloth should be as thin as efficiency in serving its purpose will allow it to be, so that it may give as little play as possible to the saddle. Although the fitting of the saddle should as far as practicable be limited to the adjustment of the shape of the tree and to regulating the amount of stuffing in the panel ; the use of a numdah with a saddle which does not fit the horse or which is not sufficiently 5-> O a; o V I C c3 o tL FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 281 in (U T3 O T3 JH rt O O tJO FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 283 O o C > c u M t/3 5m FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 285: FExNCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 287 When hunting in England, gates are hardly ever jumped, for two very good reasons. First, because it would take a Manifesto or a Cloister to neootiate a series of them safely during a long run ; and second, because the habit of leaping gates would be almost certain to unfit a horse for the task of steadily going- through the various phases of opening and shutting these means of ingress and egress. Besides, gates are often in such positions, as regards taking off and landing, that it would be impossible to fly them safely, even if the way were clear of hunting companions, which is seldom the case in large fields. Every horsewoman should remember that nothing is more apt to spoil a horse than allowing a brace of alterna- tive ideas to occupy his mind at the same time. Hence, when a hunter sees a gate during a run, his thoughts should be solely occupied in doing his best to aid his rider to open, get through and shut it, or hold it open, if necessary. Gates, as a rule, may be divided into five-barred gates (Fig. 123) and bridle gates (Fig. 124). Variety in gates is chiefly limited to their form of fastening, which is generally on the left-hand side of the rider when the gate opens towards her (Figs. 125, 126 and 127); and on her right-hand side, when it opens away from her (Fig. 129). In Fig. 125, we see the old-fashioned wooden latch. In Fig. 126, the spring latch has to be pulled towards the hinges of the gate ; and in Fig. 127, away from them. In the double gate shown in Fig. 128, the upper fastening consists of a 288 FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. moveable D ; the lower one being a very common supplementary latch, which in Fig. 129, is cunningly secured by a curved piece of iron that renders the gate impossible to be opened, except by a person on foot. Another form of craft that we sometimes encounter, is an arrangement by which the gate hangs so heavily on its latch, that the would-be passer-through has to lift up the gate before he or she can open it, and often at an expenditure of strength of which many women are incapable. To perform this feat, a rider would of course have to dismount, which would be very awkward, if a lady was by herself. I have met gates of this annoying description on bridle paths on which the public have a right-of-way. A gate is opened either with the hand or hunting crop, the former being more efficient than the latter, if the latch is within reach, which would seldom be the case if the rider was on a tall horse. When the fence at the side of the fastening of a gate is low enough to allow the rider to place her horse's head over it, she usually can, by doing so, open the fastening by whip or hand, draw the gate back or push it forward, as the case may be, and pass through. If the hedge at the side of the fastening Is too high for this to be done, she will have to place herself alongside the gate, with the horse's tail towards the hinges, and then open the latch, by means of the hand (with or without a whip) which is next to the latch. If the gate opens away from her, she may have to push it forward by hand or crop, unless she is on a well instructed animal, who will FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 289 I > o 19 FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 291 Fig. 124. — Bridle gate. ^9 * FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 293 Fig. 125. — Gate with wooden latch. FENCES, COUNTRY AND Gx'\TES. 295 Fig. 126.— Gate with spring latch which has to be drawn back. FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 297 Fig. 127. — Gate with spring latch which has to be pushed forward. FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 299 o Q 00 FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 301 ^d^A F' ¥> •UPS-*.' Fig. 129. — A puzzle in gate-opening. FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES. 303 be always ready to save her this trouble, by pushing the gate open with his breast. If the gate opens towards her, the horse should be so trained, that when she has undone the latch, and has begun to draw the gate towards her, he will turn his hind quarters round (make a pirouette renversde, as the French call it), move his fore quarters a little to one side, so as to get them clear of the gate, and pass through, the moment he sees that his rider has opened the gate sufficiently for him to perform that final manoeuvre. For instance, if a mounted lady wants to get through the gate shown in Fig. 126, she should pull back the latch with her right hand (with or without a whip), and on drawing the gate towards her, the horse should bring his hind quarters round to the left ; move his fore legs a little to the left ; and, if need be, rein back a step or two, so as to be in the proper position to move forward, as soon as he has plenty of room to do so. As a lady has not a leg on each side of her mount, to enable her to turn his hind quarters to whichever side she likes, she will have far more difficulty than a man in teaching a horse these very useful movements. At the same time, when a horse is anxious to get through a closed gate- way, as he will generally be when his head is turned towards his stable, he will very quickly learn how to ably assist his rider in this process. 304 CHAPTER XVI. HUNTING. When ladies began to hunt — Hunt subscriptions — In the field — Cub-hunting — Blood — Coming home — Rider's Physical Condition — Tips and thanks — The Horn — Hirelings — Farmers and Wire — Pilots — Propriety — Falls. WPIEN LADIES BEGAN TO HUNT. Although the hunting field is nowadays graced by the presence of many good horsewomen who ride w^ell to hounds and are capable of taking care of themselves and their mounts, it is only within about the last seventy years that ladies have ridden across country. Mr. Elliott in his book Fifty years of Fox- Jmnting tells us that in 1838 '' Mrs. Lorraine Smith and her two daughters, with Miss Stone from Blis- worth, were the only ladies who hunted then. The Misses Lorraine Smith rode in scarlet bodices and grey skirts. The improved side-saddle was not then invented to enable a lady to ride over fences." We learn from the same writer that in 1841 ''a lady named Miss Nellie Holmes was out, topping the fences like a bird to the admiration of all ; and WHEN LADIES BEGAN TO HUNT. 305 when she came to the brook, over she went. . . . That was the first lady whom I saw go over a country. There is one certainty about ladies, what one does another will do, if it be worth the doing. Very soon others were at the game, and many have played it well since." In a pleasant little book entitled The Young Ladies Eqtiestrian Manual, written by a lady and published in 1838, we read, ''No lady of taste ever gallops on the road. Into this pace the lady's horse is never urged, or permitted to break, except in the field ; and not above one among a thousand of our fair readers, it may be surmised, is likely to be endowed with sufficient ambition and boldness, to attempt the following of hounds." The saddle given in a draw- ing in this book has no leaping head, but the WTiter mentions, as I have previously noted, that movable crutches were being introduced to enable a lady to ride on either side of her horse. The leaping head (p. -iy-i^), third crutch, or third pommel, as it was first called in England, came into use in this country in the forties, and with its aid ladies felt themselves endowed with sufficient ambition and boldness to follow hounds. Captain Elmhirst, writing in 1877, says : "It will, I think, be admitted by everyone that the number of ladies who hunt now is at least tenfold as compared with a dozen years ago," and every year since that was written, has seen a steady increase in the ranks of hunting women. 20 3o6 HUNTING. HUNT SUBSCRIPTIONS. Perhaps it may not be out of place to say something about what a lady should do if she desires to join a hunt and has no menkind to arrange such business matters for her. Every woman who hunts should (and usually does, I believe,) contribute her share of payment towards the sport in which she participates. If a lady is well off, and intends to hunt regularly, she would probably not give less than ^25 ; but the Quorn and some other fashionable hunts lay dow^n no hard and fast rule concerning the amount to be subscribed, which varies according to individual circumstances. The minimum subscription to the Pytchley is ^25 for a man and ^10 for a lady. Lord North, who is Chairman of the Committee of the Warwickshire Hunt, states [The Field, 20th December, 1902), in a very generous manner, that " fox-hunting must never be allowed to become the sport of the rich alone. It is a national sport, and must be open to all — to rich and poor alike." There is, however, a recognised sum which qualifies the donor for hunt membership ; for instance : the Craven minimum subscription, with membership, is ^10; the Crawley and Horsham, 15 guineas; while subscribers of ^25 to the Meynell hunt are privileged to wear the hunt button. In several hunts — Lord Fitzwilliam's, Mr. Bathurst's, the Belvoir, when hunted by the Duke of Rutland, and others — the Master hunts the country at his own IN THE FIELD. 307 expense, subscriptions being accepted only for Covert, Wire, Poultry, or Damage Funds, as the case may be. The Vale of White Horse (Cirencester) requires a subscription from ladies of " £^ per day, per week." Strangers who hunt occasionally with a sub- scription pack where capping is not practised, are expected to contribute towards the Poultry or Damage Fund. In some hunts a cap is taken from non-sub- scribers, from whom a certain fixed sum is expected ; the Essex and Suffolk requires five shillings a day, the Burstow a sovereign, and the Pytchley and Warwickshire two pounds. The usual "field money" in Ireland is half-a-crown. The Blackmore Vale, although a subscription pack, does not fix any sum, but sensibly expects people to subscribe according to the number of horses they keep, and the amount of hunting they do. An old and sound rule is ^5 for each horse. As subscriptions vary in different hunts, the best plan tor a lady who has to arrange her own business matters, is to write to the secretarv of the hunt which she desires to join, and obtain from him the required information. She will find Bailey s Htmting Directory a most useful book of reference. IN THE FIELD. Under this heading, I shall try to give practical advice to those who are commencing their hunting career, and explain several things that I would have liked to have known myself when I first rode to hounds. As we may learn something from the failings of others 20* 308 HUNTING. before entering the expensive school of experience, it would be wise, before we hunt, to study certain com- plaints which experienced hunting men have published anent our sisters in the field. Mr. Otho Paget says : '' I am not one of those who think that women are in the way out hunting, and in my experience I have always considered they do much less harm than the men, but the time when they do sin is at a check. They not only talk themselves, but they encourage men to talk as well, and I have repeatedly seen a woman lead a whole field over ground where the pack intended to cast themselves. The woman, instead of attending to what hounds are doing, enters into a conversation with a man and together they talk on w^ithout paying heed to the damage they may do. My dear sisters, forgive me for calling you to order, but if you would only keep silent when hounds are at fault, and stand quite still, you perhaps might shame your admirers into better behaviour, and thereby be the means of furthering the interests of sport." This rebuke means that when a gallop is suddenly stopped by hounds losing the scent of their fox and being obliged to puzzle out the line, the ladies of the hunt should remain silent, should pull up and not impede the huntsman who will do his best to aid his hounds in recovering the lost scent. Mr. Paget's remark about the lady who led the field over ground where the pack intended to cast themselves, means that the hounds were trying to recover the lost scent without the assistance of the huntsman, but their IN THE FIELD. 309 efforts had been spoiled by the people who rode over the ground and thus foiled the line. It is obvious that to spoil the sport of others in this negligent manner is to cover ourselves with humiliation, and other unbecoming wraps. It must be remembered that hunting, unlike other forms of sport, has no written rules of its own for the guidance of the uninitiated. Every in- dulgence should therefore be shown to the hunting tyro who innocently commits errors ; for in nine cases out of ten it is probable she does so, from ignorance of the unwritten laws which govern the conduct of the experienced hunting man and woman. On this subject Mr. Otho Paget writes : " The lady novice comes in for her share of blame, and though she may not get sworn at, black looks will soon explain the situation. For her I would also crave induloence, and if she becomes a regular offender, you can ask her male friends to tell her in what way she is doing wrong. In whatever way we may treat them, there is no excuse for the novice, male or female, embarking on a hunting career, without having ascertained the customs and observances w^hich are considered neces- sary by those who have had considerable experience. Anyone who comes out hunting without, knowing the rules of the game, is a constant source of danger to those who are near." This is all very true of course ; but the aspiring Diana may well ask " what are these said rules, and where can I obtain them ? " I feel sure that all hunting novices would 3IO HUNTING. greatly appreciate and study an orthodox code of hunting laws, as it would be far pleasanter for a lady to avoid mistakes by their guidance, than to have " her male friends to tell her in what way she is doing wrong," possibly after she has received ''black looks" from the whole of the field. Hunting is a science which has to be learnt, and every game of science should have its published code of regulations, or it cannot be played without grave blunders by those who have to pick it up at haphazard. In justice to my sex it must be allowed that they do not holloa on viewing a fox, a fault that is often committed by men, especially in the Provinces. Colonel Alderson quoting from an old pamphlet on hunting which was reprinted in 1880 by Messrs. William Pollard and Co., Exeter, says: "Gentlemen, keep your mouths shut and your ears open. The fox has broken cover, you see him — gentlemen, gentlemen, do not roar out ' Tally-ho ' ! do not screech horribly. If you do, he will turn back, even under your horses' feet, in spite of the sad and dis- appointed look on your handsome or ugly faces. Do not crack your infernal whips, be silent." Whyte Melville says : *' I do not say you are never to open your mouth, but I think that if the inmates of our deaf and dumb asylums kept hounds, these would show sport above the average and would seldom go home without blood. Noise is by no means a necessary concomitant of the chase, and a hat held up, or a quiet whisper to the huntsman, is IN THE FIELD. 311 of more help to him than the loudest and clearest view holloa that ever wakened the dead, ' from the lungs of John Peel in the morning.' " As this chapter is written with the desire to help the inexperienced huntress, she will, I feel sure, be grateful to the writers who have advised her what not to do, so we will study the next complaint which comes from that experienced sportsman Captain Elmhirst, who describes a hunting run better, I think, than any other writer on the subject. He says : " When ladies cast in their lot with the rougher sex, lay themselves out to share in all the dangers and discomforts incidental to the chase, and even compete for honours in the school of fox-hunting, they should in common fairness be prepared to accept their position on even terms, nor neglect to render in some degree mutual the assistance so freely at their command, and that men in a Leicestershire field so punctiliously afford to each other. The point on which they so prominently fail in this particular is, to speak plainly, their habitual, neglect — or incapacity — at gateways. Given the rush and crush of three hundred people starting for a run and pressing eagerly through a single way of exit — to wit, an ordinary gate swinging easily and lightly, and requiring only that each passer through should by a touch hinder its closing after him or her. Of these three hundred, in all probability thirty are ladies ; and I commit myself to the statement that not more than five of that number will do their share towards preserving 312 HUNTING. the passage for those who follow them. The bulk of them will vaguely wave what they, forsooth, term their hunting-whips towards the returning gate ; while others merely give their mounts a kick in the ribs and gallop onwards, with no look behind at the mis- chief and mortification they have caused. The gate slams, the crowd press on to it, a precious minute or two is lost and scores of people are robbed of their chance in the forthcoming gallop. And yet these are our sisters whose arms and nerves are strong enough to steer an impetuous horse over a most difficult country and who turn away from nothing that we can dare to face. The intense annoyance entailed by a gate being dropped into its intricate fastenings through want of ability or of consideration on the part of the fair Amazon immediately preced- ing him, has brought into the mouth of many a chivalrous sportsman a muttered anathema of the feminine taste for hunting that scarce any other pro- vocation would have availed to rouse. It is only quite of late that a certain number of ladies have supplied themselves with whips at all capable of supporting a gate ; and not many of these can use them even now. I make bold to say that not only every lady who hunts should be armed with a sufficient hunting-crop (with of course a lash to guard against its loss in a gateway), but that no lady ought to deem herself qualified to take her place in the field until she has learned how to use it. Were such a rule adhered to, we should hear none of the sweeping IN THE FIELD. 313 remarks indulged In by sufferers who have over and over again writhed under disappointments, that if inflicted by our own sex, would have quickly called forth direct charges of Inconsiderateness and want of courtesy." From this admonition the tyro may learn two things which will be of great service to her in hunting. First, the necessity of providing herself with a strong hunting crop, which should be sufficiently long and stiff to stop a gate easily, with a good handle to it capable of opening or stopping a gate, and the orthodox thong and lash attached to prevent the whip from falling on the ground if she loses her hold of it at a gateway. Provided with this serviceable crop, a lady, before she appears In the hunting field, should ride through as many different varieties of gates as she can find, and should thoroughly master the art of opening and shutting them herself, and of giving the necessary push with her crop as she passes through for the assistance of imaginary riders behind her. In Leicestershire there are so many bridle roads that a lady may obtain any amount of this practice when hacking. It would be w^ell for her to ride the horses on which she intends to hunt, as she will be teaching them to go steadily through gates while she is perfecting herself in the art of open- ing and shutting them, and her hunters will also learn the important accomplishment of being able to push a gate when it opens from her. She should be .careful to securely shut every gate through ^yhich she may pass, because farm stock are apt to stray through gates which 314 HUNTING. are left open and cause great inconvenience to their owners. If a lady is the last to pass through a gate when hunting, she should always remember to shut it. Men are often far greater culprits than women at gates, apart from their holloaing propensities. Many men seem to regard the sport as provided for them alone, and look upon my sex as being in the hunting field on sufferance. Most of us have met the entirely selfish male who gallops up to a gate, rushes through it and lets it bang behind him, well knowing that a lady is making for the same means of exit, and is only a few lengths away. Considering that women pay for their hunting and are not on the free list, it seems rather superfluous for men to assure them that they do not object to their presence in the hunting field, an announcement which appears in print so often that it sounds like protesting too much. We never hear of hunting- women recording the fact that they do not object to the presence of men : even ladies who carry the horn themselves are free from prejudice in this respect. Hunting men, in assuring us of their dis- tinguished toleration, almost appear to copy each other in their charming manner of expressing that fact. For instance, Whyte Melville says : " Far be it from me to assert that the field is no place for the fair ; on the contrary, I hold that their presence adds in every respect to its charms." Then why does he suggest such a thing ? Captain Elmhirst assures us that he is '' one of those who, far from cavilling selfishly IN THE FIELD m oo at their presence, heartily admit the advantages direct and indirect in their participating in a pursuit in which we men are too often charged with allowing ourselves to be entirely absorbed." Mr. Otho Paget says : " I am not one of those who think that women are in the way out hunting, and in my experience I have always con- sidered they do much less harm than the men." Nice, truthful man, and great favourite as he deserves to be. The celebrated Beckford appropriately gives as a frontispiece, in his TJiottghts on Hunting, a portrait of Diana, the goddess of hunting, having her sandals girded on for the chase, and explains the picture by saying : " You will rally me perhaps on the choice of my frontispiece ; but why should not hunting admit the patronage of a lady ? The ancients, you know, invoked Diana at setting out on the chase, and sacri- ficed to her at their return ; is not this enough to show the propriety of my choice .'^ " How much nicer the ancients must have been than many moderns are ! They often provoke poor Diana when setting out for the chase, and sacrifice her to their bad tempers on their return ! According to Jorrocks, hunting men must be vainer than we are, for we do not wear pink. That great sportsman found that " tw^o-thirds of the men wot come out and subscribe, wouldn't do so if they had to ride in black ! " Another admonition which should receive the serious attention of the hunting tyro comes from Whyte Mel- ville, who says : " Now I hope I am not going to express a sentiment that w^ill offend their prejudices 3i6 HUNTING. and cause young women to consider me an old one, but I do consider that in these days ladies who go out hunting ride a turn too hard Let the greatest care be taken in the selection of their horses ; let their saddles and bridles be fitted to such a nicety that sore backs and sore mouths are equally impossible, and let trustworthy servants be told off to attend them during the day. Then, with everything in their favour, over a fair country fairly fenced, why should they not ride on and take their pleasure ? "But even if their souls disdain to follow a regular pilot (and, I may observe, this office requires no little nerve, as they are pretty quick on a leader when he gets down), I would entreat them not to try ' cutting out the work,' as it is called, but rather to wait and see at least one rider over a leap before they attempt it themselves What said the wisest of kings concerning a fair woman without discretion ? We want no Solomon to remind us that with her courage roused, her ambition excited, all the rivalry of her nature called into play, she has nowhere more need of this judicious quality than in the hunting field." Possibly the writer was thinking of two rival Dianas who ride to cut each other down, and who are a nuisance and danger to the entire field. One, if not both of them, has generally to be picked up as the result of this jealous riding. As it is in Leicestershire that many of our finest horsewomen may be seen, I would strongly recom- mend the lady who has done some preliminary hunting IN THE FIELD. 317 o 1-r O IN THE FIELD. 319 with harriers, can ride well, and who is supplied with suitable hunters which she can thoroughly control, to learn to hunt in that country. She will there get the best possible instruction in hunt discipline and see the game correctly played, which is far better for her than graduating in a country where people ride to holloas, where the Master is unable to control his field, and where hounds are interfered with in their work by ignorant or careless sportsmen. Besides, if she made her debjlt in a countrv^ which is badly hunted, she would learn a great deal that she would have to unlearn. If she should ever desire to hunt in Leicestershire. A Leicestershire field may be divided Into four classes : the first flight people who show the way, ride com- paratively straight and require no lead ; the second flighters, who use the first flighters as their skirmishers and follow them as straight as they can ; the third flighters (to which class the hunting tyro ought to belong while getting to know the country), who ride through gates and gaps and over small fences ; and the fourth flighters, or macadamisers, who, like Jorrocks, "are 'ard riders, because thev never leave the 'ard road." The lady who is a capable horsewoman, which I need hardly say she ought to be before she attempts to hunt in any country, should, if she wishes to ride In Leicestershire, get as much practice as possible over ridge and furrow (Fig. 130), in order that she may be able to gallop easily and comfortably over it when hunting ; for those who are unaccustomed to deep 320 HUNTING. ridge and furrow are apt to tire themselves and their horses unnecessarily. The lines of snow in Fig. 131 show the presence of ridge and furrow in the distance. As it is requisite for a lady to know how to ride on the flat and over fences, it is equally important that she should obtain all the practice she can in negotiating difficult ground, so that the hunting- field may have no unpleasant surprises in store for her. A very steep incline will stop many people. There is one in the North Cheshire country, near Church Min- shull I think, which is like riding down the side of a house to get to the valley below. The passage from the high ground to the Belvoir Vale is also quite steep enough to give us pause. The best and safest way to ride dow^n such places is for the rider to lean back and take her horse very slowly and perfectly straight down the incline. He should never be taken sideways ; because if he makes a mistake and his hind quarters are not under him, he will be very liable to roll over on his rider. If he is kept perfectly straight and misses his footing, he will try to save himself by putting his weight on his hind quarters, and will pro- bably find himself sitting on his haunches until he recovers his balance. The rider, by leaning back, removes weight from his forehand and is prepared for any mistake he may make. She should remember to lower her head in passing under trees and not hurry her mount In the least, even though she may see the whole field streaming away from her In the valley below. In going up hill, if the ascent be very steep, the rider IN THE FIELD. 321 o E 5 ro tX) 21 IN THE FIELD. 323 would do well to lean forward and catch hold of her horse's mane, if he has one, or of the breastplate, so as to avoid letting her weight make the saddle slip, and also to put her weight well forward and thus assist the horse. She should let him take a zigzag course, and should on no account interfere with his head by pulling on the reins. We may notice that a waggoner with a heavy load always takes his horse in a zigzag direction up a steep hill, as it is easier for the animal, and allows him occasional intervals for rest, if necessary. We should ride slowly and save our mount as much as possible on such occasions. When we go a-hunting we should not forget to provide ourselves with a pocket-handkerchief of a useful size ; for a dab of mud on the face is a common occurrence. Our noses and often our eyes require ** mopping " on a cold day, and as the small square of lace bedecked or embroidered cambric which usually does duty as a handkerchief, is totally unable to meet the various calls made upon it, it is ridiculously out of place. If a watch is needed, it is most conveniently carried in a leather wristlet made for the purpose, as it can then be consulted at any moment, by merely raising the hand, without having to fumble for a watch-pocket. I must not omit mention of the necessary flask and sandwich case, which are generally given into the charge of the second horseman ; but if a one- horse lady goes home at the change of horses, she will not require a *' snack." 21* 324 HUNTING. As one of the first principles of hunting is to spare both ourselves and our horses any unnecessary fatigue, a lady should, if possible, always drive to the meet, or go by rail. If she has to ride, she should undertake no distance beyond ten miles. I have ridden twelve, but I think that is too far. If she rides her hunter, she should take him quietly, alternating the pace between a walk and a slow canter on the soft side of the road, the orthodox pace being six miles an hour. She should trot as little as possible, in order to avoid the risk of giving her mount a sore back ; for trotting, if she rises in the saddle, is the pace most likely to cause trouble in this respect. On arriving at the meet, she should never neglect the precaution of having her girths tightened as may be required, for her horse will have thinned down somewhat from exercise, and the girths will allow of another hole or two being taken up. One of the most fruitful causes of sore back is occa- sioned by thoughtlessly hunting on a horse which is slackly girthed up, as the friction of the saddle will soon irritate the back, with the result, generally, of a swelling on the off side of the withers, and on the off side of the back, near the cantle. I wish to draw par- ticular attention to the necessity of tightening the girths of a side-saddle, even when a horse has been led to a meet ; because I have found from long experience of riding young horses with tender backs, as well as hunters in hard condition, that, given the most perfectly- fitting saddle, trouble will arise sooner or later if this precaution is neglected. Some ladies are so careful IN THE FIELD. 325 about the fit of their saddles, that they have a separate saddle for each of their hunters. I know of a lady who has fourteen hunters so equipped. When hounds move off to covert, a lady should be sufficiently watchful to secure a good place in the procession, as it sometimes happens that a field is kept waiting in a road or lane while a covert is being drawn, and, if she be at the tail end of it, she will get a bad start. In taking up her position she should, of course, be careful not to interfere with others. Mr. Otho Paget gives the following good advice, which we should all endeavour to follow : '* When we go a-hunting, I think we should forget all the petty squabbles with our neighbours, and meet for the time on terms of cordiality. Anything approaching a quarrel will spoil the day's sport for you. Everyone should try to be genial and good-tempered, so that, even if there is only a moderate run, you return home feeling happier for the exercise and the good fellowship. There are many things to try one's temper in the hunting field, when every- body is excited, but one should control one's feelings and be invariably courteous in speech. You should apologise, even when you think you are in the right, for the other man may be equally certain he is in the right, and it would be difficult to say who was in the wrong. At the same time, when a man apologises and is evidently sorry, you ought to accept his apologies in a kindly spirit, even though he has jumped on the small of your back." It is almost superfluous, perhaps, to tender advice of this kind to my gentle sex. 326 HUNTING. but still, sometimes — very rarely, of course — we find ourselves uttering impatient remarks in the excitement of the chase, which we feel, on mature reflection, that we would have preferred to have left unsaid. A lady will require to keep a very clear head when the fox breaks covert and the huntsman sounds the well- known "Gone away," which is the signal to start. In a field of three or four hundred horsemen and women all galloping off at once with a whiz like the sound of a flock of startled birds, there must be neither hesita- tion nor recklessness on the part of the young Diana, who should ride with discretion and judgment in order to steer clear of danger, especially at the first fence. There are generally a few left on the wrong side of it, and the chances are that there will not be so great a crowd at the next one. At the start, a judicious use of the curb will doubtless be necessary for keeping an excited hunter under control, and allowing the rider in front plenty of room to jump and get clear away from his fence. When horses have settled down to the required pace, which will be regulated by the hounds and according to scent, a lady should ride on the snafile, keep her hands in a steady fixed position, as low down as comfortable, and should maintain a good look out in front of her, so that she may, after jumping into one field, see the shortest and best way into the next. Jorrocks speaks truly in saying " to 'unt pleasantly two things are necessary — to know your 'oss and know your own mind. . . . Howsomever, if you know your horse and can depend upon him, so as to be sure IN THE FIELD. 327 he will carry you over whatever you put him at, 'ave a good understanding with yourself before you ever come to a leap, whether you intend to go over it or not, for nothing looks so pusillanimous as to see a chap ride bang at a fence as though he would eat it, and then swerve off for a gate or a gap." If there is a crowd at the only practicable place in a fence, a lady must wait her turn, and should her horse refuse, she must at once give place to any rider who may be behind her, and wait until her turn comes again before having a second attempt to clear the obstacle. As precious time is lost by refusing horses, it is generally wiser if possible to find some other means of exit than to argue with a refuser. Remember that there is alw^ays a gate which can be opened, near a haystack, as the farmer places his hay where he can easily get at it (Fig. 132). A lady should save her horse as much as possible, jump only when she is obliged, for hunting is not steeple- chasing, and try to keep within sight of hounds. She should remember to shut any gate she may use, and to carefully avoid riding over winter beans, wheat, clover, roots, turnips, or any crops, or ground newly sown with seed. A lady should take a pull at her horse when going over ploughed land or down-hill in order to keep him well collected, and should always ride slowly over ground that is deep and holding, if she values her hunter's soundness. Ladies who know every fence and covert in a country have a great advantage over strangers, because 328 HUNTING. foxes frequently make a point from one covert to another, and experienced hunting women will generally have a good idea where they are going. Like Surtees' Michael Hardy, they know their country and the runs of its foxes. There are people that have hunted in Leicestershire all their lives, who manage to keep comparatively near hounds and see good sport without jumping a single fence. They know the country, gener- ally ride to points, and act as admirable pilots to the uninitiated. I owe them a deep debt of gratitude for showing me the way, when I rode young horses who were getting their tirst lessons in hunting. Croppers never came to me under their wise guidance, but only when tempted by the keenness and excitement of my over-sanguine youngster, I essayed lepping experiments which were not always successful. A lady should never put her mount at a fence which she is not certain he is able to jump, for it is better to be a coward than a corpse, and even if she is pounded and loses a run, both she and her horse have plenty more good hunting days in store. Some hunters will refuse a fence at which they see the horse in front of them come to grief, and as it is only natural that any horse with brains should feel more or less frightened at such times, his rider should sympathise with him and encourage him to make an effort, in much the same way as we would coax a child to take a dose of medicine. Few horses like jumping. Whoever saw animals at liberty larking over fences from sheer delight in leaping ? It takes IN THE FIELD. 329 a G •<■ •J CI CO IN THE FIELD. 331 a deal of time and patience to make a good fencer, although, of course, some horses learn the art much more quickly than others. Although few horses enjoy jumping, they, luckily for us, detest falling, and I feel sure that if people would only leave their mouths alone and regard the use of the curb at fences as a death-trap, we should hear of far fewer falls in the hunting field. Captain Elmhirst truly says : ''Horses are very sage at saving themselves and consequently you. They care little for the coward on their back ; but for their own convenience they won't fall if they can help it." To prove this I may relate the following interesting and instructive fact : Some years ago I was giving, at Ward's Riding School, Brompton I^oad, London, practical demonstrations of riding over fences without reins, my husband driving on foot a horse which he had taught to jump, with the long reins. When my part of the show ended, a single pole was raised to a height of five feet, and Gustave, which was the name of this amiable grey horse, was asked to go and jump that fence by himself. He was allowed only a short run at it, as the school is not a large one, but in his desire to obey orders he would canter up to the pole, and if he considered that he had misjudged his correct distance for taking off, he would go back of his own accord and take another run at it. My husband was as much surprised as I was when we first saw the horse do this, as we had not credited him with so much intelligence. Therefore, when I hear people 332 HUNTING. talking about "lifting" and ''assisting" horses over their fences, I cannot help thinking that if they lifted themselves off their backs they would see how much better horses are able to jump without their assistance. Many of my readers doubtless saw the Grand National of 1900, and how poor Hidden Mystery, who, after he had fallen and had unshipped his rider, jumped the fences with safety to himself and the field. Such sights must show how necessary it is lor us to interfere as little as possible with our horses when riding them over fences. If most horses dislike jumping, it is certain that they love hunting and will exert every effort to keep in touch with hounds. Those who doubt this should ride a young horse, and note how anxious he is to try and keep with hounds and how, with the fearlessness of ignorance he would charge any fence and probably kill both himself and his rider, if he were permitted to urge on his wild career. Blow a hunting horn near a stable where there are hunters, and then listen to the snorting, kicking and excitement which your action has aroused ; but it is unwise to repeat the experi- ment, for the chances are that the excited war horses inside may do some damage in their frantic efforts to get out and follow the music. Watch farmers' horses loose in a field when hounds are in the vicinity, and you will see them careering madly up and down, as if they too would like to join in hunting the fox, although their avocation in life dooms them to the placid work of drawing a plough or heavy cart. As IN THE FIELD. 333 in horses so in men, and those who possess the sport- ing instinct will run many miles in the hope of catching a glimpse of a hunt, even though they may never be able to follow hounds on horseback. These foot people are not welcomed in any hunting field, but there is no denying that they are keen on the sport, or they would not tire themselves as they do, in their efforts to see something of it. Jorrocks says: "I often thinks, could the keen foot-folks change places with the fumigatin' yards o' leather and scarlet, wot a much better chance there would be for the chase ! They, at all events, come out from a genuine inclina- tion for the sport, and not for mere show sake, as too many do." If a lady has the misfortune to own a hunter who, on refusing a fence, shows an inclination to rear on being brought up to it again, my advice would be to sell him, as rearing is of all equine vices the most dangerous, and a woman in a side-saddle is unable to slip off over the tail of a horse who is standing on his hind legs, a feat I have seen accomplished by men. Besides, a horse who will try to rear at a fence instead of jumping it, will be sure to revert to the same form of defence, whenever the will of his rider does not coincide with that of his own. It is very unwise to lend a hunter to anyone who is not a thoroughly good rider. I had in Calcutta a clever Australian horse which I used to ride in the paper- chases that are run over a "made" course. He had never refused or made the slightest mistake with 334 HUNTING. me until I lent him to a friend. When I again rode the horse, he refused with me at the first fence. I spoke to him, took him again at It and he jumped it, but I had a similar difficulty at another obstacle, and was entirely out of the chase. I was subse- quently told by those who knew the horse that the man to whom I had lent him was very noisy, had cut the animal about with his whip, and had treated the surprised onlookers to scenes with him at every fence. The horse had a light snaffle mouth, and would quickly resent any undue interference with it. It is unwise, also, to lend a hunter to even an expert rider, if he or she is afflicted with a bad temper. I heard of a case of a brilliant hunter beino- lent to an accomplished horsewoman who returned him after a day's hunting with large wheals on his body, showing how cruelly she had used her whip on him. The lady to whom the animal belonged was greatly distressed on seeing the condition of her favourite hunter, who was one of the best that ever crossed Leicestershire. A whip, as I have said, should never be used with the object of Inflicting pain, but as an "aid." It is a good plan to always give a hunter a touch with the whip when sending him at an excep- tionally big fence, as a reminder that he must exert his best efforts ; but in order that the horse may thoroughly understand its meaning, it should be used only at stiff fences ; the touch should not be so severe as to hurt him, and should be given on his off flank. A horse must bring his quarters to the right before he IN THE FIELD. 335 can run out to the left, and a touch on the off flank will help to keep him straight. If a lady finds herself on dangerous or difficult ground, as for instance, land intersected with rabbit holes, her best plan will be to slacken the pace into a trot or walk, if necessary, and leave the rest to her horse, who will do his best to keep a firm footing. Parts of the South African veldt are dangerous to ride over because of meerkat holes, but the horses in that country are marvellously clever in avoiding them, if they are left alone. Rabbit holes are responsible for many bad accidents in hunting. I was out one day with the Belvoir on a young mare who put her foot into one w^hile going at a smart pace over ridge and furrow. She wrenched off a fore shoe and pecked so badly that I thought she must fall, but I had the sense to lean back and leave her mouth alone, and she ap- peared to save herself with a spare leg at the last moment, recovering her balance by the aid of the ridge which she had breasted. Minus a fore shoe, I had to take her home at a walk, and I smiled to myself when I saw her make a vicious stamp at a rabbit who was in the act of disappearing into another hole. A lady should send her horse at a good pace at a brook (Fig. 133), but not at top speed, as he will not be able to collect himself to take off at a long jump if he is sent at it at full gallop. We may see in jump- ing competitions, especially at the Agricultural Hall, that a clever horse can clear a fair expanse of water when allowed a run of only a few lengths. The water 336 HUNTING. jump at the Richmond Show is placed in such a posi- tion that a horse cannot be given a long run at it, and yet many horses clear it easily. It measures, I believe, about 14 feet, and is so narrow that a horse I once rode over it showed his sense by clearing the width instead of the length, and landing near the stand. I do not think that out hunting it is usual to expect a horse to negotiate a water jump of say over 12 feet in width. Some horses, like some men, possess a special aptitude for jumping width, although they would doubtless be poor performers at height, the style of jumping being entirely different. The hunter who is equally proficient at both styles of fencing, is as rare as he is valuable. Captain Elmhirst records an instance of " a whole Leicestershire field pounded by 12 feet of water," and how the difficulty was at last overcome by a shallow spot being discovered, a rail broken down and the field '' slink pitifully through. How we hug ourselves as we gallop under a railway arch, to find we have bridged a bit of water that would frighten no one outside the vaunted Mid- lands." I believe the reason why the majority of hunting people dislike water is that they do not care to ride fast at it, for fear of being crumpled in a fall. I do not aPTee with the statement that a hard funker o rushes at his fences. Ignorance and enthusiasm may lead people into doing that, but funk oftener than not either pilots them away from fences entirely, or incites them to pull their horses off them, and then abuse the animals for refusing ! When the funky IN THE FIELD. 337 rider does make up his mind to take a jump, he generally lets everybody near know It by the noise he makes, ostensibly to encourage his horse, but in reality to keep his heart in the right place, and not in Fig. 133.— Brook. his mouth.. The ignorant horsewoman, as pointed out by the Duchess of Newcastle, rushes her horse at difficult obstacles, because she is fearless of dangers unknown to her ; but a wholesome fall generally teaches her to temper valour with discretion. If a lady finds herself on a horse which Is pulling too hard 22 338 HUNTING. to be within perfect control, she should stop him as soon as possible and take him home, for very obvious reasons. If there is difficulty in stopping him, the best way is to try and keep him on the turn until he obeys the rein. The presence of a line of pollard willows in the distance (Fig. 134) is a certain sign that a brook is flowing past their roots. In going through woodland country, a lady should be careful to lower her head in passing under trees and to ride slowly. It is essential for her to decide at once the direction which she intends to take, to keep her horse well collected, and not allow him to deviate from it by going the wrong side of a tree or opening, or to take the initiative in any other way. A good horsewoman is seen to great advantage in riding through woodland country. CUB-HUNTING. A lady intending to hunt should obtain as much practice in the cub-hunting season as she possibly can ; for she will be helping to get both herself and her hunters into condition, and, as the season goes on, will gain experience of what fox-hunting will be like. In the early days she must not look forward to having a gallop, for hounds are being taught to hunt and kill a cub in covert, and the most useful service she can render at such times is to stand by the covert side and prevent any foxes from breaking away. I believe that only people who are really fond of hunting take part in CUB-HUNTING. 339 4-' X a in O S-H Ti- ro rl-( 22 * CUB-HUNTING. 34i cubbing, because they must rise at, say, five o'clock in the morning and dress by candle, lamp, or gas-light. When they are ready to ride perhaps a long distance to covert, there is often only sufficient daylight to see with, rain drizzling down steadily and everything looking cheerless. A light meal, if it be only a cup of cocoatina and a slice of bread and butter, should be taken before starting, and if it is wet or threatening, a good rain coat should be worn. Towards the end of September and throughout October there will be galloping and jumping, and often the pace will be fast enough for the condition of both horse and rider, as we may see by steaming animals and flushed faces at the end of a run. I have so greatly enjoyed these cub- hunting runs with their freedom from crowding and crush, that I can heartily endorse the opinion of Cap- tain Elmhirst, who says : " Call it cub-hunting, or call it what you like, there will be few merrier mornings before Xmas than that of the Quorn on the last days of September." It seems like the breaking up of a family party when the cubbing ceases and all the pomp and circumstance of fox-hunting commences. 1 often wonder if people who take no interest whatever in cub- hunting, but who regularly appear on the opening day of the season, really ride to hunt, or hunt to ride ? Jorrocks tells us that, " Some come to see, others to be seen ; some for the ride out, others for the ride 'ome ; some for happetites, some for 'ealth ; some to get away from their wives, and a few to 'unt." Our tyro who is enjoying her cubbing will be wise to take a 42 HUNTING. back place on the opening day of the season, and thus avoid being jostled by the mighty crowd she will see on a Kirby Gate day. She will doubtless find her mount far more excited and difficult to manage than ever before, and will require to exert a good deal of tact and patience in restraining his ambition to catch the fox. The opening day is always the most trying one of the season. All the world and his wife seem to be at the meet. There are people in vehicles of every kind, on foot, on bicycles and tricycles, as well as about four hundred horsemen, and many things happen on this day of crowding and discomfort which must sorely tax the patience of the most angelic tempered Master. A lady who has had a good season at cub hunting, ought to be able to take her place among the third-flight people, where she will gradually gain experience and a knowledge of the country, which will enable her to pass into the second rank, and finally into the first ; but she rhust work her way up by degrees, and remember that no one can ride safely over Leicestershire in the first flight who is not mounted on an accomplished per- former, and is not thoroughly well acquainted with the country. KICKERS AND RED BOWS. Unless a lady is perfectly certain that her mount will not lash out at hounds, she should keep well away from them, and should never ride into a covert where they are. I once had a mare of this description who never kicked horses, but who would KICKERS AND RED BOWS. 343 try to get a sly kick at even our own wow-wows during a hacking ride. We had some foxhound puppies at walk, but I never allowed her to get near them, and our own dogs got so artful that they always managed to evade her kicks. I do not believe that mare would ever have been safe with hounds, so I took good care to give her no opportunity of disgracing the pair of us in the hunting field. In every other respect she was most amiable. As there are inconsiderate people who ride kickers, a lady should carefully avoid getting near a horse whose tail is adorned with a red bow. If this is impossible, and it often is in crowds, she should try and keep to the left of the kicker, so that if he lashes out he may not be able to break her legs. Scrutator in his book on FoxJmnting points out that "the risks men encounter in the chase are great enough without being subjected to the chance of having their legs broken by a bad-tempered brute at the covert side." I once had the misfortune to see a man's leg broken by a vicious kicker in Leicestershire. Another case happened while I was in Cheshire, and yet these dangerous be-ribboned animals can still be seen in almost every hunting field. We must here draw a sharp line of distinction between horses which kick from vice, and those, especially young ones full of corn and short of work, which throw up their heels from exuberance of spirits. Many mares, particularly in springtime, are apt to kick from causes which I need not discuss. Hence, geldings are more free from this baneful habit 344 HUNTING. than their female relations, and are consequently, as a rule, more reliable mounts. Great care should be observed in gradually accustoming a young horse to placidly bear the excitement of being surrounded by a large number of his equine companions, and he should thoroughly learn this part of his education before he is required to quit the outskirts of the field, and take his place as a hunter. This preliminary training of course comes under the heading of breaking and not of hunting. A young horse " turned out " in the open, not unfre- quently gives a companion a playful kick, which very seldom inflicts any injury, because it has no " venom " in it, and the hoof that administers the tap is unshod. I have even seen mares with a foal at foot, give the young one a slight push with the hind hoof, to make him get out of the way. The motives of such taps are of course entirely different from the dangerous malevo- lence that prompts a confirmed kicker to " lash out " at horse or man who comes within striking distance. We should bear in mind that a touch behind is very apt to provoke a kick, whether of the vicious, playful or get- out-of-the-way kind. Hence a rider should always be careful never to allow her horse's head to touch the hind quarters of an animal in front, which is a pre- caution that is of special application in crowds of pulled-up horses. Also, on such occasions, she should keep him straight and should prevent him from reining back. Any man or woman who knowingly rides a kicker in a large hunting field, is guilty of disgraceful conduct ; because it is impossible for everyone to get BLOOD. 345 out of reach of this bone-breaker's heels, during the frequent stoppages which occur out hunting. Some persons have a red bow put on their animal's tail, or they place a hand at the small of their back, with the palm turned to the rear, as a sly device to get more elbow-room in crowds. It is evident that such artful tricks are unworthy of imitation. BLOOD. With full consideration of the importance of blood for making hounds keen, I must say that the digging out of foxes is a phase of hunting that I greatly dislike to witness. I do not think that any writer has put this question more fairly than Captain Elmhirst, who says: — "We must grant that hounds are glad to get hold of their fox ; but we cannot grant that it is at all necessary that they should do so. In a well-stocked country he must be a very bad huntsman who cannot find them blood enough by fair killing ; while in a badly stocked one it is very certain you cannot afford wanton bloodshed. Moreover, it is almost an allowed fact that hounds w^ell blooded in the cub-hunting season do not require it to any extent afterwards ; and many authorities maintain that a good ' flare up ' of triumph and excitement over the mouth of an earth is just as effectual and satisfactory to hounds as an actual worry. '* And what do the field think of it ? They hate and abominate it, each and every one of them. They neither sympathise with the feeling that prompts the act, nor hold with the expediency of its commission. 346 HUNTING To them It represents no pleasure, and certainly coincides with none of their notions of sport. They would find much greater fun In seeing rats killed In a barn, and derive from the sight a much higher sense of satisfaction. Condemned, probably, to stand about In the cold, unwilling witnesses of what they heartily detest, they spend the time In giving vent to their annoyance and contempt. . . . Finally, fox-digging, in the sense we refer to. Is a crying enormity, a disgrace to a noble sport, and should be put down as rigorously as vivisection." Tearing a poor fox to pieces Is a sight which very few women would care to watch, except those manly ones who take a delight in killing wild animals them- selves. Such persons would be able to look unmoved at a bullock being pole axed, without losing a particle of their appetite for a cut off his sirloin. COMING HOME. We are accustomed to associate hunting with pleasant runs ; but there are days when covert after covert is drawn blank and a fox not found until late. Sometimes, but very rarely, we have an entirely blank day. A lady with only one hunter out should use her own judgment about participating in a late run. A great deal would depend on the distance the animal has travelled and the length of the journey home. Some people ignorantly Imagine that a hunter should be kept out until he has had a run, unless the day proves entirely blank, however tired he may be. If it is necessary for people who stay COMING HOME. 347 out all day to ride second horses, it is equally important that the one-horse lady should know when her mount has had enough. It is always a safe plan for her to retire at the "change of horses"; for there is no pleasure in continuing to hunt on a tired animal, and there is certainly danger in so doing. Old-time sportsmen were content with one horse a day. " Scrutator " tells us that in the time of Mr. Meynell *' it was not the fashion to have second horses in the field." If I may express an opinion, I think that many ladies are inclined to regard horses as machines, and expect too much from them. This is probably due to that unfortunate saying "as strong as a horse," estimating the standard of mechanical power as " horse power," and so forth. I have no doubt that our domestic cat would dislike the person who said that cats have nine lives. A horse is, in reality, by no means as strong as many of us imagine, and his legs are a continual source of anxiety. Ladies who hunt should get a veterinary book, preferably Vetei'inary Notes fo7' Horse-owners, and when they have read it through, they will not be likely to overtax the powers of their hunters. I once saw in an old Graphic a picture of Lady Somebody's mare which that worthy dame had ridden to death. The animal had, it was explained, gone brilliantly with her ladyship that clay and had fallen dead w^hile passing through a village. The artist had drawn the poor mare stretched out, surrounded by an inquisitive field, and the owner posed as the heroine of a great achievement, instead of 348 HUNTING. one who had rendered herself liable to prosecution for cruelty to animals. I feel sure that no woman would knowingly commit such a heartless action. When a horse begins to show signs of distress, his rider should instantly pull up, and, if necessary, walk him quietly home. His " state of condition " should always be taken into account at such times. The hurried and distressed state of a horse's breathing, and his laboured action, are sure signs to the experienced horsewoman that the animal has had enough. To persons who know little or nothing about horses, the fact of their usually free- going mount ceasing to go up to his bridle and to answer an encouraging shake of the reins or touch of the whip, are valuable indications that he should be pulled up, either into a trot or walk. If he is in hard condition, a respite from exertion, for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, will make him all right for another gallop, which should be given with due circumspection. If the horse is not in thorough galloping condition he should be taken home at a quiet walk. Keeping a horse standing, especially in a cold wind, after a fatiguing run, is not an unfrequent means of giving the animal congestion of the lungs. A wise woman will take care of a good hunter, for such animals are not easy to replace, and, as Jorrocks says, " We know what we 'ave, but we don't know what we may get." If a lady intends to ride her hunter home, it would greatly conduce to his comfort, and possibly her own, especially if she has been several hours in the saddle, to dismount for, say, a quarter of an hour, have her COMING HOME. 349 horse quietly led about, and then ride him home at a walk. If she is using a second horse, it is always wise to get her second horseman to take the saddle off her first horse and rub his back well with the hand, especially at the off side of the withers and of the back, under the cantle, in order to restore the circula- tion of the part before taking him home. The animal ought to be given an opportunity of refreshing himself by drinking at a brook or trough on his homeward way. No harm can arise from a horse drinking cold water when at work, however hot he may be, if his exercise be continued at a slow pace for a short time. A lady's hunter should always be examined, if possible by his mistress, or by one of the male members of her family, on his return from a day with the hounds, and his back and legs should receive special attention. The chief accidents which are liable to happen by such work, are sprains of tendons and ligaments below the knees, over-reaches, cuts, punctures from thorns, and injuries from the saddle. It is not within the province of this book to deal with such subjects, and few ladies would go through the bother of studying them. Nevertheless, there are some exceptions, as we may see by the comparatively large number of lady doctors, and by the fact that only the narrow-minded policy of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons prevented Miss Custance, who had studied at the Edinburgh New Veterinary College, from obtaining her diploma, to which she was fully entitled by her scientific attain- 350 HUNTING. ments and practical experience. Those of my readers who wish to understand the treatment of horses In health and disease, cannot do better, as far as books are concerned, than to study my husband's Stable Management and Exercise, and Veterinary Notes for Horse-owners. One point about the examination of a hard-ridden hunter which is within the comprehension of even an Inexperienced girl, Is the detection and proper treatment of lumps on his back which have been produced during the ride by hurtful pressure of the saddle, and which almost always appear on the off side of the withers, and on the off side of the back, near where the cantle rested. If these swellings be neglected, they will probably become developed Into abscesses, which will Incapacitate the animal from work for a month or longer. An admirable way of treating them, as soon as the saddle Is removed. Is to pour some whiskey, brandy or other spirit Into the hollow of the hand, apply It to the lump, and rub the swelling briskly with the palm of the hand for at least five minutes. I have often seen a large swelling of this kind visibly decrease In size during this process, which, in the many cases I have witnessed, always caused the lump to disappear by the following morning. In applying this form of niassage, no delay should occur, after removing the saddle, which should always be taken off the moment the animal returns to his stable, and his back well rubbed with the hand or with a dry whisp of straw RIDER'S PHYSICAL CONDITION. 351 or hay. When entrusting the carrying out of this treatment to the groom, care should be taken that the spirit is administered externally to the horse, and not internally to the man. If spirit be not available, careful friction with the palm of the hand will gene- rally be sufficient to ensure the desired result. This treatment should not be applied, if the skin over the part is broken, for in that somewhat rare case the friction would irritate the wound. rider's physical condition. The young or old Diana, especially if she is not in hard riding condition, is very apt to get rubbed, generally by the cantle of the saddle. If the skin is cut, a dry dressing of tannoform, which is a powder that can be got from a chemist, will be found a good and speedy remedy ; and is also useful for cuts in horses. It would be injudicious to ride again, or to have an injured hunter ridden again, until such an abrasion has healed. It is essential for a lady who intends to hunt, to be able to ride a fast gallop without becoming " blown." Some hunting ladies do preparatory work cubbing or with the Devon and Somerset Staghounds. Those who are obliged to forego these pleasant methods of ''getting fit," would do well to get into fairly good condition by long walks or bicycle rides. I would warn my young readers that all fast exercise should be taken gradually and in moderation, and that they should never disregard symptoms of fatigue ; 352 HUNTING. because when muscles are tired, they are unable to act with strength and precision. TIPS AND THANKS. We should always remember to carry some small change in our pockets to be given as tips to gate- openers and any poor persons whose services we accept. And now, gentle ladies, let me remind you never to forget to render thanks to every person, gentle or simple, who may, by the performance of some kindly act, have helped to contribute towards your day's enjoyment. We should also try to be as useful as possible to each other ; for we all admire that " nice pleasant woman " who, instead of attempting to hold us up to ridicule if our "back hair" is falling down, or anything has happened which ruffles our appearance, rides up and quietly brings the fact to our notice. I have heard female voices audibly ''picking holes" in a lady's mount, which is very unkind ; for their poorer sister was doubtless riding the best horse she could get, and the hearing of such rude remarks may entirely spoil her day's pleasure. THE HORN. Mr. J. Anstruther Thompson in his most instructive book, Hints to Huntsmen, gives the following horn notes and explanation of their meaning. Ladies who intend to hunt should study the music of the horn in order that they may understand what hounds are doing THE HORN. 353 in covert (Fig. 135), and be ready to start off as soon as they hear the recognised signal. " To call hounds on when drawing a covert." zs; " A prolonged swelling note to call them away." rj f^ r_j " A long single note when all are away." 32: u A double note when on a scent (called doubling the horn)." g < ■ p # zziz "Two short notes and a long one for ' Gone away 3 jj -a p ''^ -# # ZZ^, 341, 345- Emigrant, 458. Emperor Paul, 393. Eiicyclopcedia Londinensis, 430. Esa bin Curtis, 21. Essex and Suffolk, 307. Esther Waters, 422. External parts, names of, 465-473 311, ;i4, FALLS, 376-380. Fane, Lady Augusta. 1 79. Farmers, 248, 249, 357-373, 397. ,, , Compensation to, 373. 5, Committee, 373. ,, daughters, 362. Feet, care of the, 436. Fence, riding up to, 241. Fences, 248. ,, , " made," 219. ,, , natural, 224. Fenn, Mr., 391. Fetlock, 466. Field, in the, 307. Field, The, 306. Fillis, Mr. Frank, 168. ,, , Mr. James, 118. Firr, Tom, 247, 387. First Lessons, 3. Flask, 323. Fleming, Dr. G., 23, 24. Flirting, 375. Flock, 32. Foot " home," 150. Ford, Mr., 34, 40. Fordham, George, 180. Fore-arm, 468. Forehead, 468. Forehead-band, 74. Foxhounds in India, 387. Foxhunting, 343, 354. France, 16. Franciscan, 378. Freddie, 18, 19, 424. Freeman, 378. "Frivol," 375. Frog of hoof, 465. Front, 74. Frost, praying for, 245. "Funking," 450, 451. GALWAY, 269, 450. Gallop, 206. Garsault, 430. Garth, Mr., 384, Gaskin, 471. Gates, 248, 287-303, 312, 313. Geldings, 343. Germans, 391. Germany, 16. Girls riding, 4, 5. Girth place, 469. Girths, 51-53. " Give and take," 163. Gloucestershire, 361. Gloves, 120. "Gone away," 326. Gowlasher, 424. Grafton, 246. Grand National, 332. Graphic, The, 347. Grip, 148, 149. ^ Gullet plate, 27. Gustave, 3, 183, 331. 478 INDEX. HABITS, 89-110. Habit-shy^ 440. Hackamore, 87. Hacking, 227. Hacks, 16-20. Hair, management of, 115, 116. Halt, the, 188. Hames, Mr. Sam, 354. Hamstring, 470. Hancock's bit cover, 77. Handkerchiefs, 323. Hands, 160. ,, steady, keeping, 163. Harding, Miss, 210, 269. Harrington, Lord, 179. Hat-guards, 114. Hats, 113. ,, for the tropics, 115. Hayes' safety skirt, 94. Haystacks, 329. " Head," 70, 74. „ , near, 30. Head-stall, 70, 74, Heavy land, 367. Heels, 465. Height at croup, 473. ,, of horse, 472. Henry, Colonel, 358, 361, 372. Hidden Mystery, 332. High School Riding, 181. Hints to Htintsnien, 352. Hip, point of the, 470. Hirelings, 452. Hock, 470. Holloaing, 310. Home, coming, 346. Hoof, 465. Hooked-back seat, 151, 154. Hook for stirrup-leather, 38, 39. Horn, the, 352. Hornsby, Mrs., 371. Horse, talking to, 229, 230. Horse-breaking classes, 166. ,, ,, tours, 458. Horses for ladies, 8. ,, , buying, 423. Hospitality, 381. Hot countries, jackets for, 108. Hwnerti.s^ 469. Hunt balls, 365, 366. Hunter, height of, 12. Hunters, Australian, 8. ,, , Leicestershire, 8-16. Hunting, 395, 399. ,, abroad, 381. ,, ties, 122. „ whips, 312, 313. „ women, 4, 5. ILL USTRA TED HORSE-BREAK- ING, 234, 417. India, 92, 381, 382, 432, 449, ,, -rubber mouth-piece cover, 77. Ireland, 307, 394, 450. Italian remounts, 390. JACKEROO, MISS NEIL'S, 11. Jackets for hot countries, 108. Jameson Raid, 391. Japan, 108. Jaw, angles of lower, 468. Jibbing, 440. Jorrocks, 120, 244, 315, 326, 333, 341, 348, 357, 424. Jugular groove, 469. Jumping, 209, 449-454- ,, competitions, 168, 183. ,, without reins, 236. KAISER AND KAISERIN, 392. Keeper of whip, 174. Kennel coat, 402. Kent, 249. Kickers, 10, 11, 12, 342-245. Kicking, 455. Kindness to horses, 414. Knee-pad, 99. King-King, Captain, 376. Kirby Gate, 342. LADIES IN THE FIELD, 383, 393- Laertes, 124. Lash, 173. INDEX. 479 Leading fore leg, 7. Leaning back, 150, 158. Leaping head, 33-36. Left leg, action of, 149. ,, , swerving to the, 146. Legs, position of, 3. Leicestershire, 95, 98, 179, 196, 219, 247, 270, 311, 316, 319, 328, 334, 336, 342, 343, 357, 372, 377, ^78, 395, 428, 461. Length of body, 472. Level-seated saddle, 55, 56. Lz/e of a Foxhound, 400. Ligament, suspensory, 467. Ligaments, 467. Light land, 367. Lions, 168. Little Pedlington, 169. Loins, 470. Loisset, Emilie, 464. Long reins, 233. Lonsdale, Lord, 98, 247. Lord Arthur, 378. Lord Fitzwilliams, 306. Lucknow, 386. Lufra, 183. MACDOUGAL, CAPTAIN "DING," 384. Macklin, Mr., 385, 446, 460. McAndrew, Mr., 387. Magic, 424. Major, 244. Mameluke bit, 390. Manifesto, 287. Marengo, 210. Mares, 343. ,, , docking, 22, 23. Martingale, running, 82-88. ,, , standing, 82, 161. " Mary Anderson," 389, Measuring horses, 20. Meerkat holes, 335. Melton cloth, 89-92. „ Mowbray, 386, 395, 452. Men riding, i. ,, teaching ladies, 2, 4. Meynell, 306. ,, , Mr., 347. Mexico, 428. Michael Hardy, 328. ■ Midlands, 248. Midland stile, 250. Mills, Mr., 400, 405. Milton, Mr., 386. Modern Riding, 33. Mons Meg, 167. Moore, George, 422 ,, , Mr. John Hubert, 82, 163. Motee, 388. Mounting, 125-134. Mouth-piece, cover for, 77. MozufFerpore, 387. Mr. Bathurst's, 306. "Mr. Gladstone," 389. " Mrs. Cornwallis West," 389. " ,, Kendal," 389. " „ Langtry," 389. Murray, Mrs., 384. Muscles, 467. Musician, 165. Muzzle, 468. My Leper Friends, 62. NEAR HEAD, 30. Neckties, 124. Neil's, Jackeroo, Miss, 11. Neilgherry cane, 18. Newcastle, Countess of, 430. , Duchess of, 337, 393. New Zealand, 269. ,, ,, horses, 457. "Niggling," 163. Ninteeiith Century, 23. North Cheshire, 14, 320, 371. ,, , Lord, 306. Nose, 468. Nose-band, cavesson. 443. Nose-bands, 79, 8j. Nostrils, 468. Numdahs, 57-59. OFF CRUTCH, 30. Oriental women, 429. 48o INDEX. Orlov trotters, 425. Oxer, 250. PACE, JUDGING, 374. Paget, Mr. Otho, 246, 247, 308, 309, 3i5> 325, 395. 396, 399- Panel, 32, 33, 57. Panniers, 5. Paperchasing, 382-386. Paris, 392. Pastern, 466. Pasture land, 368. Pat, 17. Patent leather, 118. Pelhams, 78. Pellier, M., 33. Pelvis, 470. Penrhyn, Lord, 247. Pirouette renversec, 303. Pilots, 373. Pith hats, 115. Ploughed land, 327. Points of the tree, 27, Poll, 469. Pollard willows, 338. Pollok, Mr. Arthur, 269. Pommel, 27, 28. Polo, 144, 179. ,, ponies, 16, 17. Posts and rails, 249. Poultry fund, 307. Prancing, 437. Pretoria, 166. Prestonpans, 244. Pulling, 442-448. Puppies, exercise for, 406. ,, , feeding, 398, 402. ,, , judging, 396, 397. ,, , medicine for, 404. ,, , punishing, 411, Pytchley, 209, 306, 307, 357. » pups, 399- QUARTERS, 465. Queen Elizabeth, 430. Queen, The, 60, 243. Quorn, 14, 209, 247, 306, 341. ,, Friday, 113. RABBIT HOLES, 335. Ranelagh, 183. " Rapier," 428. Rearers and rearing, 333, 462. Red board, 357. ,, bows, 342-345- »> rag, 357, 358. Refusers and refusing, 327, 328, 449- 454. Reining back, 214. Reins, 78-82. ,, , how to hold the, 136. „ , jerking the, 419. » , long, 233. ,, , military way of holding, 142. ,, , riding without, 233. ,, , shortening the, 142. Remounts, Italian, 390. Rentz's Circus, 463. Richmond Show, 336. Ridge and Furrow, 319. Riding abroad, 381. Riding and Hunting, 51, 57, 70, 124, 136, 180, 208, 447. Riding masters, 155. ,, without reins, 233. Right leg, action of, 150. ,, ,, , position of, 150. Road, rules of the, 227. Roberts, Mr., 246. Romance, 8, 55. Rotten Row, 16, 17, 392, 393. Running away, 231. Russia, 109, 121. Russian cabmen, 424, 425. ,, horses, 457. Rutland, Duke of, 306, 395. SADDLE, CLEANING A, 69. „ cloths, 57-59. ,, to fit rider, 56. Saddling a horse, 66-68. Saddles, riding in men's, 426-430. "Safe," 25, 32. INDEX. 481 Safety bars, 38-42, 231. ,, skirts, 89-110, 231. ,, stirrups, 42-51, 64-66. St. Petersburg, 393. Salary, 14, 15. Sample, Professor, 379. Sandwich case, 323. Sanminiatelli, Count, 390. Saunders, Mrs., 384, 355. Scots Grey, 82. "Scrutator," 343, 354, 379. Seats of side-saddles, 32, 55. Seat, the, 145. ,, , theory of the, 145-156. Second horseman, 323. ,, horses, 347. Shanghai, 231, 388. Sheep, 368. Shires, 8, 12, 91, 176, 179, 248, 249, 250, 269, 270, 357. Shoulder, point of the, 468, Shouldering, 441. Shoulders, 468. Shying, 229, 432, 433-436- Side-saddle, weight of, 54. Side-saddles, i, 2, 6, 7, 25-69. Sideways, jumping horses, 378. Singapore, 388. " Sit back," 214. Skirt, accustoming horse to, 18. ,, , length of, 98. Slipper stirrup, 42. Snaffles, 75, 326, 438, 443, 448, 450. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 396. Sola topee, 115. Sole of the hoof, 465. Soltikov, 393. Sore backs, 7, 68, 324, 350. South Africa, 335, 391. Spinal curvature, 6. Sporting and Dramatic News, 428. Spur, 177. ,, on whip, 182. Square seat, 153-155. Stable Management and Exercise, 350. Standing jump, 241. Standing martingale, 439. ,, " over," 472. Stapleford Park, 250. Staples, 54. Stake-and-bound fence, 249. Starting, 185. " Steady ! " 169, 204. " Steadying " horses, 223. Steep ground, 320. Steiger, 463. Steinbock, coursing, 391. Stifle, 470. Stirrup bar, 27. ,, , case for extra, 42. ,, leather, 36-38. ,, , length of, 156. ,, , man's, 50. ,, , position of foot in, 156. ,, too long, 146. Stirrups, safety, 42-51, 64-66. Stock, 122. Stokes, William, 428. Stone gaps, 269. ,, walls, 269. Strangers, 327. Stuffing of saddle, 32, 33. Stumbling, 436. Subscriptions, hunt. 306. Suffolk Punch, 387. Suez, 388. Surtees, 330. Suspensory ligament, 467. Swimming, 462. Syces, 424. TAILORS, 89, 102-105. Talking to horses, 229, 230. Tan, 437. Tannoform, 351. Tautz, Mr., 94, no. Tendo Achillis, 470. Tendons, 467. Terai hat, 115. Terence, 384. Tientsin, 388, 462. Tiergarten, 16, 392, 429. Tips, 352. 31 482 INDEX. Tit-bits for horses, 170. Thanks, 352. The Young Lady'' s Equestrian Manual^ 305. The Wanton Mutilation of Animals, 23- Thigh, 470, 471. Third crutch, 305. ,, pommel, 305. Thompson, Mr. Anstrulher, 352. Thong, 173. Throat-latch, 74, 88. Thrush, 436, 437, 466. Thoughts on Htinting, 315. Throwing up the head, 438. Toe, 465- "Tougal," Mr., 385. Tree, points of the, 27, 29. ,, , saddle, 25, 26-31. Trot, rising at the, 190-194. „ , the, 189-200, 239. Turner, Captain, 384. Turning, 187. Tushes, 86. Tweedie, Mrs., 428. Twitches, 416, 417. UNDER-BODICE, 122. Under-clothing, 112. Upper crutch, 29. VALE OF WHITE HORSE, 307. Vehicles, passing, 229. Venus de Medici, 21. Veterinary Notes for Horse-owners, 22, 347, 350, 436. Vizianagram, 381. Voice, 165, 204, 229. Voltaire, 24. WALERS, 21. Walk, the, 185, 239. Walker, Colonel, 424. Walking puppies, 394-413. Wall of hoof, 465. Wanton Mutilation of Animals, The, 23- Ward, Mr. Frank, 175. Ward's Riding School, 59, 60, 167, 331. Warwickshire Hunt, 306, 307. Washing horses' feet, 436. ,, puppies, 402. Watches, 323. Watering horses, 417, 418. Webs, 28. Weight of side-saddle, 54. Whip, hunting, 172. Whips, 334. Whissendine, 250. Whiskey, 350. "Whoa!" 170. Whyte Melville, 180, 181, 209, 310, 314, 315* 376, 420. Wilberforce, Archbishop, 376. Willows, pollard, 338. Wintle, Mr., 231. Wire, 250, 357-373- „ fund, 307. Withers, 468. Women riding, i. Woodland country, 338. Wroughton, Mr., 361. YELVERTOFT CHURCH, 270. Young horses, 15, 16, 166, 433, 434, 435, 443- ZEBRA, RIDING A, 62, 456. Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Cummings Sciioo! of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University 200 V\/estboro Road B • . • .o.