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Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine
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RIDING FOR LADIES.

W. A. KERR, V.C.

RIDING FOR LADIES.

BY

W. A. KERR, V.C,

FORMERLY SECOND IN COMMAND OF THE 2ND REGIMENT
SOUTHERN MAHARATTA HORSE.

ILLUSTRATED.

NEW YORK:
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY,

MDCCCXCI.

PREFACE.

This work should be taken as following on, and in con-
junction with, its predecessor on ^'Riding." In that
publication will be found various chapters on Action, The
Aids, Bits and Bitting, Leaping, Vice, and on other cognate
subjects which, without undue repetition, cannot be re-
introduced here. These subjects are of importance to and
should be studied by all, of either sex, who aim at perfec-
tion in the accomplishment of Equitation, and who seek
to control and manage the saddle-horse.

W. A. K.

a

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Introductory ... ... ... ... ... i

II. The Lady's Horse ... ... ... ... 6

III. Practical Hints : How to Mount, 14 — The Seat, 22

—The Walk, 27— The Trot, 33— The Canter, 39—
The Hand-Gallop and Gallop, 44 — Leaping, 46 —
Dismounting, 51

IV. The Side Saddle ... ... ... ... 52

V. Hints upon Costume ... ... ... ... 6;^

VI. A LA CAVALlfeRE ... ... ... ... ... y;^

VII. Appendix I. — The Training of Ponies for Children 81

Appendix II. — Extension and Balance Motions 89

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

-*-c*-

PAGE

Preparing to Mount ... ... ... ... ... i?

Mounting — Second Position ... ... ... 19

Mounted — Near Side ... ... ... ... ... 22

Right and Wrong Elbow Action ... ... ... 26

Right and Wrong Mount ... ... ... ..• 28

Turning in the Walk — Right and Wrong Way ... 31

Right and Wrong Rising ... ... ... ... 34

The Trot ... ... ... ... ... ••• 3^

Free but not Easy ... ... •.. ... .•• 43

The Leap ... ... ... ••• ••• ••• 4^

The Side Saddle, Old Style ... ... ... 53

The Safety Saddle ... ... ... ... 54

Saddles ... ... ... ..• ••• 55~62

The "Zenith" Habit — Jacket Body ... ... 65

Costumes ... ... ... ... ... ••• 78

RIDING FOR LADIES.

CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY.

What I have said on the excellence of horse-exercise for
boys and men,, applies equally to girls and women, if,
indeed, it does not recommend itself more especially in the
case of the latter. For the most part the pursuits of women
are so quiet and sedentary that the body is rarely called
into that complete activity of all the muscles which is
essential to their perfect development, and which produces
the strength and freedom of movement so indispensable to
perfect grace of carriage.

The woman who has been early accustomed to horse-
exercise gains a courage and nerve which it would be
difficult to acquire in a more pleasant and healthful manner.
She also gains morally in learning to feel a sympathy with
the noble animal to whom she is indebted for so much
enjoyment, and whose strength and endurance are too often
cruelly abused by man. Numerous instances have occurred
in my experience of the singular influence obtained by
ladies over their horses by simple kindness, and I am
tempted to introduce here an account of what gentle
treatment can effect with the Arab. The lady who told the
tale did not lay claim to being a first-rate horsewoman. Her
veracity was undoubted, for her whole life was that of a

RIDING FOR LADIES.

ministering angel. She wrote thus : " I had a horse pro-
vided for me of rare beauty and grace, but a perfect Buce-
phalus in her way. She was only two generations removed
from a splendid Arabian, given by the good old king to the
Duke of Kent when H.R.H. went out in command to Nova
Scotia. The creature was not three years old, and to all
appearance unbroken. Her ^manners were those of a kid
rather than of a horse ; she was of a lovely dappled gray,
with mane and tail of silver, the latter almost sweeping the
ground ; and in her frolicsome gambols she turned it over
her back like a Newfoundland dog. Her slow step was a
bound, her^ swift motion unlike that of any other animal I
ever rode, so fleet, so smooth, so unruffled. I know nothing
to which I can compare it. Well, I made this lovely
creature so fond of me by constant petting, to which, I
suppose, her Arab character made her peculiarly sensitive,
that my voice had equal power over her, as over my faithful
docile dog. No other person could in the slightest degree
control her. Our corps, the 73rd Batt. of the 60th Rifles,
was composed wholly of the elite of Napoleon's soldiers,
taken in the Peninsula, and preferring the British service
to a prison. They were, principally, conscripts, and many
were evidently of a higher class in society than those usually
found in the ranks. Among them were several Chasseurs
and Polish Lancers, very fine equestrians, and as my husband
had a field-officer's command on detachment, and allow-
ances, our horses were well looked after. His groom was
a Chasseur, mine a Pole, but neither could ride "Fairy"
unless she happened to be in a very gracious mood. Lord
Dalhousie's English coachman afterwards tried his hand at
taming her, but all in vain. In an easy quiet manner she
either sent her rider over her head or, by a laughable
manoeuvre, sitting down like a dog on her haunches, slipped

INTROD UCTOR Y.

him off the other way. Her drollery made the poor men so

fond of her that she was rarely chastised, and such a wilful,

intractable wild Arab it would be hard to find. Upon her

I was daily mounted. Inexperienced in riding, untaught,

unassisted, and wholly unable to lay any check upon so

powerful an animal, with an awkward country saddle,

which, by some fatality, was never well fixed, bit and bridle

to match, and the mare's natural fire increased by high

feed, behold me bound for the wildest paths in the wildest

regions of that wild country. But you must explore the

roads about Annapolis, and the romantic spot called the

" General's Bridge," to imagine either the enjoyment or the

perils of my happiest hour. Reckless to the last degree of

desperation, I threw myself entirely on the fond attachment

of the noble creature ; and when I saw her measuring with

her eye some rugged fence or wild chasm, such as it was

her common sport to leap over in her play, the soft word

of remonstrance that checked her was uttered more from

regard to her safety than my own. The least whisper, a

pat on the neck, or a stroke down the beautiful face that

she used to throw up towards mine, would control her ; and

never for a moment did she endanger me. This was little

short of a daily miracle, when we consider the nature of the

country^ her character, and my unskilfulness. It can only

be accounted for on the ground of that wondrous power

which, having willed me to work for a time in the vineyard

of the Lord, rendered me immortal till the work should be

done. Rather, I should say, in the words of Cooper, which

I have ventured to slightly vary —

*' 'Tis plain the creature whom He chose to invest
With qiicen-'^v^ and dominion o'er the rest,
Received her nobler nature, and was made
Fit for the power in which she stands arrayed."

Strongly as I advocate early tuition, if a girl has not

RIDING FOR LADIES.

mounted a horse up to her thirteenth year^ my advice is
to postpone the attempt, unless thoroughly strong, for a
couple of years at least. I cannot here enter the reason
why, but it is good and sufficient. Weakly girls of all
ages, especially those who are growing rapidly, are apt
to suffer from pain in the spine. "The Invigorator"
corset I have recommended under the head of " Ladies'
Costume" will, to some extent, counteract this physical
weakness; but the only certain cures are either total
cessation from horse exercise, or the adoption of the
cross, or Duchess de Berri, seat — in plain words, to ride
a la cavaliere astride in a man's saddle. In spite of pre-
conceived prejudices, I think that if ladies will kindly peruse
my short chapter on this common sense method, they
will come to the conclusion that Anne of Luxembourg,
who introduced the side-saddle, did not confer an unmixed
benefit on the subjects of Richard the Second, and that
riding astride is no more indelicate than the modern short
habit in the hunting field. We are too apt to prostrate
ourselves before the Juggernaut of fashion, and to hug our
own conservative ideas.

Though the present straight-seat side-saddle, as manu-
factured by Messrs. Champion and Wilton, modifies, if it
does not actually do away with, any fear of curvature of the
spine ; still, it is of importance that girls should be taught
to ride on the off-side as well as the near, and, if possible,
on the cross-saddle also. Undoubtedly, a growing girl,
whose figure and pliant limbs may, like a sapling, be trained
in almost any direction, does, by always being seated in
one direction, contract a tendency to hang over to one
side or the other, and acquire a stiff, crooked, or ungainly
seat. Perfect ease and squareness are only to be acquired,
durinof tuition and after dismissal from school, by riding

INTRODUCTORY.

5

one day on the near and the next on the off-side. This
change will ease the horse, and, by bringing opposite
sets of muscles into play, will impart strength to the rider
and keep the shoulders level. Whichever side the rider
sits, the reins are held, mainly, in the left hand — the left
hand is known as the ^' bridle-hand." Attempts have fre-
quently been made to build a saddle with two flaps and
movable third pommel, but the result lias been far from
satisfactory. A glance at a side-saddle tree will at once
demonstrate the difficulty the saddler has to meet, add to
this a heavy and ungainly appearance. The only way in
which the shift can be ol)tained is by having two saddles.

NAOMI (a high-caste ARABIAN MARE).

RIDING FOR LADIES.

CHAPTER II.

THE lady's horse.

There is no more difficult animal to find on the face of
the earth than a perfect lady's horse. It is not every one
that can indulge in the luxury of a two-hundred-and-fifty
to three-hundred-guinea hack, and yet looks, action, and
manners will always command that figure, and more. Some
people say, what can carry a man can carry a woman. What
says Mrs. Power O'Donoghue to this : " A heavy horse is
never in any way suitable to a lady. It looks amiss. The
trot is invariably laboured, and if the animal should chance
to fall, he gives his rider what we know in the hunting-field
as ' a mighty crusher.' It is indeed, a rare thing to meet
a perfect ' lady's horse.' In all my wide experience I have
met but two. Breeding is necessary for stability and speed —
two things most essential to a hunter ; but good light action
is, for a roadster, positively indispensable, and a horse who
does not possess it is a burden to his rider, and is, moreover,
exceedingly unsafe, as he is apt to stumble at every rut
and stone."

Barry Cornwall must have had something akin to per-
fection in his mind's eye when penning the following lines :—

" Full of fire, and full of bone,
All his line of fathers known ;
Fine his nose, his nostrils thin,
But blown abroad by the pride within !
His mane a stormy river flowing,
And his eyes like embers glowing
In the darkness of the night,
And his pace as swift as light.

THE LADY'S HORSE.

Look, around his straining throat

Grace and shifting beauty float !

Sinewy strength is in his reins,

And the red blood gallops through his veins."

How often do we hear it remarked of a neat blood*
looking nag, '' Yes, very pretty and blood-like, but there's
nothing of him; only fit to carry a woman." No greater
mistake can be made, for if we consider the matter in all
its bearings, we shall see that the lady should be rather
over than under mounted.

The average weight of English ladies is said to be nine
stone ; to that must be added another stone for saddle and
bridle (I don't know if the habit and other habiliments
be included in the nine stone), and we must give them
another stone in hand ; or eleven stone in all. A blood, or
at furthest, two crosses of blood on a good foundation, horse
will carry this weight as well as it can be carried. It is
a fault among thoroughbreds that they do not bend the
knee sufficiently ; but there are exceptions to this rule. I
know of two Stud Book sires, by Lowlander, that can trot
against the highest stepping hackney or roadster- in the
kingdom, and, if trained, could put the dust in the eyes
of nine out of ten of the much-vaunted standard American
trotters. Their bold, elegant, and elastic paces come up to
the ideal poetry of action, carrying themselves majestically,
all their movements like clockwork, for truth and regularity.
The award of a first prize as a hunter sire to one of these
horses establishes his claim to symmetry, but, being full
sixteen hands and built on weight-carrying lines, he is just
one or two inches too tall for carrying any eguestriejuie
short of a daughter of Anak.

Though too often faulty in formation of shoulders,
thoroughbreds, as their name implies, are generally full of

8 RIDING FOR LADIES.

quality and, under good treatment, generous horses. I do
not chime in with those who maintain that a horse can
do no wrong, but do assert that he comes into the world
poisoned by a considerably less dose of original sin than
we, who hold dominion over him, are cursed with.

Two-year-olds that have been tried and found lacking that
keen edge of speed so necessary in these degenerate days
of " sprinting," many of them cast in *' beauty's mould," are
turned out of training and are to be picked up at very
reasonable prices. Never having known a bit more severe
than that of the colt-breaker and the snaffle, the bars of
their mouths are not yet callous, and being rescued from
the clutches of the riding lads of the training-stable, before
they are spoiled as to temper, they may, in many instances,
under good tuition, be converted into admirable ladies'
horses — hacks or hunters. They would not be saleable till
four years old, but seven shillings a week would give them
a run at grass and a couple of feeds of oats till such time
as they be thoroughly taken in hand, conditioned, and
taught their business. The margin for profit on well bought
animals of this description, and their selling price as
perfect lady's horses, are very considerable.

In my opinion no horse can be too good or too perfectly
trained for a lady. Some Amazons can ride anything, play
cricket, polo, golf, lawn-tennis, fence, scale the Alps, etc.,
and I have known one or two go tiger-shooting. But all
are not manly women, despite fashion, trending in that
unnatural, unlovable direction. One of their own sex
describes them as " gentle, kindly, and cowardly^ That
all are not heroines, I admit, but no one who witnessed or
even read of their devoted courage during the dark days
of the Indian mutiny, can question their ability to face
terrible danger with superlative valour. The heroism of

THE LADY'S HORSE.

Mrs. Grim wood at Manipur is fresh in our memory. What
the majority are wanting in is nerve. I have seen a few
women go to hounds as well and as straight as the ordinary
run of first-flight men. That I do not consider the lady's
seat less secure than that of the cross-seated sterner sex,
may be inferred from the sketch of the rough-rider in my
companion volume for masculine readers, demonstrating
" the last resource," and giving practical exemplification of
the proverb, "He that can quietly endure overcometh."
What women lack, in dealing with an awkward, badly
broken, unruly horse, is muscular force, dogged determination,
and the ability to struggle and persevere. Good nerve and
good temper are essentials.

Having given Barry Cornwall's poetic ideal of a horse, I
now venture on a further rhyming sketch of what may
fairly be termed " a good sort": —

" With intelligent head, lean, and deep at the jowl.
Shoulder sloping well back, with a skin like a mole.
Round -barrelled, broad-loined, and a tail carried free.
Long and muscular arms, short and flat from the knee.
Great thighs full of power, hocks both broad and low down.
With fetlocks elastic, feet sound and well grown ;
A horse like unto this, with blood dam and blood sire,
To Park or for field may to honours aspire ;
It's the sort I'm in want of — do you know such a thing ?
'Tis the mount for a sportswoman, and fit for a queen ! "

My unhesitating advice to ladies is Never buy for yourself.
Having described what you want to some well-known judge
who is acquainted with your style of riding, and who knows
the kind of animal most likely to suit your temperament,
tell him to go to a certain price, and, if he- be a gentleman
you will not be disappointed. You won't get perfection, for
that never existed outside the garden of Eden, but you will
be well carried and get your money's worth. Ladies are
not fit to cope with dealers, unless the latter be top-sawyers

lo RIDING FOR LADIES.

of the trade, have a character to lose, and can be trusted.
There has been a certain moral obliquity attached to dealing
in horses ever since, and probably before, they of the House
of Togarmah traded in Tyrian fairs with horses, horsemen,
and mules. Should your friend after all his trouble purchase
something that does not to the full realize your fondest
expectation, take the will for the deed, and bear in mind
" oft expectation fails, and most oft there where most it
promises."

With nineteen ladies out of every score, the looks of
a horse are a matter of paramount importance : he must be
" a pretty creature, with beautiful deer-like legs, and a
lovely head." Their inclinations lead them to admire what
is beautiful in preference to what is true of build, useful,
and safe. If a lady flattered me with a commission to buy
her a horse, having decided upon the colour, I should
look out for something after this pattern : one that would
prove an invaluable hack, and mayhap carry her safely and
well across country.

Height fifteen two, or fifteen three at the outside ; age
between six and eight, as thoroughbred as Eclipse or
nearly so. The courage of the lion yet gentle withal.
Ears medium size, well set on, alert ; the erect and quick
"pricking" motion indicates activity and spirit. I would
not reject a horse, if otherwise coming up to the mark,
for a somewhat large ear or for one slightly inclined to be
lopped, for in blood this is a pretty certain indication of
the Melbourne strain, one to which we are much indebted.
The characteristics of the Melbournes are, for the most
part, desirable ones : docility, good temper, vigorous con-
stitution, plenty of size, with unusually large bone, sound-
ness of joints and abundance of muscle. But these racial
peculiarities are recommendations for the coverside rather

THE LADY'S HORSE. n

than for the Park. The eye moderately prominent, soft,
expressive, "the eye of a listening deer." The ears and
the eyes are the interpreters of disposition. Forehead
broad and flat. A " dish face," that is, slightly concave
or indented, is a heir-loom from the desert^ and belongs
to Nejd. The jaws deep, wide apart, with plenty of space
for the wind-pipe when the head is reined in to the chest.
Nostrils long, wide, and elastic, exhibiting a healthy pink
membrane. We hear a good deal of large, old-fashioned
heads, and see a good many of the fiddle and Roman-nosed
type, but, in my opinion, these cumbersome heads^ unless
very thin and fleshless, are indicative of plebeian blood.

The setting on of the head is a very important point.
The game-cock throttle is the right formation, giving
elasticity and the power to bend in obedience to the rider's
hand. What the dealers term a fine topped horse, generally
one with exuberance of carcase and light of limbs, is by no
means " the sealed pattern " for a lady ; on the contrary,
the neck should be light, finely arched — that peculiarly
gracefiil curve imported from the East, — growing into
shoulders not conspicious for too high withers. "Long
riding shoulders" is an expression in almost every horse-
man's mouth, but very high and large-shouldered animals
are apt to ride heavy in hand and to be high actioned.
Well-laid-back shoulders, rather low, fine at the points, not
set too far apart, and well-muscled will be found to give
pace with easy action.

He should stand low on the legs, which means depth of
fore-rib, so essential in securing the lad5''s saddle, as well
as ensuring the power and endurance to sustain and carry
the rider's weight in its proper place. Fore-legs set well
forward, with long, muscular arms, and room to place the flat
of the hand between the elbows and the ribs. The chest

12 RIDING FOR LADIES,

can hardly be too deep, but it can be too wide, or have too
great breadth between the fore-legs. The back only long
enough to find room for the saddle is the rule, though, in
case of a lady's horse, a trifle more length unaccompanied by
the faintest sign of weakness, will do no harm. For speed,
a horse must have length somewhere, and I prefer to see it
below, between the point of the elbow and the stifle joint,
Ormonde, " the horse of the century," was nearly a square,
i.e. the height from the top of the wither to the ground
almost equalled the length of his body from the point of the
shoulder to the extremity of the buttock. Horses with
short backs and short bodies are generally biuk-kapers, and
difficult to sit on when fencing. The couplings or loins
cannot be too strong or the ribs too well sprung ; the back
ribs well hooped. This formation is a sign of a good
constitution. The quarters must needs be full, high set on,
with straight crupper, well rounded muscular buttocks, a
clean channel, with big stifles and thighs to carry them.
Knees and hocks clean, broad, and large, back sinews and
ligaments standing well away from the bone, flat and hard
as bands of steel ; short well-defined smooth cannons ;
pasterns nicely sloped, neither too long nor too short, but
full of spring; medium sized feet, hard as the nether
millstone. If possible, I should select one endowed with
the characteristic spring of the Arab's tail from the crupper.
Such a horse would, in the words of Kingsley, possess " the
beauty of Theseus, light but massive, and light, not in spite
of its masses, but on account of the perfect disposition of
them."

There is no need for the judge to run the rule, or the tape
either, over the horse. His practised eye, almost in a glance,
will take in the general contour of the animal ; it will tell
him whether the various salient and important points

Tim LADY'S noksE. \x

o

balance, and will" instantly detect any serious flaw. When
selecting for a lady who, he knows, will appreciate sterling
worth rather than mere beauty, he may feel disposed to
gloss over a certain decidedness of points and dispense with"
a trifle of the comely shapeliness of truthfully moulded
form. Having satisfied myself that the framework is all
right, I would order the horse to be sauntered away from
me with a loose rein, and, still with his head at perfect
liberty, walked back again. I would then see him smartly
trotted backwards and forwards. Satisfied with his natural
dismounted action, I should require to see him ridden in all
his paces, and might be disposed to get into the saddle
myself. Having acquitted himself to my satisfaction, he
would then have to exhibit himself in the Park or in a
field, ridden in the hands of some proficient lady-rider. A
few turns under her pilotage would suffice to decide his
claims to be what I am looking for. If he came up to my
ideas of action, or nearly so^ I should not hesitate — subject
to veterinary certificate of soundness — to purchase. Finally,
the gentleman to examine the horse as to his soundness
would be one of my own selection. Certain of the London
dealers insist upon examinations being made by their own
" Vets," and " there's a method in their madness." When
such a stipulation is made, I invariably play the return
match by insisting upon having the certificate of the Royal
College of Veterinary Surgeons, where the investigation is
complete and rigorous. The very name of "the College"
is gall and wormwood to many of these "' gentlemen con-
cerned about horses."

14 RIDING FOR LADIES.

CHAPTER III.

PRACTICAL HINTS.

How TO Mount.

Previous to mounting, the lady should make a practice
of critically looking the horse over, in order to satisfy her-
self that he is properly saddled and bridled. Particular
attention should be paid to the girthing. Though ladies
are not supposed to girth their own horses, occasion may
arise, in the Colonies especially, when they may be called
upon to perform that office. Information on this essential
and too oft-neglected point may not be out of place. Odd
as it may sound, few grooms know how to girth a horse
properly, and to explain myself I must, for a few lines, quit
the side-saddle for the cross-saddle. Men often wonder
how it is that, on mounting, the near stirrup is almost
invariably a hole or more the longer of the two. The
reason is this : the groom places the saddle right in the
centre of the horse's back and then proceeds to tighten the
girths from the near or left side. The tension on the girth-
holder, all from one side, cants the saddle over to the left,
to which it is still further drawn by the weight of the rider
in mounting and the strain put upon it by the act of spring-
ing into the saddle. This list to port can easily be obviated
by the groom placing the heel of his left hand against the
near side of the pommel, guiding the first or under-girth
with the right hand till the girth-holder passes through the
buckle and is moderately tight, then, with both hands,
bracing it so that room remains for one finger to be passed

HO IV TO MOUNT. 15

between it and the horse. The same must be done in the
case of the outer girth. .

In a modified degree the side-saddle is displaced by
the common mode of girthing. The surcingle should lie
neatly over the girths, and have an equal bearing with
them. When the " Fitzwilliam girth " is used — and its
general use is to be advocated, not only on account of its
safety and the firmness of the broad web, but for its freedom
from rubbins: the skin behind the elbow — the leather sur-
cingle of the saddle will take the place of the usual leather
outside strap supplied with this girth.

For inspection the horse should be brought up to the lady,
off side on. She should note that the throat-lash falls easily,
but not dangling, on the commencement of the curve of the
cheek-bone, and that it is not buckled tight round the
throttle, like a hangman's " hempen-tow." The bridoon
should hang easily in the mouth, clear of the corners or
angles, and not wrinkling them ; the curb an inch or so
above the tusk, or, in the case of a mare, where that tooth
might be supposed to be placed. She will see that the. curb-
chain is not too tight, that the lip-strap is carried through
the small ring on the chain, also that the chain lies smooth
and even. In fixing the curb, if the chain be turned to the
right, the links will unfold themselves. It is taken for
granted that by frequent personal visits to the stable, or by
trusty deputy, she is satisfied that the horse's back and
withers are not galled or wrung. A groom withholding
information on this point should, after one warning, get his
conge. That the bits and stirrup be burnished as bright as
a Life Guardsman's cuirasse, the saddle and bridle perfectly
clean, and the horse thoroughly well groomed, goes without
saying. All the appointments being found in a condition
.fit for Queen's escort duty, we now proceed to put the lady

1 6 RIDING FOR LADIES.

in, not into, her saddle. She should approach the horse
from the front, and not from behind.

After a kind word or two and a httle "gentling," she,
with her whip, hmiting crop, or riding cane in her right hand,
picks up the bridoon rein with her left, draws it through the
right smoothly and evenly, feeling the horse's mouth very
lightly, until it reaches the crutch, which she takes hold of.
In passing the rein through the hand, care must be taken
that it is not allowed to slacken so that touch of the
mouth is lost. Attention to this will keep the horse in his
position whilst being mounted \ for should he move back-
ward or forward or away as the lady is in the act of spring-
ing into the saddle, he not only makes the vaulting exceed-
ingly awkward, but dangerous. Many horses sidle away as
the lady is balanced on one foot and holding on to the
pommel with the right hand, in which case she must at once
quit her hold or a fall will follow.

Having adjusted the rein of the bridoon to an equal
length, the whip point down with the end of the rein on the
off side, she stands looking in the direction the horse is
standing — i.e., to her proper front, her right shoulder and arm
in contact with the flap of the saddle near side. The mounter
advances facing her, and, close to the horse's shoulder, can
perform his oftice in three different ways. Stooping down, he
places his right hand, knuckles downwards, on his right knee,
and of it the lady makes a sort of mounting block, whence,
springing from the left foot, she reaches her saddle. When
she springs she has the aid of her grip on the crutch, sup-
plemented by the raising power of her left hand resting on
the man's shoulder. Or the groom aids the spring by the
uplifting of both the hand and the knee. The third method
is, for the mounter — his left arm, as before, touching the
horse's shoulder — to stoop down till his left shoulder comes

HOPl^ TO MOUNT.

17

within easy reach of the lady's left hand, which she lays on
it. He at the same time advances his left foot till it in-
terposes between her and the horse and makes a cradle of
his hands, into which she places her left foot. Her grip is

PREPARING TO MOUNT.

Still on the crutch, and she still feels the horse's mouth. One,
two, three ! she springs like feathered INIercury, and he,
straightening himself, accentuates the light bound, and
straightway she finds herself in the saddle.

It is dangerous to face the mounter in such a position
that the spring is made with the rider's back to her horse's
side, for in the event of his starting suddenly or " taking
ground to her right," an awkward full-length back-fall may
result. The foot must be placed firmly in the mounter's

C

•l8 RIDING FOR LADIES.

hand ; during the lift it must not be advanced, but kept under
her, and he must not attempt to raise her till her right foot
be clear of the ground. The best plan that can be adopted
with a horse in the habit of moving away to one side is to
stand him against a low wall or paling, or alongside another
horse. A quiet, well-trained horse may stand as firm as one
of the British squares at Waterloo, or *' the thin red line"
at Balaclava, for times without number, but from some un-
foreseen alarm may suddenly start aside. The spring and lift
must go together, or the lady may, like Mahomet's coffin,
find herself hanging midway. Practice alone can teach the
art of mounting lightly and gracefully, and to an active
person there is no difficulty.

There is yet another method of mounting which requires
considerably more practice — doing away with the services
of a mounter, — and that is for the lady to mount herself. In
these days, when so many ladies practise gymnastics and
athletic exercises generally, there ought to be no difficulty
in acquiring this useful habit. The stirrup is let out till it
reaches to about a foot from the ground, the pommel is
grasped with the right hand, and with a spring the rider
is in her seat. The stirrup is then adjusted to its proper
length. Unless the horse be very quiet the groom must
stand at his head during this process of mounting.

Mounting from a chair or a pair of steps is certainly not
an accomplishment I should recommend ladies to indulge
in ; still, there are occasions when the friendly aid of a low
wall, a stile, the bar of a gate, or even a wheelbarrow, comes
handy. In such a predicament, take the bridoon across the
palm of the left hand, and drawing the bit rein through on
each side of the little or third finger till the horse's mouth be
felt, place the right foot in the stirrup, grasp the leaping-head
with the left and the upright pommel with the right hand,

now TO MOUNT.

19

and spring into the saddle, turning round, left about, in sq
doing. When in the saddle, disengage the right foot from
the stirrup and throw the right leg over the upright head..

MOUNTING — SECOND POSITION.

When the lady is in the saddle, that is, seated on it, not in
riding position but before throwing her right leg over the
crutch, the groom, without releasing the hold of her foot
altogether, adjusts the folds of the habit, care being taken
that there is no crease or fold between the right knee and

20 RIDING FOR LADIES.

the saddle. This, in the case of a Zenith, is a matter
speedily arranged, and, the adjustment being to her satisfac-
tion, she at once pivots on the centre, and raises her right
leg into its place over the crutch. The foot is then placed in
the stirrup. When a good seat has been acquired, and the
rider does not encumber herself with needless underclothing,
this arrangement of habit had best be deferred till the horse
is in motion ; she can then raise herself in the saddle by
straightening the left knee, and, drawing herself forward by
grasping the pommel with the right hand, arrange the
folds to her entire satisfaction with the left.

Attention must be paid to the length of the stirrup, for on
it depends greatly the steadiness of the seat. Many ladies
are seen riding with a short stirrup ; but this is an error, for it
destroys the balance, without which there can be no elegance,
invariably causes actual cramp and gives a cramped appear-
ance, forces the rider out of the centre of the saddle, so
that the weight on the horse's back is unevenly distributed,
and displays too much daylight when rising in the trot. On
the other hand, too long a stirrup is equally objectionable, as
it causes the body to lean unduly over to the near side in
order to retain hold of it, depresses and throws back the
left shoulder, and destroys the squareness of position. The
length of stirrup should be just sufficient that the rider, by
leaning her right hand on the pommel, can, without any
strain on the instep, raise herself clear of the saddle ; this
implies that the knee will be only bent sufficiently to main-
tain the upward pressure of the knee against the concave
leaping-head. The stirrup is intended as a support to the
foot, not as an appiii to ride from ; it is not intended to
sustain the full weight of the body, and when so misapplied
is certain to establish a sore back. I am strongly of opinion
that to be in all respects perfect in the equestrian art, a

now TO MOUNT. 21

lady should learn, in the first instance, to ride without
a stirrup, so as, under any circumstances that may arise,
to be able to do without this appendage. Those who
aspire to honours in the hunting-field certainly should ac-
custom themselves to dispense with the stirrup, as by so
doing they will acquire a closer and firmer seat ; moreover,
its absence teaches the beginner, better than any other
method, to ride from balance, which is the easiest and best
form of equitation for both horse and rider. Many horse-
women are under the impression that it is impossible to rise
without the aid of the stirrup, but that such is not the case
a course of stirrupless training will soon prove. I do not
suggest that riding thus should be made a habit, but only
strenuously advocate its practice.

A very general fault, and an extremely ugly one among
lady riders, is the habit of sticking out the right foot in front
of the saddle. It is not only unsightly, but loosens the hold,
for if the toe be stuck out under the habit like a flying jib-
boom, the leg becomes the bowsprit, and it is impossible
for a straightened leg to grip the crutch. Bend the knee
well, keep the toe slightly down, and this ugly habit is beyond
the pale of possibility. This ungraceful posture may be
caused by the pommels being placed so near together that
there is not sufficient room for the leg to lie and bend easily,
but this excuse will not hold good in the case of the
straight-seat-safety-side-saddle, for it has only one pommel
or crutch and one leaping-head.

Having got the lady into her saddle, we next attempt so
to instruct her that it may be remarked — -

"The rider sat erect and fair."' — ScoTT,

RIDING FOR LADIES.

The Seat.

Hitherto, during the process of mounting and settling her-
self comfortably, the reins have been in the rider's right hand.
Now that women can sit square and look straight out and
over their horses' ears, much more latitude is permitted in

MOUNTED— ^NEAR SIDE.

the hold of the reins. It is no longer essential to hold them
only in the left hand, for as often as not — always in hunting
or at a hand-gallop — both hands are on the bridle. But, as
a rule, the left should be the bridle hand, for if the reins be
held in the right, and the horse, as horses often will, gets his

THE SEAT. 23

head down or bores, the right shoulder is drawn forward, and
the left knee, as a matter of course, being drawn back from
under, loses its upward pressure against the leaping-head,
and the safety of the seat is jeopardized. Were the rein to
give way the rider would probably fall backwards off the
horse over his off-quarter. On the other hand, when the
reins are all gathered into the left hand, the harder the
horse may take the bit in his teeth, and the lower he may
carry his head, the firmer must be the grip of the crutch
and the greater the pressure against the leaping-head.

As the reins must not be gathered up all in a bunch, I give
the following directions for placing them in the hand. If
riding with a snaffle, as always should be the case with
beginners, the reins ought to be separated, passing into the
hands between the third and fourth fingers, and out over the
fore or index-finger, where they are held by the thumb. In
the case of bit and bridoon (the bridoon rein has generally
a buckle where it joins, whereas that of the bit is stitched),
take up the bridoon rein across the inside of the hand, and
draw the bit rein through the hand on each side of the little
or third finger until the mouth of the horse be gently felt ;
turn the remainder of the rein along the inside of the hand,
and let it fall over the forefinger on to the off-side ; place
the bridoon rein upon those of the bit, and close the thumb
upon them all.

A second plan equally good is, when the horse is to be
ridden mainly on the bridoon : the bridoon rein is taken
up by the right hand and drawn flatly through on each side
of the second finger of the bridle-hand, till the horse's
mouth can be felt, when it is turned over the first joint
of the forefinger on to the off-side. The bit rein is next
taken up and drawn through on each side of the little
finger of the bridle-hand, till there is an equal, or nearly

24 RIDING FOR LADIES.

equal, length and feeling with the bridoon, and then laid
smoothly over the bridoon rein, with the thumb firmly placed
as a stopper upon both, to keep them from slipping. A
slight pressure of the little finger will bring the bit into play.

Thirdly, when the control is to be entirely from the bit or
curb ; the bit rein is taken up by the stitching by the right
hand within the bridoon rein, and drawn through on each
side of the little finger of the left or bridle-hand, until there
is a light and even feel on the horse's mouth ; it is then
turned over the first joint of the forefinger on the off-side.
The bridoon rein is next taken up by the buckle, under the
left hand, and laid smoothly over the left bit rein, leaving it
sufficiently loose to hang over each side of the horse's neck.
The thumb is then placed firmly on both reins, as above.

These different manipulations of the reins may be con-
veniently practised at home with reins attached to an elastic
band, the spring of the band answering to the " feel " on the
horse's mouth. But, in addition to these various systems of
taking up the reins, much has to be learnt in the direction of
separating, shortening, shifting, and so forth. With novices
the reins constantly and imperceptibly slip, in which case,
the ends of the reins hanging over the forefinger of the
bridle-hand are taken altogether into the right, the right
hand feels the horse's head, while the loosened fingers of the
bridle-hand are run up or down the reins, as required, till
they are again adjusted to the proper length, when the fingers
once more close on them.

In shifting reins to the right hand, to relieve cramp of
the fingers, and so forth, the right hand must always pass
over the left, and in replacing them the left hand must be
placed over the right. In order to shorten any one rein,
the right hand is used to pull on that part which hangs
beyond the thumb and forefinger. When a horse refuses

Tim SEAT. 2

-D

obedience to the bridle-hand, it must be reinforced by the
right. The three first fingers of the right are placed over
the bridoon rein, so that the rein passes between the Httle
and third fingers, the end is then turned over the forefinger
and, as usual, the thumb is placed upon it. Expertness in
these "permutations and combinations " is only to be arrived
at by constant practice. They must be performed without
stopping the horse, altering his pace, or even glancing at
the hands.

The reins must not be held too loose, but tight enough
to keep touch of the horse's mouth; and, on the other
hand, there must be no attempt to hold on by the bridle,
or what is termed to "ride in the horse's mouth." A
short rein is objectionable ; there must be no '^ extension
motions," no reaching out for a short hold. The proper
position for the bridle-hand is immediately opposite the
centre of the waist, and about three or four inches from it,
that is, on a level with the elbow, and about three or four
inches away from the body. The elbow must neither be
squeezed or trussed too tightly to the side, nor thrust out
too far, but carried easily, inclining a little from the body.
According to strict manege canons, the thumb should be
uppermost, and the lower part of the hand nearer the
waist than the upper, the wrist a little rounded, and the
little finger in a line with the elbow. A wholesome laxity
in conforming to these hard-and-fast rules will be found to
add to the grace of the rider. Chaqtie pays chaqiie guise, and
no two horses are alike in the carriage of the head, the
sensitiveness of the mouth, and in action.^ Like ourselves,
they all have their own pecufiarities.

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THE WALK. 27

The Walk.

The rider is now seated on what — in the case of a begin-
ner— should be an absolutely quiet, good-tempered, and
perfectly trained horse. Before schooling her as to seat,
we will ask her to move forward at the walk. At first it
is better to have the horse led by a leading rein till the
debutante is accustomed to the motion and acquires some
stock of confidence. She must banish from her mind all
thoughts of tumbling off. We do not instruct after this
fashion : — Lady (after having taken several lessons at two
guineas a dozen) loq. : "Well, Mr. Pummell, have I made
any good progress?" "Well, I can't say, ma'am," replies
the instructor, " as 'ow you rides werry well as yet, but you
falls off, ma'am, a deal more gracefuller as wot you did
at first." We do not say that falls must not be expected,
but in mere hack and park riding they certainly ought to
be few and far between. At a steady and even fast walk
the merest tyro cannot, unless bent on experiencing the
sensation of a tumble, possibly come to the ground. Doubt-
less the motion is passing strange at first, and the beginner
may be tempted to clutch nervously at the pommel of her
saddle, a very bad and unsightly habit, and one that, if not
checked from the very first, grows apace and remains.

It is during the walk that the seat is formed, and the
rider makes herself practically acquainted with the rules
laid down on the handling of the reins. A press of the left
leg, a light touch of the whip on the off-side, and a " klk "
will promptly put the horse in motion. He may toss his
head, and for a pace or two become somewhat unsteady ;
this is not vice but mere freshness, and he will almost im-
mediately settle down into a quick, sprightly step, measuring

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THE WALK. 29

each pace exactly, and marking regular cadence, the knee
moderately bent, the leg, in the case of what Paddy terms
''a flippant shtepper," being sharply caught up, appearing
suspended in the air for a second, and the foot brought
smartly and firmly, without jar, to the ground. This is the
perfection of a walking pace. By degrees any nervousness
wears off, the rigid trussed appearance gives place to one
of pliancy and comparative security, the body loses its
constrained stiffness, and begins to conform to and sway
with the movements of the horse. The rider, sitting per-
fectly straight and erect, approaches the correct position,
and lays the foundation of that ease and bearing which are
absolutely indispensable.

After a lesson or two, if not of the too-timid order, the
lady will find herself sitting just so far forward in the
saddle as is consistent with perfect ease and comfort, and
with the full power to grasp the upright crutch firmly with
her right knee ; she will be aware of the friendly grip of
the leaping-head over her left leg ; the weight of her body
will fall exactly on the centre of the saddle; her head,
though erect, will be perfectly free from constraint, the
shoulders well squared, and the hollow of the back grace-
fully bent in, as in waltzing. This graceful pose of the
figure may be readily acquired, throughout the prelimi-
nary lessons, and indeed on all occasions when under
tuition,^by passing the right arm behind the waist, back of
the hand to the body, and riding with it in that position.
Another good plan, which can only be practised in the
riding-school or in some out-of-the-way quiet corner, and
then only on a very steady horse, is for the beginner, with-
out relaxing her grip on the crutch and the pressure on the
leaping-head, as she sits, to lean or recline back so that her
two shoulder-blades touch the hip-boneg of the horse, re-

30 RIDING FOR LADIES.

covering herself and regaining her upright position without
the aid of the reins. The oftener this gymnastic exercise
is performed the better.

At intervals during the lessons she should also, having
dropped her bridle, assiduously practise the extension mo-
tions performed by recruits in our military-riding schools.
\See Appendix.'] The excellent effects of this physical
training will soon be appreciated. But, irrespective of the
accuracy of seat, suppleness and strength of limb, confi-
dence and readiness these athletic exercises beget, they
may, when least expected, save the rider's life. Some of
those for whose instruction I have the honour to write, may
find themselves placed in a critical situation, when the
ability to lie back or "duck" may save them from a
fractured skull.

Inclining the body forward is, from the notion that it
tends towards security, a fault very general with timid
riders.. Nothing, however, in the direction of safety, is
further from the fact. Should the horse, after a visit to the
farrier and the usual senseless free use of the smith's draw-
ing and paring-knife, tread upon a rolling stone and "peck,"
the lady, leaning forward, is suddenly thrown still further
forward, her whole weight is cast upon his shoulders, so he
"of the tender foot" comes down and sends his rider flying
over his head. A stoop in the figure is wanting in smart-
ness, and is unattractive.

It is no uncommon thing to see ladies sitting on their
horses in the form of the letter S, and the effect can hardly
be described as charming. This inelegant position, assumed
by the lady in the distance, is caused by being placed too
much over to the right in the saddle, owing to a too short
stirrup. In attempting to preserve the balance, the body
from the waist upwards has a strong twisted lean-over to

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32

RIDING FOR LADIES.

the left, the neck, to counteract this lateral contortion of
the spine, being bent over to the right, the whole pose
conveying the impression that the rider must be a cripple
braced up in surgeon's irons and other appliances. Not
less hideous, and equally prevalent, is the habit of sitting
too much to the left, and leaning over in that direction
several degrees out of the perpendicular. A novice is apt
to contract this leaning-seat from the apprehension, existing
in the mind of timid riders, that they must fall off from
the off rather than from the near side, so they incline away
from the supposed danger. Too long a stirrup is sometimes
answerable for this crab-like posture. In both of these
awkward postures, the seat becomes insecure, and the due
exercise of the " aids " impossible. What is understood by
" aids " in the language of the schools are the motions and
proper application of the bridle-hand, leg, and heel to
control and direct the turnings and paces of the horse.

The expression "riding by balance" has been frequently
used, and as it is the essence of good horsemanship, I
describe it in the words of an expert as consisting in " a
foreknowledge of what direction any given motion of the
horse would throw the body, and a ready adaptation of the
whole frame to the proper position, before the horse has
completed his change of attitude or action; it is that
disposition of the person, in accordance with the movements
of the horse, which preserves it from an improper inclina-
tion to one side or the other, which even the ordinary paces
of the horse in the trot or gallop will occasion." In brief,
it is the automatic inclination of the person of the rider
to the body of the horse by which the equilibrium is
maintained.

The rider having to some extent perfected herself in
walking straight forward, inclining and turning to the right

THE TROT. 33

and to the right about, and in executing the same move-
ments to the left, on all of which I shall have a few words
to say later, and when she can halt, rein back, and is generally
handy with her horse at the walk, she may attempt a slow
Trot, and here her sorrows may be said to begin.

The Trot.

In this useful but trying pace the lady must sit well down
on her saddle, rising and falling in unison with the action
of the horse, springing lightly but not too highly by the
action of the horse coupled with the flexibility of the instep
and the knee. As the horse breaks from the walk into the
faster pace, it is best not to attempt to rise from the saddle
till he has fairly settled down to his trot — better for a few
paces to sit back, somewhat loosely, and bump the saddle.
The rise from the saddle is to be made as perpendicularly
as possible, though a slight forward inclination of the body
from the loins, but not with roached-back, may be permitted,
and only just so high as to prevent the jar that ensues from
the movements of the rider with the horse not being in
unison. The return of the body to the saddle must be
quiet^ light, and unlaboured. Here it is that the practice
without a stirrup will stand the novice in good stead.

This pace is the most difficult of all to ladies, and few there
be that attain the art of sitting square and gracefully at this
gait, and who rise and fall in the saddle seemingly without
an effort and without riding too much in the horse's mouth.
Most women raise themselves by holding on to the bridle.
Instead of rising to the right, so that they can glance down
the horse's shoulder, and descending to left, and thus regain
the centre of the saddle, they persist in rising over the
horse's left shoulder, and come back on to the saddle in

D

THE TROT. 35

the direction of his off-quarter. This twist of the body to
the left destroys the purchase of the foot and knee, and
unsteadies the position and hands. Though I have sanc-
tioned a sHght leaning forward as the horse breaks into his
trot, it must not be overdone, for should he suddenly throw
up his head his poll may come in violent contact with the
rider's face and forehead, causing a blow that may spoil her
beauty, if not knock her senseless.

\ Till the rider can hit off the secret of rising, she will be
severely shaken up — ^'churned " as a well-known horsewoman
describes the jiggiddy-joggoddy motion, — the teeth feel as if
they would be shaken out of their sockets, and stitch-in-the-
side puts in its unwelcome appearance. Certes, the pre-
liminary lessons are very trying ones, the disarrangement of
''the get-up" too awful, the fatigue dreadful, the alarm no
trifle. Nothing seems easier, and yet nothing in the art
equestrian is so difficult — not to men with their two stirrups,
but to women with one only available. AVhat is more
grotesque, ridiculous, and disagreeable than a rider rising
and faUing in the saddle at a greater and lesser speed than
that of her horse ? And yet, fair reader, if you will have
a little patience, a good deal of perseverance, some de-
termination, and will attend to the hints I give, you shall,
in due course, be mistress over the difficulty, and rise and
fall with perfect ease and exquisite grace, free from all
emharras or undue fatigue.

First of all, we must put you on a very smooth, easy, and
sedate trotter ; by-and-by we may transfer your saddle to
something more sharp and lively, perhaps even indulge you
with a mount on a regular "bone-setter." To commence
with, the lessons, or rather trotting bouts, shall be short,
there shall be frequent halts, and during these halts I shall
make you drop your reins and put you through extension

36 RIDING FOR LADIES.

and balance motions, endeavour to correct your position
on the saddle, catechize you closely on the " aids," and
introduce as much variety as possible.

Before urging your steed into his wild six or seven-mile-
an-hour career, please bear in mind that you must not rise
suddenly, or with a jerk, but quietly and smoothly, letting
the impetus come from the motion of the horse. The
rise from the saddle must not be initiated by a long pull
and strong pull at his mouth, a spasmodic grip of your
right leg on the crutch, or a violent attempt to raise
yourself in the air from your stirrup. The horse will not
accommodate his action to yours, you must " take him on the
hop," as the saying is. If horse and rider go disjointly, or
you do not harmonize your movements with his, then it is
something as unpleasant as dancing a waltz with a partner
who won't keep time, or rowing '' spoonful about."

Falling in with the trot of a horse is at first very difficult.
In order to faciHtate matters as much as possible, you shall,
for a few days, substitute the old-fashioned slipper for the
stirrup, as then the spring will come from the toes and not
from the hollow of the foot ; this will lessen the exertion
and be easier. If nature has happened to fashion you some-
what short from the hip to the knee, and you will attend to
instruction and practice frequently, the chances are strong in
your favour of conquering the irksome " cross-jolt." Sepa-
rate your reins, taking one in each hand, feeling the mouth
equally with both reins, sit well down lOn your saddle, keep
your left foot pointed straight to the front, don't attempt to
move till the horse has steadied into his trot, which, in case
of a well trained animal, will be in a stride or two, then en-
deavour, obeying the impulse of his movement, to time the
rise.

A really perfectly broken horse, " supplied on both

THE TROT. 37

hands," as it is termed, leads, in the trot as in the canter,
equally well with either leg, but, in both paces, a very
large majority have a favourite leading leg. By glanc-
ing over the right shoulder the time for the rise may be
taken. Do not be disheartened by repeated failures to
"catch on;" persevere, and suddenly you will hit it off.
When the least fatigued, pull up into a walk, and when
rested have another try. At the risk of repetition, I agam
impress on you the necessity of keeping the toe jof the left
foot pointed to the front, the foot itself back, and with the
heel depressed. Your descent into the saddle should be
such that any one you may be riding straight at, shall see a
part of your right shoulder and hip as they rise and fall, his
line of vision being directed along the off-side of the horse's
neck. When these two portions of your body are so visible
then the weight is in its proper place, and there is no fear of
the saddle being dragged over the horse's near shoulder. For
a few strides there is no objection to your taking a light hold
of the pommel with the right hand, in order to time the rise,
but the moment the " cross-jolt" ceases, and you find your-
self moving in unison with the horse, the hold must be re-
laxed. Some difficulty will be found in remaining long
enough out of the saddle at each rise to avoid descending
too soon, and thus receive a double cross-jolt ; but this will
be overcome after a few attempts. Keep the hands well
down and the elbows in.

Varying the speed in the trot will be found excellent
practice for the hands; the faster a horse goes, generally
speaking, the easier he goes. He must be kept going " well
within himself," that is he must not be urged to trot at a
greater speed than he can compass with true and equal
action. Some very fast trotters, " daisy cutters," go with so
little upward jerk that it is almost impossible to rise on

38

RIDING FOR LADIES.

them at all. Any attempt at half-cantering with his hind
legs must be at once checked by pulling him together, and,
by slowing him down, getting him back into collected form.
Should he "break" badly, from being over-paced, into a
canter or hard-gallop, then rein him in, pulling up, if need

THE TROT,

be, into a walk, chiding him at the same time. When he
again brings his head in and begins to step clean, light, and
evenly, then let him resume his trot. If not going up to
his bit and hanging heavy on the hand, move the bit in his
mouth, let him feel the leg, and talk to him. Like our-

7IIE CANTER. 39

selves, horses are not up to the mark every day, and though
they do not go to heated theatres and crowded ball-rooms,
or indulge as some of their masters and mistresses are said
to do, they too often spend twenty hours or more out of
the twenty-four in the vitiated atmosphere of a hot, badly
ventilated stable, and their insides are converted into apothe-
caries' shops by ignorant doctoring grooms. When a free
horse does not face his bit, he is either fatigued or some-
thing is amiss.

The Canter.

Properly speaking, this being, /«?/- excellence, the lady's pace,
the instruction should precede that of the trot. The com-
parative ease of the canter, and the readiness with which the
average pupil takes to it, induces the beginner to at once
indulge in it. It is, on a thoroughly trained horse, so agree-
able that the uninitiated at once acquire confidence on
horseback. Moreover, it is the pace at which a fine figure
and elegant lady-like bearing is most conspicuously dis-
played, and for this, if for no other reason, the pupil applies
lierself earnestly — shall I say lovingly ? — to perfect herself
in this delightful feature of the art. On a light-actioned
horse, one moving as it were on springs, going well on his
haunches, and well up to his bit, the motion is as easy as
that of a rocking-chair. All the rider has to do is to sit
back, keep ^the body quite flexible and in the centre of
the saddle, preserve the balance, and, with pressure from the
left leg and heel, and a touch of the whip, keep him up to
his bit. She will imperceptibly leave ihe saddle at every
stride, which, in a slow measured canter, will be reduced
to a sort of rubbing motion, just sufficient to ease the slight
jolt caused by the action of the haunches and hind legs.

Many park-horses and ladies' hacks are trained to spring

46 RIDING FOR LADIES.

at once, without breaking into a run or trot, into the canter.
All the rider has to do is to raise the hand ever so little, press
him with the leg, touch him with the whip, and give him the
unspellable signal "klk." The movement or sway of the
body should follow that of the horse. As soon as he is in his
stride, the rider throws back her body a little, and places her
hand in a suitable position. If the horse carries his head well,
the hand ought to be about three inches from the pommel,
and at an equal distance from the body. For " star-gazers "
it should be lower ; and for borers it should be raised higher.
Once properly under way the lady will study that almost
imperceptible willow-like bend of the back, her shoulders
will be thrown back gracefully, the mere suspicion of a
swing accommodating itself to the motion of the horse will
come from the pliant waist, and she will yield herself just
a little to the opposite side from that the horse's leading
leg is on. If he leads with the off-foot, he inclines a
trifle to the left, and the rider's body and hands must turn
but a little to the left also, and vice versa.

It is the rider's province to direct which foot the horse
shall lead with. To canter with the left fore leg leading, the
extra bearing will be upon the left rein, the little finger
turned up towards the right shoulder, the hint from the
whip — a mere touch should suffice — being on the right
shoulder or flank. It is essential that the bearing upon the
mouth, a light playing touch, should be preserved through-
out the whole pace. If the horse should, within a short
distance — say a mile or so, — flag, then he must be reminded
by gentle application of the whip. He cannot canter
truly and bear himself handsomely unless going up to his
bit. The rider must feel the cadence of every pace, and
be able to extend or shorten the stride at will. It is
an excellent plan to change the leading leg frequently.

THE CANTER. 41

SO that upon any disturbance of pace, going "false,"
or change of direction, the rider may be equal to the
occasion. The lady must be careful that the bridle-arm
does not acquire the ugly habit of leaving the body and the
elbow of being stuck out of it akimbo. All the movements
of the hand should proceed from the wrist, the bearings
and play on the horse's mouth being kept up by the little
finger.

Ladies will find that most horses are trained to lead entirely
with the off leg, and that when, from any disturbance of
pace, they are forced to " change step " and lead with the
near leg, their action becomes very awkward and uneven.
Hence they are prone to regard cantering with the near leg
as disagreeable. But when they come to use their own
horses, they will find it good economy to teach them to
change the leading leg constantly, both during the canter
and at the commencement of the pace. To make a horse
change foot in his canter, if he cannot be got readily to do
so by hand, leg, and heel, turn him to the right, as if to
circle, and he will lead with the off foreleg, and by repeat-
ing the same make-believe manoeuvre to the left, the near
fore will be in front. The beginner, however, had better
pull up into the walk before attempting this change. When
pulling up from the canter, it is best and safest to let the
horse drop into a trot for a few paces and so resume the
walk.

■ There is no better course of tuition by which to
acquire balance than the various inclinations to the right
and left, the turns to the right and left and to the right and
left-about at the canter, all of which, with the exception of
the full turns, should be performed on the move without
halting. In the turn-about, it is necessary to bring the horse
to a momentary halt before the turn be commenced, and

42 RIDING FOR LADIES.

SO soon as he has gone about and the turn is fully completed,
a lift of the hand and a touch of the leg and heel should
instanter compel him to move forward at the canter in the
opposite direction ; he must no sooner be round than off.
When no Riding-school is available, one constructed of
hurdles closely laced with gorse, on the sheep-lambing
principle, will answer all purposes. Should the horse be at
all awkward or unsteady, the hurdles, placed one on the top
of the other and tied to uprights driven into the ground,
closely interlaced with the gorse so that he cannot see
through or over the barrier, will form a perfect, retired
exercise ground. A plentiful surface dressing of golden-
peat-moss-litter will save his legs and feet. In a quiet
open impromptu school of this description, away from
*' the madding crowd," I have schooled young horses so
that they would canter almost on their own ground, circling
round a bamboo lance shaft, the point in the ground and
the butt in my right hand, without changing legs or altering
pace, and they would describe the figure eight with almost
mathematical precision, changing leg at every turn without
any " aid " from me, a mere inchnation of the body bringing
them round the curves. A horse very handy with his legs
can readily change them at the corners when making the
full right-angle turn, but there is always at first the danger of
one not so clever' attempting to execute the turn by crossing
the leading leg over the supporting one, when the rider will
be lucky to get off with an awkward stumble — a " cropper "
will most likely follow. When at this private practice,
'' make much of your horse " — that is, caress and speak
kindly to him, when he does well ; in fact, the more he is
spoken to throughout the lesson, the better for both parties.
So good and discriminating is a horse's ear that he soon
learns to appreciate the difference between kindly approval

THE CANTER.

43

and stern censure. A sympathy between horse and rider is
soon estabHshed, and such freemasonry is delightful. -

Never canter on the high road, and see that your
groom does not indulge himself by so doing. On elastic
springy turf the pace, which in reality is a series of short
bounds, if not continued too long at a time, does no great

^>y/^

^yy.

FREE BUT NOT EASY.

harm, but one mile on a hard, unyielding surface causes more
wear-and-tear of joints, shoulders, and frame generally, than
a long day's work of alternating walk and trot which, on the
Queen's highway, are the proper paces*. There is no ob-
jection to a canter when a bit of turf is found on the road-
side ; and the little drains cut to lead the water off the turn-
pike into the ditch serve to make young horses handy with
their legs.

44 RIDING FOR LADIES.

The Hand-gallop and Gallop.

The rider should not attempt either of these accelerated
paces till quite confident that she has the horse under com-
plete control. As the hand-gallop is only another and
quickened form of the canter, in which the stride is both
lengthened and hastened, or, more correctly speaking, in
which the bounds are longer and faster, the same rules are
applicable to both. Many horses, especially those through
whose veins strong hot blood is pulsing, fairly revel in the
gallop, and if allowed to gain upon the hand, will soon ex-
tend the hand-gallop to full-gallop, and that rapid pace into
a runaway. The rider must, therefore, always keep her
horse well in hand, so as to be able to slacken speed should
he get up too much steam. Some, impatient of restraint,
will shake their heads, snatch at their bits, and yaw about,
" fighting for their heads," as it is termed, and will endeavour
to bore and get their heads down.

A well-trained horse, one such as a beginner should ride,
will not play these pranks and will not take a dead pull at
the rider's hands; on the contrary, he will stride along
quite collectedly, keeping his head in its proper place,
and taking just sufficient hold to make things pleasant.
But horses with perfect mouths and manners are, like
angels' visits, few and far between, and are eagerly sought
after by those fortunate beings to whom money is no
object. To be on the safe side, the rider should always
be on the alert and prepared to at once apply the brake.
When fairly in his stride and going comfortably, the rider,
leaning slightly forward, should, with both hands on the
bridle, give and take with each stroke, playing the while
with the curb ; she should talk cheerily to him, but the least

THE HAND'GALLOP AND GALLOP, 45

effort on his part to gain upon the hand must be at once
checked. The play of the Httle fingers on the curb keeps
his mouth aUve, prevents his hanging or boring, and makes
it sensible to the rider's hand.

*' Keeping a horse in hand" means that there is such a
system of communication established between the rider
and the quadruped that the former is mistress of the situa-
tion, and knows, almost before the horse has made up his
mind what to do, what is coming. This keeping in hand
is one of the secrets of fine horsemanship, and it especially
suits the light-hearted mercurial sort of goer, one that is
always more or less off the ground or in the air, one of
those that " treads so light he scarcely prints the plain."

My impression is, despite the numerous bits devised and
advertised to stop runaways, that nothing short of a long and
steep hill, a steam-cultivated, stiff clay fallow, or the Bog of
Allen, will stop the determined bolt of a self-willed, callous-
mouthed horse. There is no use pulling at him, for the
more you pull the harder he hardens his heart and his mouth.
The only plan, if there be plenty of elbow room, is to let
him have his wicked way a bit, then, with one mighty con-
centrated effort to give a sudden snatch at the bit, followed
by instantly and rapidly drawing, "sawing," of the bridoon
through his mouth. Above all, keep your presence of mind,
and if by any good luck you can so pilot the brute as to make
him face an ascent, drive him up it — if it be as steep as the
roof of a house, so much the better, — plying whip and spur,
till he be completely " pumped out " and dead beat. Faihng
a steep hill, perhaps a ploughed field -may present itself,
through and round which he should be ridden, in the very
fullest sense of the word, till he stands still. Such a horse
is utterly unfit to carry a lady, and, should she come safe
and sound out of the uncomfortable ride, he had better

45 RIDING FOR LADIES,

be consigned to Tattersall's or "The Lane," to be sold
" absolutely without reserve."

Worse still than the runaway professional bolter is the
panic-stricken flight of a suddenly scared horse, in which
abject terror reigns supreme, launching him at the top of his
speed in full flight from some imaginary foe. Nature has
taught him to seek safety in flight, and the frightened animal,
with desperate and exhausting energy, will gallop till he drops.
Professor Galvayne's system claims to be effective with run-
away and nervous bolters. At Ayr that distinguished horse-
tamer cured, in the space of one hour, an inveterate performer
in that objectionable line, and a pair he now drives were,
at one time, given to like malpractices.

Do not urge your horse suddenly from a canter into a full
gallop ; let him settle down to his pace gradually— steady
him. Being jumped off, like a racehorse with a flying start
at the fall of the flag, is very apt to make a hot, high-
couraged horse run away or attempt to do so. Some horses,
however, allow great liberties to be taken with them, and
others none. All depends on temperament, and whether
the nervous, fibrous, sanguine, or lymphatic element prepon-
derates. And here let me remark that the fibrous tempera-
ment is the one to struggle and endure, to last the longest,
and to give the maximum of ease, comfort, and satisfaction
to owner and rider.

Leaping.

*' Throw the broad ditch behind you ; o'er the hedge
High bound, resistless j nor the deep morass refuse."

Thompson.

Though the '' pleasures of the chase " are purposely ex-
cluded from this volume, the horsewoman's preliminary

LEAPING. 47

course of instruction would hardly be complete without a
few remarks on jumping. In clearing an obstacle, a horse
must to all intents and purposes go through all the motions
inherent to the vices of rearing, plunging, and kicking, yet
the three, when in rapid combination, are by no means
difficult to accommodate one's self to. It is best to com-
mence on a clever, steady horse — "a safe conveyance " that
will go quietly at his fences, jump them without an effort,
landing light as a cork, and one that will never dream of
refusing. As beginners, no matter what instructors may say
and protest, will invariably, for the first few leaps, till they
acquire confidence, grip, and balance, ride to some extent
" in the horse's mouth," they should be placed on an animal
with not too sensitive a mouth, one that can go pleasantly
in a plain snafile.

Begin with something low, simple, and easy — say a three
feet high gorsed hurdle, so thickly laced with the whin that
daylight cannot be seen through, with a low white-painted
rail some little distance from it on the take-off side. If
there be a ditch between the rail and the fence, so much the
better, for the more the horse spreads himself the easier it
will be to the rider, the jerk or prop on landing the less
severe. Some horses sail over the largest obstacle, land,
and are away again without their appearing to call upon
themselves for any extra exertion ; they clear it in their
stride. Hunters that know their business can be trotted up
to five-barred gates and stiff timber, which they will clear
with consummate ease ; but height and width require distinct
efforts, and the rear and kick in this mode of negotiating
a fence are so pronounced and so sudden that they would be
certain to unseat the novice.

It is easiest to sit a leap if the horse is ridden at it in
a canter or, at most, in a well-collected, slow hand-gallop.

48

RIDING FOR LADIES,

The reins being held in both hands with a firm, steady
hold, the horse should be ridden straight at the spot you
have selected to jump. Sit straight, or, if anything out
of the perpendicular, lean a little back. The run at the
fence need only be a few yards. As he nears it, the
forward prick of his alert ears and a certain measuring
of his distance will indicate that he means " to have it,"

THE LEAP.

and is gathering himself for the effort. The rider should
then, if she can persuade herself so to do, give him full
liberty of head. Certain instructors, and horsemen in
general, will prate glibly of " lifting" a horse over his fence.
I have read of steeplechase riders " throwing " their horses
over almost unnegotiable obstacles, but it is about as easy
to upend an elephant by the tail and throw him over the

LEAPINC. 49

garden wall as it is for any rider to '' lift" his horse. Although
the horse must be made to feel, as he approaches the
fence, that it is utterly impossible for him to swerve from it,
yet the instant he is about to rise the reins should be slacked
off, to be almost immediately brought to bear again as he
descends.

Irish horses are the best jumpers we have, and their
excellence may justly be ascribed to the fact that, for the
most part, they are ridden in the snaffle bridle. If the
horse be held too light by the head he will " buck over "
the obstacle, a form of jumping well calculated to jerk the
beginner out of her saddle. After topping the hurdle, the
horse's forehand, in his descent, will be lower than his hind
quarters. Had the rider leant forward as he rose on his hind
legs, the violent effort or kick of his haunches would have
thrown her still further over his neck, whereas, having left
the ground with a slight incUnation towards the croup,
the forward spring of the horse will add to that backward
tendency and place her in the best possible position in
which to counteract the shock received upon his forefeet
reaching the ground. If the rider does not slacken the reins
as the horse makes his spring, they must either be drawn
through her hands or she will land right out on his neck.

I have referred to the *' buck-over" system of jumping*
which is very common with Irish horses. A mare of mine,
well-known in days of yore at Fermoy as " Up-she-rises,
would have puzzled even Mrs. Power O'Donoghue. She
would come full gallop, when hounds were running, at a
stone wall, pull up and crouch close under it, then, with
one mighty effort, throw herself over, her hind legs landing
on the other side little more than the thickness of the wall
from where her forefeet had taken off. It was not a
" buck," but a straight up-on-end rear, followed by a frantic

E

3>

50 RIDING FOR LADIES.

kick that threatened to hurl saddle and rider half across the
field. " Scrutator," in " Horses and Hounds," makes mention
of an Irish horse, which would take most extraordinary
leaps over gates and walls, and if going ever so fast would
always check himself and take his leaps after his own
fashion. " Not thinking him," writes this fine sportsman,
"up to my weight, he was handed over to the second
whipper-in, and treated Jack at first acquaintance to a
rattling fall or two. He rode him, as he had done his other
horses, pretty fast at a stiff gate, which came in his way the
first day. Some of the field, not fancying it, persuaded
Jack to try first, calculating upon his knocking it open,
or breaking the top bar. The horse, before taking off,
stopped quite short, and jerked him out of the saddle over
to the other side ; then raising himself on his hind legs,
vaulted over upon Jack, who was lying on his back. Not
being damaged, Jack picked himself up, and grinning at his
friends, who were on the wrong side laughing at his fall,
said, ' Never mind, gentlemen, 'tis a rum way of doing
things that horse has ; but no matter, we are both on the
right side, and that's where you won't be just yet.' "

The standing jump is much more difficult, till the neces-
sary balance be acquired, than the flying leap. The lower
and longer the curve described, the easier to sit ; but in
this description of leaping, the horse, though he clears
height, cannot cover much ground. His motion is like that
of the Whip's horse described above, and the rider will find
the effort, as he springs from his haunches, much more
accentuated than in the case of the flying leap, and there-
fore the more difficult to sit. As, however, leaping,
properly speaking, belongs to the hunting-field, I propose
to deal more fully with the subject in another volume.

DISMOUNTING. 5t

Dismounting.

When the novice dismounts there should, at first, be two
persons to aid — one to hold the horse's head, the other to
lift her from the saddle. After a very few lessons, if the
lady be active and her hack a steady one, the services of
the former may be dispensed with. Of course the horse is
brought to full stop. Transfer the whip to the left hand,
throw the right leg over to the near side of the crutch and
disengage the foot from the stirrup. Let the reins fall on
the neck, see that the habit skirt is quite clear of the leap-
ing-head, turn in the saddle, place the left hand upon the
right arm of the cavaHer or squire, the right on the leaping-
head, and half spring half glide to the ground, lighting on
the balls of the feet, dropping a slight curtsey to break the
jar on the frame. Retain hold of the leaping-head till safely
landed.

Very few men understand the proper manner in which
to exercise the duties of the cavalier servant in mounting
and dismounting ladies. Many ladies not unreasonably
object to be Ufted off their horses almost into grooms' arms.
A correspondent of the Sporting a?id Dramatic N'ezus
mentions a contretemps to a somewhat portly lady in the
Crimea, whose husband, in hoisting her up on to her saddle
with more vigour than skill, sent his better half right over
the horse's back sprawling on the ground. It is by no means
an uncommon thing to see ladies, owing to want of lift on
the part of the lifter and general clu^msiness, failing to
reach the saddle and slipping down again.

Having dismounted, " make much " of your horse, and
give him a bit of carrot, sugar, apple, or some tid-bit.
Horses are particularly fond of apples.

52 RIDING FOR LADIES.

CHAPTER IV.

THE SIDE SADDLE.

It is of first-class importance that a lady's saddle should be
made by a respectable and thoroughly competent saddler.
Seeing the number of years a well-built and properly kept
side-saddle will last, it is but penny wise to grudge the
necessary outlay in the first instance. Those constructed
on the cheap machine-made system never give satisfaction
to the rider, are constantly in need of repair (grooms, if
permitted, are everlastingly in and out of the saddler's
shop), and are a prolific cause of sore backs.

With all saddles the chief cause, the source and origin,
of evil is badly constructed and badly fitting trees that take
an undue bearing on different parts of the back. At a
critical moment, when just a little extra exertion would
perhaps keep the horse on his legs, a somewhat tender
muscle or portion of " scalded " skin comes in painful con-
tact with some part of an ill-fitting saddle, the agony
causing him to wince, checks the impulse to extend the
" spare leg," and he comes down. It does not matter how
hard or heavy the rider may be, how tender the skin, a sore
back can be prevented by a proper system of measurement
and a good pannel. Mrs. Power O'Donoghue, in her
very interesting letters upon " Ladies on Horseback,"
unsparingly condemns the elaborate embroideiy which
adorned (?) the near flap of every old-fashioned saddle, point-
ing out that as it is always concealed by the rider's right
leg, the work is a needless expense. "There might be
some sense," that brilliant and bold horsewoman says,

THE SIDE SADDLE.

53

'• although very little, in decorating the off-side and impart-
ing to it somewhat of an ornamental appearance ; but in my
opinion there cannot be too much simplicity about any-

THE OLD STYLE.

thing connected with riding appointments. Let your saddle,
like your personal attire, be remarkable only for perfect
freedom from ornament or display. Have it made to suit

54

RIDING FOR LADIES.

yourself — neither too weighty nor yet too small, — and if
you want to ride with grace and comfort, desire that it be
constructed without one particle of the objectionable dip'^

..V >. ./l

^-"^'''-j %i^--^ii^ s^/^!iiu. .

THE SAFETY SADDLE.

The foregoing two sketches, " The Old Style" and " The
Straight-Seated Safety," contrast the wide difference between
the old and fast disappearing form of side-saddle and that

THE SIDE SADDLE,

55

designed and manufactured by Messrs. Champion and
Wilton. The disadvantages of the old style are so painfully
obvious that it is marvellous they should not have been
remedied years ago. On, or rather in^ one of these, the
lady sat in a dip or kind of basin, and unless her limbs were
of unusual length— thereby pushing her right knee towards
the off-side — she necessarily faced half-left, z.^., not her
horse's ears, but his near shoulder ; or, in order to attain
any squareness of front, she was called upon to twist her
body from the hips,
and to maintain a
most fatiguing,
forced position dur-
ing her whole ride
(even through . a
long day's hunting),

or else sit altogether on the near
side of her saddle. This twist was
the cause of the pains in the spine
so frequently complained of. More
than this, the height upon which her
pommels were raised caused her to
sit, as it were, uphill, or at best (in
the attempt on the part of the saddler to rectify this, by
stuffing up the seat of her saddle) to find herself perched
far above her horse's back. The natural expedient of carry-
ing the upper or middle pommel nearer. the centre of the
horse's withers, so as to bring the knee about in a line with
his mane, was impracticable with the old.style of saddle tree,
which gave the pommels a lofty, arched base above the apex
of his shoulders. The result was, in all cases, (i) great in-
convenience and often curvature of the spine to the rider,
(2) constant liability to sore back on the part of the horse,

56

RIDING FOR LADIES.

through the cross friction produced by the lady's one-sided
position. To meet and entirely remove the difficulty, Messrs.
Champion and Wilton pruned away all the forepart of the
saddle-tree, and, in place of the raised wood and metal base,
upon which the lady's right leg formerly rested, substituted
merely a stout leather flap or cushion.

As will be seen from the foregoing illustration, they were
by this arrangement able to place the upper pommel in what-
ever exact position the form of the rider may require, to
enable her to sit straight to her proper front, riding the
whole upon a level seat, and distributing her weight fairly
upon her horse's back. The importance of being in a
position to face her work and to hold her horse at his,
needs no comment. The small holster attached to the
saddle is an exceedingly ingenious air and water-tight
detachable receptacle for a reliable watch with a very

clearly marked dial.
f^ The rider thus
always has the time
before her eyes, and
is saved the great
inconvenience — in
the hunting - field
especially — of un-
buttoning the habit
to get out a watch.
This invention,
though not a ne-
cessity, is a very
handy adjunct.
This superlatively
good saddle is fitted with a Patent Safety-Stirrup Bar,
which, while it renders it impossible for the rider to be

THE SIDE SADDLE.

57

hung up or dragged when thrown, cannot possibly become
detached so long as she remains in the saddle. The action
of this perfect safeguard is explained by the accompanying
diagrams.

The back of the bar is fixed to the tree in the ordinary
way. There are only two moving parts, viz. the hinged
hook-piece, marked A, Figs, i, 2, and 3, upon which the
loop of the stirrup-leather is hung, and the locking bar, B,
upon which the skirt and the rider's legs rest. It will be
noticed that the front of the hook-piece, marked A, Fig. i,
is cut off diagonally
front and back, and
that there is upon
the back-plate a
cone, marked C,
which projects
through the back of
the hook-piece. The
locking action may
be thus described :
The skirt, with lever, pm -A
B, Fig. 2, is lifted, the 1 ■ ma

hook. A, pulled for-
ward, and the loop
of the stirrup-leather
hooked upon it; it
springs back again

(spring not shown) fjC 5

and the locking lever,
B, falls down over it,
as at Fig 3. While in the saddle, one of the rider's legs rests
at all times upon the skirt and lever, which therefore cannot
rise; but upon the rider being thrown and dragged, the stirrup-

58

RIDING FOR LADIES.

leather is tilted diagonally against the cone, C, in passing
which the hook is thrust outwards, lifting the locking lever
and skirt, as shown, Fig. 2, and thus reaching the releasing
point, is free. There is another case more rare, that in
which the rider is thrown over the horse's head, and also
over a gate or fence when the horse refuses and backs ; and

here we have just the reverse action to that of the ordinary
dragging, but in this case the bar acts equally well. When
the rider is thrown and dragged on the off or reverse side,
the stirrup-leather lifts the skirt and locking lever, Fig. 2,
and there remains nothing to retain the loop to the bar.
The above sketch of the side-saddle will aid in making

THE SIDE SADDLE. 59

the foregoing clear. Here A is the skirt, and locking lever,
B, shown raised, in order to fit the loop of the stirrup-
leather to the hook C below the cone D.

A balance strap is usually supplied with a side-saddle, and
is a very desirable adjunct. Ds also, to which the cover-coat
is attached, should be fitted on.

Quilted or plain doeskin seat and pommels are matters
of taste. These extras add to the cost of the saddle. A
waterproof or leather cover is an essential. Hogskin caps
and straps, to prevent the habit catching on the pommels,
should be provided when', the new patent safety-bar stirnip
is not used.

AVhen practicable a lady should invariably be measured
for her saddle. It is almost impossible to find a lady's horse
that at some time or another has not suffered from sore
back, and it is imperative that the saddle should fit both
and that perfectly. We bipeds cannot walk or run in tight
ill-fitting boots, neither can a horse act under a badly fitting
saddle. I have read somewhere that the Empress of Austria
rode in an 8-lb. saddle, a statement I take leave to doubt.
Her Imperial Highness is far too fine and experienced a
horsewoman to have been seen outside any such toy. In
the present day there is a senseless rage for light side-saddles,
much to be deprecated, as the lightness is gained at the
expense of the tree, and light flimsy leather is used in their
manufacture. Possibly when alum comes into general use we
may see lighter and even strong trees. A lady weighing 9
stone 7 lbs. requires a saddle about 17 inches long, measured,
as in the sketch, from A to B, the seat from C to D, 13! inches
wide, the upright pommel 5^ inches high, and the leaping-
head 8 inches long. Such a saddle, brand new, will weigh
about 14 lbs., and at the end of a season will pull the scale
down at 18 to 20 lbs. A saddle made of the proper weight

6o

RIDING FOR LADIES.

and strength in the first instance — the extra weight being in
the tree, where the strength is required — will be lighter in
appearance.

Light saddles always require a lot of extra stuffing,
which soon mounts up the weight and detracts from the
looks; moreover it is very inconvenient to be constantly
sending one's saddle to be restuffed. Most ladies, from
lack of proper supervision and want of thought, are

neglectful of the make and condition of their saddles, and
so some ribald cynic has hazarded the remark that although
"a good man is merciful to his beast, a good woman is
rarely so." A first class firm keeps an experienced man for
the purpose of measuring horses, who is sent out any dis-
tance required at a fixed scale of charges. When a lady
cannot conveniently attend to be measured, she should
endeavour to get the measurements, as indicated in the
sketch, from some saddle in which she can ride with comfort,

THE SIDE SADDLE.

61

Though careful fitting and adjustment of the saddle will
reduce friction to a minimum, and will, in the majority of
cases, do away with its baneful effects, still with some very
highly bred horses the skin of the back is so easily irritated,
that during a long day's work, in hot climates especially, it
becomes chafed, and injury is inflicted either at the withers
or underneath the seat. Nothing is more difficult to deal with
and heal than a sore back. In a prolonged and arduous
campaign, I have seen regiments seriously reduced below
their fighting
strength by obsti-
nate sore backs.
A very great de-
sideratum, in my
opinion, is the

new "Humanity" sponge-lined numnah,
another of Messrs. Champion and
Wilton's sensible inventions. This ex-
cellent preventative and curative Saddle-
cloth keeps the most tender-skinned
horse in a position to walk in comfort.
It is an adaptation of the finer kind of Turkey sponge, the
soft nature of which suggested itself to the inventors as an
agent for counteracting saddle friction.

It is made in two varieties : (i) of bridle leather, lined
at the withers with this fine, natural sponge, thus inter-
posing a soft pad between the saddle and the withers
(a point where the chief strain of a lady's seat is brought to
bear during the action of the trot) ; (2) of a fine white felt,
lined at the back as well as at the withers with the same
quality of sponge, and intended for such horses as are apt
to become troubled under the seat of the saddle as well
as at the withers. The sponge has to be damped, pre-

62

RIDING FOR LADIES.

INSIDE. SURFACE

ferably in warm water, but pressed or wrung out before
using, and the leather part kept soft with vaseline, which is
an excellent preservative and softener of leather. EacJi
time after use, the stueat should be thoroughly washed out of
the sponge; to ensure best results, attention to scrupulous clean-
liness is absolutely essential The following are representa-
tions of this numnah.

With the safety-bar and the Zenith habit it matters not
what form of stirrup a lady uses, for these. hav6 done away

with the necessity for
the so-called safety
patterns, of which
there are several. The
slipper has been ob-
jected to, as it, from
being so comfortable,
encourages ladies to
lean their whole
weight on it and thus
throw themselves out
of balance; more-
over, it is out of
fashion. Mrs. Power
O'Donoghue advocates the plain iron racing stirrup, with
the foot well home, as by its means the rise or purchase
is from the instep, as it ought to be, and not from the toes.
The Prussian side-pieces at the bottom take sharp pressure
off the sides of the foot. The Victoria and French pad
inside the stirrup, except when the safety bar and habit are
adopted, are fraught with danger; with these precautions
they are a great comfort, and guard the instep at the trot
when the foot is thrust well home. The size of the stirrup
should be proportionate to the foot.

C 63 )

CHAPTER V.

HINTS UPON COSTUME.

" She wore what was then somewhat universal — a coat, vest, and hat
resembling those of a man ; which fashion has since called a Riding-
Habit." — Diana Vernon, Scott.

Under no circumstances does a lady, possessed of good
figure and carriage, appear to such great advantage, or is
she so fascinating, as when with mien and bearing haught
and high, with perfect, well-balanced seat, and light hands,
faultlessly appointed, firmly, gently, and with seeming care-
lessness she controls some spirited high-bred horse, some
noble steed of stainless purity of breed, whose rounded
symmetry of form, characteristic spring of the tail, and pride
of port, proclaim his descent from

"The Silver Arab with his purple veins,
The true blood royal of his race."

At no time are the beauties of the female form divine
displayed with such witching grace_, the faultless flowing
lines so attractively posed, the /<?/// ensemble so thoroughly
patrician. But if there be one blot in the fair picture the
whole charm at once vanishes. The incomparable dignity,
the well-turned-out steeds — the best that money could buy
or critical judgment select — the perfect figure of that superb
horsewoman the Empress of Austria, of whom it may justly
be said " All the pride of all her race in herself reflected
lives," were it possible for Her Imperial Majesty to err in
such a matter, would have been of little effect, but for a
faultlessly cut and fitting habit.

64 RIDING FOR LADIES.

" Fine feathers make fine birds," and though in riding
costume the plumage, save in the hunting-field, must be
of sombre tint, it must be unruffled and lie perfectly
flat. There are Habit-makers and Habit-makers; a very
few as perfect as need be, more mediocre, most arrant
bunglers. Of late years legions of so-called ladies'-tailors
have sprung into being, not one in a hundred possessing
the faintest idea of what is wanted. A Habit-maker
is a genius not often met with, and when come across
should be made a note of. A perfect fitting habit,
though not quite " a joy for ever," is a very useful, long-
wearing, and altogether desirable garment. Particular
attention must be given to the cutting of the back of the
neck to secure plenty of play, and to prevent that disagree-
able tightness so often experienced, which completely mars
the easy and graceful movement of the head. While giving
absolute freedom to the figure, the well shaped body will fit
like a glove. A tight habit gives a stiff, inelegant appearance
to the whole figure, and produces a feeling of being
"cribbed, cabined, and confined," tantamount to semi-
suffocation. A too long waist is certain to ride-up and
wrinkle. For winter wear there is nothing like the double-
breasted body. The choice to select from is a wide one.

To my mind and eye no one understands the whole art of
habit-making so well as Mr. W. Shingleton, 60, New Bond
Street, London, the inventor of the patent "Zenith" skirt,
an ingenious arrangement which should be universally
patronized for its absolute safety, if for no less weighty
reason. Any lady wearing this clever and smart combina-
tion of skirt and trousers, seated on one of Messrs. Champion
and Wilton's safety side-saddles, may set her mind completely
at rest as to the possibility of being "hung up" on the
pommel, or dragged by it or the stirrup. Perfect freedom

HINTS UPON COSTUME.

65

in the saddle is secured to the rider, that portion of the

skirt which in the ordinary habit fits over the pommel,

always a source of danger, being entirely dispensed with.

The '' Zenith" is made in two breadths or portions, instead

of three, as heretofore, and on one side this skirt is attached

to the trousers at the *' side seam " of the right leg, or leg

which passes over the

pommel. The skirt is

then carried across or

over both legs of the

trousers in front, and, on

the other side, is brought

round and attached to

the "leg seam" of the

left leg and to the ''seat

seam," both the trousers
and the skirt being then
secured to the waistband.
Thus the rider, as stated
above, has the pommel
leg free to be readily dis-
engaged from the pom-
mel without the skirt
catching thereon, the right the
leg at the back being left
uncovered by the skirt. An opening formed on the left side
of the skirt allows of the garment being readily put on.
The front draping of the skirt remains unaltered from the
usual skirt, but when seen from behind it presents the
appearance of one leg covered, the other uncovered. When
walking, the back of the right trousers leg, which is un-
covered, can be draped somewhat by the front of the skirt
being lifted and brought round by the right hand. There is

F

"zenith" habit — ^JACKET
BODY.

66 RIDING FOR LADIES.

nothing whatever in this invention to ofifend the most sensi-
tive equestrienne, nothing to hurt the proper feelings of the
most modest. If preferred, the skirt may be provided on
each side with a sUt, extending down from the knees, so as
to enable the wearer to readily use the skirt when wearing
breeches or riding boots. That such an enterprising firm as
Messrs. Redfern, of Paris, should have secured the patent
rights for France, speaks volumes in favour of Mr. Shingle-
ton's really admirable invention.

Except for summer wear in early morning or in the
country, and in the case of young girls, when grey is per-
missible, the habit should be made of some dark cloth. In
the hunting-field, on which subject I am not touching in this
volume, some ladies who *' go " don pink, those patronising
the Duke of Beaufort's wearing the becoming livery of the
Badminton Hunt, than which nothing is more becoming.
Diagonal ribbed cloths are much in vogue for skirts. Stout
figures tone down the appearance of too great solidity and
rotundity by wearing an adaptation of the military tunic.
The long jacket-body, depicted in Mr. Shingleton's sketch
of the " Zenith," is well suited to full figures. Waistcoats
are all the rage, — blue bird's-eye, plush-leather with pearl
buttons, kersey, corduroy, nankeen, etc., in endless variety,
and are very much in evidence, as are shirt fronts, high
collars, silk ties with sporting-pin a la cavaliere. Braiding or
ornamentation is bad form ; no frilling, no streamers are
admissible; everything, to be in good taste, ought to be of
the very best, without one inch of superfluous material, —
severely simple.

In the Park, except for young ladies just entering on their
teens, or children, the tall silk hat is de rigueur. The
present prevailing *' chimney-pot" or "stove-pipe" model,
shaped something like the tompion of a gun, is an unbecom-

HINTS UPON COSTUME. 67

ing atrocity. Let us hope that fashion will soon revert to
the broad curled brim bell-shaped Hardwicke. Nothing
is cheap that's bad, and nothing detracts more from the
general effect of a "get-up" than a bad hat. So if my
lady reader wants to be thoroughly well hatted, let her go to
Ye Hatterie, 105, Oxford Street, and be measured for one
of Mr. Heath's best. It will last out two or three of other
makers, and having done duty one season in Rotten Row,
will look well later on in the wear-and-tear of the hunting
field, preserving its bright glossy brilliancy, no matter
what the weather be. Order a quilted silk lining in pre-
ference to a plain leather one, and, when being measured,
let the chevelure be compact and suited for riding. A low-
crowned hat is the best. For young girls, and out of the
season, riding melon-shaped or pot-hats of felt are useful and
by no means unbecoming. Mr. Heath makes a speciality of
these, and has scores of different, and more or less becom-
ing, styles to select from. Hats made to the shape of the
head require no elastics to hold them on, and are not the
fruitful source of headache which ready-made misfits invari-
ably are. There is no objection to a grey felt with grey
gauze veil in the summer, but black with a black veil is in
better taste. Anything in the way of colour, other than
grey, or, perhaps brown, is inadmissible. I am not sufficient
of a Monsieur Mantalini to advise very minutely on such
important points as the ladies' toilette, as to what veils may
or may not be worn, but a visit to the Park any morning
or forenoon, when London is in Town, will best decide.
For dusty roads gauze is essential.

Of all abominations and sources of equestrian discomfort
a badly built pair of riding-breeches are the worst. No
breeches, pants, or trousers can possibly sit well and give
absolute comfort in the saddle without flexible hips and belt-

68 RIDING FOR LADIES.

band riding-drawers. The best material, and preferable to all
silk, is a blend of silk and cashmere, which wears well, is
warm, elastic, of permanent elasticity, can be worn with
great comfort by the most sensitive, and is not too expen-
sive. A habit should fit like a glove over the hips, and the
flexible-hip make of riding-drawers which I advocate, aids in
securing this moulding. The fit of the breeches or pants,
especially that of the right leg, at the inside of the knee,
should be particularly insisted upon. First-class ladies'
tailors generally have a model horse on which their customers
can mount when trying on. At Messrs. E. Tautz and Sons'
establishment, where the rider can be accoutred to perfec-
tion, ladies will find a competent assistant of their own sex,
— a trained fitter — who will by careful measurement and
subsequent "trying on" secure them against the galling
miseries of badly cut and ill-fitting breeches. Materials of
every description are available ; but if the fair reader will be
advised by me, she will select brown undressed deer-skin,
which is soft, pliable, and durable. The waistbands and
continuations are of strong twilled silk. Leggings are
generally and preferably worn with the breeches, and can
be had in all shades of cloth to go with the habit.

For the colonies and India a new material, known as
Dr. Lahmann's cotton-wool underclothing, cannot be too
highly commended. In "the gorgeous East," of which
abode of the sun I have had some experience, between
March and the latter days of October, the thinnest animal-
wool is unbearably warm, and, when prickly-heat is about,
absolutely unbearable, the irritation produced by the two
being, I should imagine, akin to that endured by the four-
footed friend of man when suffering acutely from the mange.
Moreover, in the clutches of the Indian dhobie (washerman),
woollen materials rapidly shrink by degrees and become

MINTS UPON COSTUME. 69

beautifully less, when not knocked into holes, and are con-
verted into a species of felt.

This fabric is a new departure in the manufacture of
cotton. From first to last it is treated as wool, is spun as
wool, and woven as wool, and in my opinion is the best
possible material for under wear in the tropics. It is cool,
wears well, washes well, is warranted not to shrink, does
not irritate the most sensitive skin, and, being woven on
circular knitting looms, is peculiarly adapted for close-fitting
riding-drawers and under-clothing generally. It has the
additional merits of having the appearance and colour of
silk — a soft cream colour, — is entirely free from dressing,
and is moderate in price. As this fabric (porous, knitted,
woven, ribbed, or double-ribbed) is sold by the yard as well
as made up into seamless pants, jersies, etc., it is admirably
suited to the make of flexible-hip and belt-band drawers
referred to above. I feel that in directing attention to this
" baumwoll " (tree wool) clothing, I am conferring a benefit
on all Europeans whose avocations keep them within
the tropics, and on those of them especially who are obliged
to take constant and prolonged horse exercise. It is to
be obtained at the Lahmann Agency, 15, Fore Street,
London, E.G.

The question of corsage is an all-important one, as the
fit of a garment depends largely on the shape of the corset.
For growing girls, and especially for such as are at all
delicate and outgrowing their strength, the Invigoraior
corset is the least objectionable I have yet seen. That it
has the approval of the faculty is in its favour. It may be
described as a corset in combination with a chest-expanding
brace, and as such corrects the habit of stooping, and by ex-
panding the chest flattens the back and keeps the shoulder-
blades in their right place. Speaking as an ex-adjutant, who

70 RIDING FOR LADIES.

has had a good deal of experience in '* setting-up-drills," it
in my opinion possesses for young people merits far superior
to anything of the kind yet brought out. It gives support
where most wanted without impeding the freedom of the
movements of the body ; its elasticity is such that respira-
tion and circulation are not interfered with ; the chest is
thrown out, the back straightened, preserving an erect
figure — the body being kept erect by the cross-straps at the
back ; it is comfortable to the wearer, and there is no undue
pressure anywhere. A riding-stay to be perfect should be
as light as possible, consistent with due support, boned
throughout with real whalebone, so as to be capable of
being bent and twisted without fear of " broken busks," and
should fit the figure — not the figure fit it — with glove-like
accuracy. Such supple corsets give perfect ease with free-
dom. The best special maker of riding-corsets for ladies
is Madame Festa, 13, Carlos Street, Grosvenor Square,
London, W. This artiste's productions combine all that
is necessary in material and workmanship, with perfect fit,
ease, and grace. A combination of silk elastic and coutil
is said to be the ideal material from which really comfort-
able corsets are made. For winter work they should be lined
with a pure natural woollen stuff as soft as a Chuddah
shawl. For tropical climates Grass-cloth or Nettle-cloth is
strongly recommended.

In this humid, uncertain climate of ours the rider will
generally find some sort of light and short waterproof a
great comfort. Jt should be sufficiently long to clear the
saddle, and of a material such as will permit of its being
rolled up into a small compass for attachment to the Ds of
the saddle. Messrs. Lewin and Co., 28, Cockspur Street,
S.W. (successors to the old established firm Bax and Co.),
makers of the Selby driving-coat, turn out some very neat

HINTS UPON COSTUME. 71

waterproof tweed or drab garments, which are appropriate
and serviceable. Their designs are good, and the material
thoroughly to be relied upon.

Well fitting, or in other words, tight gloves, of course,
look very well, but horsewomen must preserve free use of
their hands. Lightness of hand is an essential, but a certain
amount of physical strength cannot be dispensed with, and
a tight glove, even of the best quality of kid, means a
cramped contraction of the hand and fingers with conse-
quent loss of power. The material, so long as it be stout
enough, may be of real buck-skin, stout Suede, dog's-skin,
so called, or Cape. The best real buck-skin hunting, driving,
and walking-gloves, for either ladies or gentlemen, I have
ever come across, are those manufactured by T. P. Lee and
Co., 24, Duke Street, Bloomsbury. They are of first-class
soft material, well cut, hand-sewn with waxed brown thread,
and very durable ; in fact, everlasting, and most comfortable
wear.

A neat, light hunting-crop, riding-cane, or whip without
a tassel^ are indispensable.

The following is a comfortable and serviceable riding-dress
for long country rides, picnics, etc., recommended by a lady
who can boast of considerable experience in the saddle
both at home and in the colonies — one of a riding family.
" Habit — a short hunting-skirt, short enough to walk in with
comfort, with jacket {Norfolk^) of the same material, made
loose enough to admit of jersey being worn under it, if
required ; a wide leather belt for the waist, fastening with
a buckle. This belt will be found a great comfort and
support when on horseback for many hours. Hat of soft
felt, or melon-shaped hat. Pantaloons of chamois leather,
buttoning close to the ankles. Hussar or Wellington boots
made of Peel leather, with moderate-sized heels, tipped with

72 RIDING FOR LADIES.

brass, and soles strong but not thick. A leather stud
should be sewn on the left boot, about two and a half inches
above the heel, on which stud the spur should rest, and
thus be kept in its place without tight buckling. The spur
found to be the most useful after a trial of many is a rowel
spur of plated steel (the flat tapered-side, elastic, five-pointed
hunting), about two to two and a half inches long, strong
and light, hunting shape, and fastened with a strap and
buckle, the foot-strap of plated steel chain. This chain
foot-strap looks neater than a leather one, and does not
become cut or worn out when on foot on rough, rocky-
ground. The rowel pin is a screw-pin ; thus the rowel can
be changed at pleasure, and a sharp or blunt one fitted as
required by the horse one rides." \In lieu of cha??iois
leather I would suggest undressed deer-ski?tj as supplied by
Messrs. E, Tautz and Sons, 485, Oxford Street, Lo7idon,
which is as soft as velvet, and needs no additional lining, so
apt to crease. And instead of the boots I recommend water-
proofed Russia leather or brown hide, such as men use for
polo, as manifactured by Faulkner, 52, South Alolton Street,
London, W., with low, flat heels tipped with mild steel.]
The lady's idea, except with regard to the interchangeable
rowel, the pin of which must work loose, is good.

This brings me to the much-vexed subject of the Spur, its
use and abuse. Ladies should not be mounted on horses
requiring severe punishment ; but there are occasions, oft and
many, when " a reminder " from a sharp-pointed rowel will
prove of service. I do not say that lady riders should always
wear a persuader ; on a free-going, generous horse it would
be out of place, irritating, and annoying ; but on a lymphatic
slug, or in the case of a display of temper, the armed heel
is most necessary. We must bear in mind that almost all
of the highest priced ladies' horses have been broken in

A LA CAVALIERE. 73"

to carry a lady by professional lady-riders, one and all of
whom wear spurs. Many a horse, in the canter especially,
will not go up to his bit without an occasional slight prick.
Women are by nature supposed to be gentle and kindly,
and yet I know some who are everlastingly " rugging " at
their horse's mouths and digging in the spur. They would
use the whip also as severely as the Latchfords but for the
exhibition it would entail. When punishment must be in-
flicted, the spur as a corrective is far more effective than the
whip ; it acts instantaneously, without warning, and the horse
cannot see it coming and swerve from it. Though more
dreaded it inflicts the lesser pain of the two. The deepest
dig from the rowel will not leave behind it the smart of the
weal from a cutting whip. The best spur for ladies is the one
mentioned above, with fine-pointed rowel; it does not tear the
habit, and the points are long enough and sharp enough to
penetrate through the cloth should it intervene between the
heel and the horse's side. No lady should venture to wear
a spur till she has acquired firmness of seat, to keep her left
leg steady in the stirrup and her heel from constantly
niggling the animal's ribs. I do not like the spring-sheath
one-point spur, as it is uncertain in its action.

CHAPTER VI.

A LA CAVALIERE.

Much of late has been said and written against and in
favour of cross-saddle riding for girls and women. A lady
at my elbow has just given her emphatic opinion that it
is neither graceful nor modest, and she predicts that the

74 RIDING FOR LADIES.

system will never come into vogue or meet the approval
of the finer sense of women. The riding-masters are
against it to a man, and so are the saddlers, who argue that
the change would somewhat militate against their business.
We are very conservative in our ideas, and perhaps it is
asking too much of women, who have ridden and hunted
in a habit on a side-saddle for years, to all at once, or at
all, accept and patronize the innovation.

Travellers notice the fact that women never ride sideways,
as with us, but astride, like men. It has generally been
supposed that the custom now prevailing in Europe and
North America dates back only to the Middle Ages. As
a fact, the side-saddle was first introduced here by
Anne of Luxembourg, Richard II. 's queen, and so far back
as 1 34 1, according to Knighton, it had become general
among ladies of first rank at tournaments and in public.
But the system must have prevailed to some extent in far
earlier times, for Rawlinson discovered a picture of two
Assyrian women riding sideways on a mule, and on Etruscan
vases, older than the founding of Rome, are several repre-
sentations of women so seated.

There were no horses in Mexico prior to the advent of
the Spaniards ; indeed, from the progeny of one Andalusian
horse and mare, shipped to Paraguay in 1535, were bred
those countless mobs which have since spread over the
whole southern part of the new Western world, and, passing
the Isthmus of Darien or Panama, have wandered into
North America. In the great plains of South America,
where the inhabitants, all more or less with Spanish blood
pulsing through their veins, may be said to live on horse-
back, it is strange that, without some good cause, the side-
saddle should have been discarded for the " Pisana" fashion
— the lady riding in front of her cavalier. In Edward I.'s

A LA CAVA LIE RE. 75

time our fair dames jogged behind their lords, or behind
somebody else's lords, in the conventional pillion : then

" This riding double was no crime
In the first good Edward*s time ;
No brave man thought himself disgraced
By two fair arms around his waist ;
Nor did the lady blush vermillion
Dancing on the lady's pillion."

The attitude of the " Pisana " fashion, though in some cases
vastly agreeable, is not highly picturesque, so there must
have been some valid reason why the side-saddle, then in
general use in Spain, fell out of favour. In long rides, it,
as at that time constructed, tired the rider, and caused
severe pain in the spine. Nowadays in Mexico and on
the Plate River there are magnificent horsewomen who can
ride almost anything short of an Australian buckjumper,
and who never tire in the saddle, but then they one and all
patronize the cross-saddle, riding a la cavaliere or a la
Duchesse de Berri. Their riding garb, and a very be-
coming one it is, consists of a loose kind of Norfolk jacket
or tunic secured at the waist by a belt, loose Turkish
pyjamas thrust into riding boots of soft yellow leather, a
huge pair of Mexican spurs, and the ladies' "sombrero."
Their favourite and, in fact, only pace is a continuous hand-
gallop.

Some thirty years ago I remember seeing the ex-Queen of
Naples superbly mounted, riding a la cavaliere. Her Majesty
was then even more beautiful than her Imperial sister the
Empress of Austria, and quite as finished a horsewoman.
She wore a high and pointed-crowned felt hat, a long white
cloak, something like the Algerian bournouse, patent-leather
jack-boots, and gilt spurs. Her seat was perfect, as was
her management of her fiery Arab or Barb, the effect

76 RIDING FOR LADIES.

charming, and there was nothing to raise the faintest

suspicion of a blush on the cheeks of the most modest.

There is no doubt that the Duchess de Berri mode of

sitting on a horse is much less fatiguing to the rider, gives

her more power over the half-broken animals that in foreign

countries do duty for ladies' horses, and, in a very great

measure, does away with the chance of establishing a raw

on the back. In support of the claims of this, to us, novel

manner of placing the rider on her horse's back, I

quote from Miss Isabella Bird's " Hawaiian Archipelago."

Describing her visit to the Anuenue Falls, that lady writes :

" The ride was spoiled by my insecure seat in my saddle,

and the increased pain in my side which riding produced.

Once, in crossing a stream, the horses had to make a sort

of downward jump from a rock, and I slipped round my

horse's neck ; indeed, on the way back I felt that, on the

ground of health, I must give up the volcano, as I would

never consent to be carried to it, like Lady Franklin, in a

litter. When we returned, Mr. Severance suggested that it

would be much better for me to follow the Hawaiian fashion,

and ride astride, and put his saddle on the horse. It was

only my strong desire to see the volcano which made me

consent to a mode of riding against which I have a strong

prejudice ; but the result of the experiment is that I shall

visit Kilauea thus or not at all. The native women all

ride astride on ordinary occasions in the full sacks, or

kolukus, and on gala days in the pan — the gay winged dress

which I described in writing from Honolulu. A great many

of the foreign ladies in Hawaii have adopted the Mexican

saddle also for greater security to themselves and ease to

their horses on the steep and perilous bridle-tracks, but

they wear full Turkish trousers and jauntily made dresses

reaching to the ankles." Writing later from the Colorado

A LA CAVALIERE. 77

district of the Rockies, Miss Bird adds : '* I rode sidewise
till I was well out of the town, long enough to produce a
severe pain in my spine, which was not relieved for some
time till after I had changed my position."

Mrs. Power O'Donoghue runs a tilt with all her might
against the idea of any of her sex riding like men. But
there are so many manly maidens about now who excel in
all open-air pastimes requiring pluck, energy, physical
activity, and strength, and who attire themselves suitably in a
sort of semi-masculine style, that is not asking too much of
them to try the virtues of the cross-saddle. Their costumes
are not so much neglige as studiedly, so far as is possible
without exactly " wearing the breeches " in public, of the
man, manly. One of our Princesses has the credit of being an
adept with the foils ; our cricket and golf fields are invaded
by petticoats of various lengths; we see polo played by
ladies on clever blood ponies ; they take kindly to
billiards and lawn-tennis ; and it is whispered of a few that
they can put on the " mittens " and take and give punish-
ment. It is not so much the prudery about sitting like men
that excites the wrathful indignation of the opponents of
cross-saddle riding as the apparent difficulty of deciding
upon the thoroughly neat and workwoman-like costume.

The three different costumes represented in these sketches
do not differ very greatly in propriety. Shorten No. 3, the
Eilitto Muddy-Weather costume — who says there's nothing
in a name? — just a trifle and encase the wearer's lower
limbs in a pair of Messes E. Tautz and Son's gaiters or
leggings, and we have the costume sported the winter before
last by a well known lady. It certainly looked, on a wearer
of advanced years, a trifle eccentric, but any pretty girl,
in her premiere Jetmesse, blessed with a good figure and
gait, would have been the admired of all admirers. This

78

RIDING FOR LADIES.

costume with the funny name is much patronized by lawn-
tennis players, golfers, and skaters. Nos. i and 2 are as
like as " two Dromios," and in no very material degree
differ from the short-skirted walking-dress. They have

No. 2.

No. 3,

been brought out with an eye to riding a la cavalih-e^ and
being strong and yet neat are intended for prairie-riding in
the far West, for the rough-and-ready work of the Australian
or New Zealand bush, and for scouring over the veldt of
South Africa, or for the hundred and one out-of-the-way

A LA CAVALIERE. 79

places of the earth, whither our Enghsh girls venture, from
necessity, for adventure, or some more potent attraction. Of
the two I prefer No. i, which is the smarter. It is nothing
more or less than a short habit made in the shape of a
frock-coat, and is buttoned the whole way down to the
knees. The long boots, which, by the way, show off a
pretty well-turned ankle and foot to perfection, are certainly
a trifle more in evidence than is the case when the lady
wears the regular habit and is desirous of showing as little
"leg" as possible — a desire, when the foot is threes or
narrow fours, and the instep well sprung, not too often
indulged. No 2 has a divided skirt.

I do not ask ladies of mature age, or even those whose
seat is formed, to don one or other of these costumes, though,
after the experience of Miss Bird and others, they might,
under similar circumstances, adopt both the costume, and
the cross-saddle with advantage. In the backwoods and
jungles a wide latitude in dress may be permitted without
assailing the strictest modesty.

The fashion of riding in the cross-saddle, if it is to be
introduced, as it ought to be, must emanate from the
rising generation. The luxury of having both feet in the
stirrups, of being able to vary the length of the leather,
of having a leg down either side of the horse, and a
distribution of the bearing equally on each foot, is surely
worthy of consideration when many hours have to be spent
in the saddle and long weary distances travelled. If
agreeable to the rider, how much more so to the horse ?
We men know what a relief it is on a long journey to vary
the monotonous walk or the wearying trot with an occa-
sioned hard gallop "up in the stirrups," or how it eases one
to draw the feet out of the stirrups and let the legs hang
free. I have already hazarded the opinion that a lady's seat

8o RIDING FOR LADIES.

on a side-saddle is a very firm one, but when she is called
upon to ride half-broken horses and to be on their backs for
hours at a time, traversing all sorts of country, she un-
doubtedly is heavily handicapped as compared with a man.
Mrs. O'Donoghue, much to the damage of her own con-
tention, so clearly demonstrates my views that I venture
to quote verbatim from one of that lady's published
letters. "My companion was in ease while I was in
torture. Because he had a leg on either side of his
mount, his weight equally distributed, and an equal support
upon both sides ; in fact he had, as all male riders have,
the advantage of a double support in the rise; con-
sequently, at the moment his weight was removed from the
saddle, it was thrown upon both sides, and this equal
distribution enabled him to accomplish without fatigue
that slow rise and fall which is so tiring to a lady whose
weight, when she is out of the saddle, is thrown entirely
upon one delicate limb, thus inducing her to fall again as
soon as possible." As for mere grip — the upright and
leaping-heads versus both knees — the security in either case
is about the same, but the woman's position in the side-
saddle is the more tiring and cramping of the two, and in
complete control over the horse, the man's position on the
horse has a very decided advantage.

APPENDIX I.

^^THE TRAINING OF PONIES FOR CHILDREN.

We will take it for granted that the colt, say a three or four
year old, is well accustomed to the restraint of the common halter,
and is obedient to thecavesson on both sides, also that he leads
quietly and bears a fair amount of handling. Were I permitted
to explain the Galvayne system, I could, in a very few pages,
save the breaker and the colt much time, trouble, and many
trials of temper and patience. I have not the professor's per-
mission to make the tempting disclosures. Without trenching
on his domain, I may lay down the following rough-and-ready
modus operandi, which, however, I am free to confess would be
considerably facilitated by a set of his breaking tackle, especially
of a particular rope, not made of any vegetable fibre, which, in
some cases, exercises a potential control. We must just " gang
our ain gait " as my countrymen say.

Having fitted the colt with a soft-lined head-collar-bridle, of
the Australian bush pattern, with strong hooks or straps by which
to attach the bit, I proceed to bit him. The bit should be on the
flexible principle, the mouth-piece being either of chain or a series
of ball and socket sections, covered over with white and
tasteless rubber, or other soft and yielding material. It should
be no thicker than a man's little finger. Inside the cheek and
leg of this snaffle I have a large flat disc of sole leather, rounded
at the edges, stitched as a guard to prevent the possibility of
the bit being drawn through the mouth, of- pinching the cheeks
against the teeth or in any way injuring the mouth. Every bit,
no matter how merciful, will, more or less, make the bars of the
mouth tender, but this least of all. If any suffering is evident,
or any inflammation set up, then the use of the bit must, till all
appearance of undue redness has disappeared, be discontinued*

G

S2 RIDING FOR LADIES.

A little tincture of myrrh with eau-de-cologne applied with the
fore finger will soon allay the irritation and remove the tender-
ness.

The best way to insert the bit is, having fixed the near
ring to the spring hook or strap on the near side of the head-
collar, then coming round to the off side of the head, gentling
the pony's head all the time and soothing him, to quietly work
the two fore fingers of the left hand into his mouth, and on an
opportunity offering, to slip the bit quickly into the mouth.
This must be done deftly, without alarming the pony, for if the
first attempt result in failure he is certain to throw up his head,
run back, and otherwise thwart subsequent endeavours. A
little treacle smeared on the bit will make it more palatable and
inviting. The first time the bit is in the colt's mouth it should
not be allowed to remain more than an hour, and his head must
be entirely without restraint. On removing it examine the
mouth to see that it has not been injured or bruised, and give
him a carrot, or apple. It is immaterial whether these bitting
lessons be given in a roomy loose-box, barn, covered-yard^ or
small paddock.

After becoming reconciled to the bit, strap on a roller or
surcingle, having two side and one top ring stitched on to it,
the side rings being placed horizontally about where the rider's
knees would come, that on the top fore-and-aft. Through
these three rings a strong cord should be run forming a sort of
running rein, tie the cord to the off-ring of the snaffle, bring
it back through the off-side ring, up and through the top ring
on the back, down through that on the near side, and so on for-
ward to the near ring of the bit to which it is fastened with a
slip knot, taking care that though a slight bearing be upon the
bars of the mouth, the colt's head is not tightly reined in and an
irksome continuous strain kept on a certain set of muscles of
the neck. This running-rein arrangment admits of lateral play
of the head, and minimizes the possibility of creating a one-
sided mouth.

After a few short lessons in lounging on both sides with
his head thus restrained, he may be made to stand in stall
with his hindquarters to the manger, the reins being fastened
to the post on either side. If the stall, as probably will be
the case, be too wide, narrow it by placing sheep hurdles laced
with straw on either side of him, so narrowing his standing
room that he must preserve a fair " fore and aft " position.
The reins must be, if the pillars are too high, fastened to the
three rings on the surcingle as explained above. In addition

APPENDIX I. 83

to the single reins there must also be driving reins or cords,
carefully adjusted as to length, so as to preserve an even pres-
sure on either side of the mouth, attached to the rings on the
manger, so that any attempt to advance is immediately curbed
by the strain on the bit.

These lessons should not extend over more than an hour at a
time, and during them the trainer should occasionally, by taking
the bit in both hands on either side facing him, or by laying
hold of the long reins, cause him, exercising only gentle
pressure, to rein back, saying at the same time in a tone of
quiet command, "back." There will be plenty of room for this
in a full-sized stall. He may also be taught to bend his head
to the right when the off-rein is pulled upon or even twitched,
and so on with the left.

The instructor's aim must be to instil into his mind the firm
conviction that it is as impossible to resist the pressure of the
bit on either side of the mouth as it is to advance against it.
Extreme kindness and gentleness must be exercised in this
initial training, each comphance with the teacher's hand and
voice being at once met with some encouragement or reward,
in shape of a word or two of soothing approval, gentling his
head, and a few oats or pieces of carrot or apple — in the tropics
sugar-cane or carrot — the bit being removed from the mouth for
the purpose. Horses of all sorts are very quick in their likes
and dislikes. From the start never let the colt take a dead pull
at the reins, let all the pressures be exerted in a light feeling
manner with the fingers not the hands.

On becoming fairly proficient at his indoor lesson, we will now,
with his Australian bush pattern head-collar-bridle on, a pair of
long reins run from the snaffle through the side rings of the sur-
cingle back into the trainer's hands, who Avill walk behind him,
and led by a leading rein attached to the near side of the head-
collar but wholly unconnected with the bit, take him into a quiet
yard or paddock. He has now to be taught to stop, back, and
turn to his bit. The control exercised by the assistant holding
the leading rein just suffices to prevent the colt rushing about,
or under sudden alarm running back ; he will also, though
giving him a perfectly free rein, be sufficiently close to his head
to aid him in obeying the mandates of the trainer. After walk-
ing about as quietly as possible for some time, teaching him
how to incline and turn, the feel on the mouth with a moderately
tight rein being carefully preserved, he will be on the word
" Whoa ! " brought to a stand still, and made to stand still and
motionless as a well-trained charger on parade.

S4 RIDING FOR LADIES.

In the lessons on turning, he may if needful be touched with
the whip, 07ily if needful^ and then the lash should fall as lightly
as the fly from some expert fisherman's rod, the touch of the silk
or whip-cord coming simultaneously with the touch on the bars of
the mouth. For instance, he is required to turn to the right and
hangs a bit on the rein without answering the helm, then a slight
touch on the near shoulder will send him up to his bit, give him
an inclination to turn smartly in the direction wished for, and
the movement may be hastened by the point of the whip being
pressed against the off buttock, or upper thigh on the outside.
The pull must not be a jerk but a decided lively pull. Always
let him go forward as much as space will permit of before
making another turn ; he must not be confused and so provoked
to be stubborn or fight. Let all the turns be to one hand for
the first few minutes then turn him in the reverse direction.
Should he get his head down and endeavour to establish a
steady dead pull, do not indulge him, but step in closer to his
quarters so that the strain is at once off the reins, and the
moment that he once more feels his bit instantly make him come
to a full halt with the word '' Whoa." To make a horse stand
after being halted, the Arabs throw the bridle over his head and
let the rein drag on the ground. When the colt is being broken
the bridle is thus left hanging down between his fore legs, and
a slave gives it a sharp jerk whenever a step in advance is
taken. By this means the horse is duped into the delusion that
the pain inflicted on his mouth or nose is caused by his moving
while the rein is in this pendant position. What is taught in
the desert maybe taught in the paddock. The slightest attempt
to move forward without the " click " must at once be stopped.

The "backing " lesson is, as a rule, a very simple one, though
there are some horses which decline to adopt this retrograde
motion. To rein back, the trainer, standing immediately behind
the colt, either exerts an even and smart pressure on both reins,
drawing them, if need be, through the mouth, when the horse
will first bend himself getting his head in handsomely and then
begin to step back. At first he will be perhaps, a little awk-
ward, but will soon learn to use his hocks and to adopt this
strange gait. If there be any difficulty about getting his head
in — it must not be up and out with the bit in the angles of the
mouth — the assistant should place the flat of his hand on the
animal's face pressing its heel firmly on the cartilage of the nose.
The backward movement must cease on the word "Whoa ! "
and the relaxation of the rein. A horse must not be taught to
run back, some acquire the bad habit too readily to a dangerous

APPENDIX I. 85

extent. I may here say that when a horse is given to this vice
the best plan is to turn him at once and sharply in the direc-
tion he wants to go. In tuition what we want to arrive at is a
sort of military " two paces step back, march ! "

In these introductory lessons the main use of the assistant
with his loose yet ready leading rein is to prevent the colt from
turning suddenly round and facing the trainer, a contretemps
with a Galvayne's tackle next to impossible. Reins should not,
however, be tried at all till the lessons in the loose box and in
the stall are so well learnt that there is little or no fear of sudden
fright, ebullitions of temper, or other causes of disarrangement
and entanglement of the long driving reins. When the habit
of yielding to the indication of the rein has once been acquired
and well established, it becomes a sort of second nature, which
under no circumstances, save those of panic or confirmed bolt-
ing, is ever forgotten. A few lessons carefully, firmly, patiently,
and completely given will cause the colt to answer the almost
imperceptible touch of the rein or the distinct word of command.
Once perfected in answering the various signals at the walk, he
is then put through precisely the same movements at a trot, and
to be an effective teacher, the breaker must not only be a good
runner, but in good wind, he must be active enough to show
such a horse as " Beau Lyons " at the Hackney Show at
Ishngton. A pony such as is " Norfolk Model," one a hand
higher and of a very different stamp, it is true, from what I
commend for children, would make a crack " sprinter " put forth
his best pace.

During the time the pony is acquiring the A B C or rudiments
of his education, he must be frequently and carefully handled.
Every effort should be made to gain his confidence. Like all
beasts of the field the speediest and surest way to his affection
is down his throat ; he is imbued with a large share of " cupboard
love," so the trainer should always have some tit-bit in his
pocket wherewith to reward good behaviour and progress made ;
moreover, the pupil should be aware of the existence and where-
abouts of this store-room. The handling must be general.
Rub the head well over with the hands, always working with,
and never against the run of the hair. Pull his ears gently
(never pull the long hair out from the inside) rub the roots, the
eyes and muzzle, work back from the ears down the neck and
fore legs, between the fore legs, at the back of the elbows, and
along the back, talking to him all the while. Before going to the
flanks and hind quarters make him lift both fore feet. If there be
any disinclination to obey, a strap should be wound round the fet-

86 RIDING FOR LADIES.

lock joint, the trainer then taking a firm hold of the ends in his
right hand says in a loud voice " Hold up ! " at the same time with
the palm of the left hand, throwing a portion of his weight on to
the near shoulder ; this, by throwing the animal's weight over on
to the offside, enables the foot to be easily held up.

This lesson imparted, it is extended to the off fore foot. Should
the colt, by laying back his ears, showing the whites of his eyes,
hugging his tail, and other demonstrations of wickedness, evince
his objections to being handled behind the girth, one of the fore
feet must be held up and strapped, the buckle of the strap being
on the outside of the arm, the foot brought so close to the point
of the elbow that no play is left to the knee joint. Then com-
mence to wisp him all over commencing with the head, but, if
he is not very restive," do not keep the weight on three legs more
than ten minutes at a time, though he, if not overburdened with
fat, could easily stand very much longer, or travel a mile or so
on three legs. The object, unless vice be displayed, is merely to
prevent serious resistance and to convince him that the opera-
tion causes no pain. The wisp, the assistant all the time stand-
ing at his head speaking in low reassuring tone, patting and
caressing him, in the hands of the operator should be at first
very gently then briskly applied to the flanks, over the loins,
down the quarters and along the channel running between the
buttocks, inside the flanks, stifles and haunches, over the sheath,
down inside the hocks, in fact anywhere and everywhere known
to be tender and "kittle." Having succeeded with the near
fore foot up, release it, let him rest awhile and find his way to the
store-room dainties. Go through precisely the same lesson
with the right foot up, on this occasion giving special attention
to those parts which he most strongly objects to being handled.
Dwell over his hocks and the inside of his stifles, handle his
tail, freely sponging his dock out, running the sponge down
through the channel over the sheath, the inside of the thighs
and hocks. Release the fore foot, and if he will stand a repe-
tition of all these liberties quietly, he has learnt one important
part of his education.

Elsewhere I have endeavoured to describe the unsophisticated
antics displayed by the fresh-caught Australian buck-jumper and
the inveterate plunger in endeavouring to dislocate their riders.
In the one case it is the untaught, unpractised effort of an animal
in a paroxysm of fear ; in the other the vice of the artful, tricky,
practitioner. In either case the horseman may be, very often is,
" slung " handsomely, wondering, as he picks himself up, dazed
and bewildered with an incoherent idea as to what had befallen

APPENDIX I. 87

him, and how he got there. If a wild horse suddenly finds a
panther or a tiger on his back, he at once, in terror, endeavours
by a succession of flings to get rid of the incubus. So it is with
the unbroken colt bred in captivity, and especially so with the
pony fresh from his native hills or pastures. What must be his
astonishment when, for the first time he feels a saddle tightly
girthed to his back, and the weight of some one in it ? His
first and only feeling is that of fear, so, being prevented by the
bit and bridle from rushing off at the verge of his speed, he by
bucks, plunges, and kicks, sets to work to throw the rider.

In mounting the colt the first attempts at making him quite
quiet during the process should be in the direction of ehminating
every sense of fear. As saddles, especially if badly stuffed and
cold, are the cause of many back troubles, I prefer to have him,
in the first instance, ridden in a rug or sheepskin, the wool next
his hair, kept in its place by a broad web surcingle. Hold the
rug or skin to his nose, and let him smell and feel it, rub it over
his head, down his neck, in fact all over him, not neatly folded
up but loose ; toss it about, drag it over him, round him, be-
tween his fore legs, under his belly, and out between his thighs.
When he takes no heed of it, fold it up on his back and girth
it on with the surcingle. Then lead him out for half an hour or
so occasionally, pulling up to lean a good bit of weight on
his back.

On returning to the loose box, covered yard, or paddock,
the first lesson in mounting will be commenced. Having
secured the services of some active smart lad who. can ride
and vault, the lighter the better, make him stand on a
mounting block, an inverted empty wine chest will do, placed
near his fore leg. If the pony be nervous at this block, let him
examine it, smell it, touch it, and even eat a few carrots off it.
Standing on this coign of advantage, the lad must loll over him,
patting him, reaching down well on the off side, leaning at first
a portion, and then his whole weight on him. If he makes no
objection to this treatment, the lad should seat himself on his
back, mounting and dismounting repeatedly, slowly but neatly,
being careful not to descend on his back with a jerk. So long
as the colt shows no fear, this gymnastic practice may be varied
with advantage to almost any extent, the contact of the gymnast's
body with that of the pony being as close as possible. He
should not only vault all over him and straddle him, but should
crawl and creep all over him and under him, winding up by
vaulting on his back, over his head, and over his quarters. I
have frequently taught Arabs to put their heads between my

88 RIDING FOR LADIES,

legs and by the sudden throw-up of their necks to send me into
the saddle face to the tail. On no account hurry this mounting
practice, do not let him be flustered or fatigued, and see that
the rider's foot deftly clears him without once touching or kick-
ing him ; much depends on the clean manner in which the
various mountings and dismountings are performed.

The mounting block will be dispensed with so soon as the rider
is permitted to throw his right leg over his back and to straddle
him without starting. It is essential that he should stand stock
still and that he should not move forward without the usual
" klick." When quite patient and steady in being mounted with
the rug or fleece, a nice light 5 lb. polo or racing saddle with a
" Humane " numnah under it should be substituted, and if the
pony's shoulders are low and upright a crupper will be necessary.
Care must be taken that the crupper strap is not too tight, also
that the crupper itself does not produce a scald under the dock
of the tail ; a strip of lamb-skin, the wool next the dock, will en-
sure that. After being led about in the saddle for a time, he is
brought into the box or yard and there mounted by the lad, the
trainer having hold of the leading rein, the rider of the bridle.

Now a word as to the said lad. All he has to do is to preserve
the hghtest possible touch of the mouth, and to sit firm and
sit quiet. I would rather prefer that he did not hail from a
racing stable, for these imps — the most mischievous of their race
— are up to all sorts of tricks and are accustomed to ride trust-
ing almost entirely to the support gained from their knotted
bridle and the steady pressure against the stirrup somewhat
after the principle of the coachman and his foot-board. He
must be forced to keep his heels and his ashplant quiet. I am
averse to much lounging and am confident it is overdone. On
carrying the lad quietly led by hand, the following lessons
should be in company with some staid old stager. Markedly
gregarious in his habits, the horse never feels so happy or con-
tended as when in company ; in the society of a well-behaved
tractable member of his family he will do all that is required of
him. Soon the leading rein will be superfluous and the pony
and his rider will be able to go anywhere at any pace. It is es-
pecialy advisable that when his first rides lie away from home
he should be ridden in company with some other horse, or he
may turn restive. Be very careful not to attempt anything with
him that may lead up to a fight in which he may remain master.
Any disposition on his part to " reest " or to break out into re-
bellion is proof of his not having learnt his first lessons pro-
perly. Far better to lead him away from home for a mile or

APPENDIX 11.

89

two and then to mount him, than to hazard any difference of
opinion. The example of a well-broken, well-ridden, well-
mannered horse is very important. One act of successful dis-
obedience may undo the careful labour of weeks and necessitate
very stringent measures, such as those described in my previous
volume, in the case of confirmed vice. Weeks of careful riding
always under the trainer's eye, will be required before the lessons
are complete, and the pupil sobered down so as to be a safe
and comfortable convevance for children beginners.

APPENDIX II

EXTENSION AND BALANCE MOTIONS.

The following are adapted as closely as possible from the
carefully thought-out system of Military Equitation practised
in the British Army, and may be executed as follows : —

Prepare for Extensio7i and Balance Motions. — On this caution
each rider will turn his horse facing the Instructor, drop the
reins on the horse's neck, and let both arms hang down easily
from the shoulders, with the palms of the hands to the front.
This is the position oi Attentio7i.

Caution. — First Practice.

fOn the word "One" bring the hands, at the full
extent of the arms, to the front, close to the body,
knuckles downwards till the fingers meet at the
points ; then raise in a circular direction over
the head, the ends of the fingers still touching
and pointing downwards so as to touch the fore-
head, thumbs pointing to the rear, elbows pressed
back, shoulders kept well down.

On the word "Two," throw the hands up, extending
the arms smartly upwards, palms of the hands
inwards ; then force them obhquely back, and
gradually let them fall to Hie position of Atten-
tion, the first position, elevating the neck and
chest as much as possible.
N.B. — The foregoing motions are to be done slowly, so that
the muscles may be fully exerted throughout. No stirrup is to
be used.

"One" <

"Two" \

90 RIDING FOR LADIES.

Caution. — Second Practice.

'On the word " One " raise the hands in front of the
a Q ., I body, at the full extent of the arms, and in a Hne
with the mouth, palms meeting, but without noise,
thumbs close to the forefingers.

On the word " Two," separate the hands smartly,
" Two " \ throwing them well back, slanting downwards,
palms turned slightly upward.

!0n the word " One," resume the first position above
described, and so on, sitting down on the saddle
without any attempt, in resuming the first posi-

tion, to rise.

u thrff " 1^^ ^^^ word "Three,'' smartly resume the position

In this practice the second motion may be continued without
repeating the words " One," "Two," by giving the order " Con-
tinue the Motion : " on the word " Steady," the second position
is at once resumed, the rider remaining in that position, head
well up, chin in, and chest thrown out, on the word " Three,"
resuming the position o{ Aifcntion.

Caution. — Third Practice.

iOn the word " One," raise the hands, with the fists
clenched, in front of the body, at the full extent
of the arms, and in line with the mouth, thumbs
upwards, fingers touching.
jOn the word " Two," separate the hands smartly,
" Two " I throwing the arms back in line with the shoulders,
I back of the hands downwards.

"Thrfv'' i^^ ^^ word "Three," swing the arms round as

\ quickly as possible from front to rear.
" Steady "' On the word " Steady," resume the second position.

"Four" i^^ ^^ word " Four," let the arms fall smartly to
1 the position oi Attention.

Caution. — Fourth Practice.

j On the word " One," lean back until the back of
" One" I the head touches the horse's quarter, but moving

( the legs as little as possible.
" Two " On the word " Two," resume the original position.

APPENDIX II.

91

Caution. — Fifth Practice.

I On the word " One," lean down to the left side and
"One" ] touch the left foot with the left hand without,
I however, drawing up the foot to meet the hand.

" Two" On the word " Two," resume the original position.

The same practice should also be done to the right reaching
down as far as possible, but without drawing the left heel up
and back.

The following practice can only be performed in the cross-
saddle, by pupils learning to ride d la cavaticre, and suitably
dressed.

Caution. — Sixth Practice.

On the word " One," pass the right leg over the
horse's neck, and, turning on the seat, sit facing
the proper left, keeping the body upright, and the
hands resting on the knees. The leg must not

"One" \

\ be bent in passing over the horse's neck.

On the word "Two," pass' the left leg over the

horse's quarter, and turning in the seat, sit facing

Two " { to the rear, assuming, as much as possible, the

I proper mounted position, the arms hanging

\ behind the thighs.

'On the word "Three," pass the right leg over the
horse's quarter, and, turning in the seat, sit facing
to the proper right, the body upright, and the
hands resting on the knees.

On the word "Four," pass the left leg over the
horse's neck, and, turning in the seat, resume the
proper mounted position.

Each of the above motions may be performed by command
of the instructor without repeating the words " One," " Two,"
" Three," etc.

Three"

"Four"

Webster Family Library of Veterinary iViedicine
Cummings Sciioo! of Veterinary IvIedicine at
Tufts Uaiversity
200 VVestboro Road
Ncrtii Grafton, MA 01 5?6

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