Part 5

It is a shame that little girls are made to ride in the ill-fitting habits seen half the time. They must set properly, or the best riders will be handicapped and appear at a disadvantage. A child's skirt should not wrinkle over the hips more than a woman's, nor should it ruck up over the right knee, exposing both feet, while the wind inflates the superfluous folds. Above all things, a girl should not lace nor wear her habit bodice tight, as no benefit can possibly be derived from riding with the lungs and ribs compressed.

It often happens that a child is put into the saddle before she has had the opportunity of becoming familiar with a horse, either by visiting it in its stall or going about it when in the stable. A more harmful mistake could not be made; the child is likely to be afraid of the animal the first time she is placed on its back, and nothing so interferes with tuition as terror. Many of the difficulties of instructing a little girl will be overcome if her familiarity with the horse she is to ride has given her confidence in him. She should frequently be taken to the stable, and encouraged to give him oats or sugar from her hand, and to make much of him. Meanwhile whoever is with her must watch the animal, and guard against anything which might startle the child. She may be lifted on to his back; and if he is suitable to carry her, he will stand quietly, thus assuring her of his trustworthiness and gaining her affection.

Before being trusted on a horse, a beginner should have the theory of its management explained to her; and here is another drawback to infantile equestrianism, as a young mind cannot readily grasp the knowledge. Nevertheless, she must be made to understand the necessity of riding from balance, instead of pulling herself up by the horse's mouth, and be shown the action of the curb chain on the chin, that she may realize why the snaffle should be used for ordinary purposes, so that in case of an emergency she may have the curb to fall back upon. She must know that if she pulls against him, the horse will pull against her, and therefore she must not keep a dead bearing on his mouth. Unyielding hands are the almost invariable result of riding before realizing the delicate manipulation a horse's mouth requires. A light feeling on the curb and a light touch of the whip will show her how to keep the horse collected, instead of allowing him to go in a slovenly manner.

She must not try to make the horse trot by attempting to rise. Until the animal is trotting squarely she should sit close to the saddle, instead of bobbing up and down, as he jogs or goes unevenly at first.

When wishing to canter, in place of tugging at the reins, clucking, and digging the animal in the ribs with her heel, the child should be told to elevate her hands a trifle, and touch him on the shoulder with the whip.

No habit is more easily formed than that of clucking to a horse, and it is a difficult one to cure. It is provocative of great annoyance to any one who is near, and who may be riding a high-spirited animal, as it makes him nervous and anxious to go, for he cannot tell whether the signal is meant for him or not, and springs forward in response, when his owner has perhaps just succeeded in quieting him. Thus can one make one's self an annoyance to others near by, in a manner which might so easily have been avoided in the beginning.

After being familiarized with such rudimentary ideas of horsemanship, comes the time for putting them into practice.

It is a pity that there are not more competent instructors in the riding-schools, for it is of great importance to begin correctly; to find a teacher, however, who possesses thorough knowledge of the subject is, unfortunately, rare. Their inefficiency is amply demonstrated by the specimens of riding witnessed every day in the Park; and either their methods, if they pretend to have any, must be all wrong, or they are but careless and superficial mentors, as the results are so often far from satisfactory.

There are, to be sure, plenty of teachers who ride well themselves, but that is a very different matter from imparting the benefit of their knowledge and experience to others. With the best intentions in the world, they may fail to make their pupils show much skill in the saddle. Skill, and the power of creating it in the pupil, is an unusual combination.

If a young girl is to ride, she should be put in the saddle and not permitted to touch the reins. Her hands may rest in her lap, and the horse should be led at a walk, while the teacher shows her the position she must try to keep, and tells her what she must do when the pace is increased. As she becomes used to the situation, and understands the instructions, the horse may be urged into a slow trot, she being made to sit close, without, at first, any attempt at rising. Then a quiet canter may be given her, but on no account should the child be allowed to clutch at anything to assist in preserving her balance. It is that she shall not rely on the horse's mouth for balance that I have advocated keeping the reins from her, and it is a plan which men and women would do well to adopt. Dependence on the reins is one of the commonest faults in riding, and every one should practise trotting (and even jumping, if the horse be tractable) with folded arms, while the reins are left hanging on the animal's neck, knotted so they will not fall too low. If the importance of riding from balance above the waist were more generally recognized, the seat would of necessity be firmer, the hands lighter, and horses less fretful.

Too much emphasis cannot be put on the importance of good hands. Good hands are hands made so by riding independently of the reins. Intuitive knowledge of the horse's intentions, sympathy and communication with him, which are conveyed through the reins in a manner too subtle for explanation, must accompany light hands to make them perfect. Such qualities are absolutely impossible with heavy hands, which are incapable of the necessary delicate manipulation of the horse's mouth. Light hands, therefore, should be cultivated first, and experience may bring the rest. A child, beginning as I have advised, will early have this instilled into her mind, and not be obliged to overcome heavy hands when from experience she has learned their disadvantages.

After sitting close to the trot and the canter, the beginner must be told to rise to the trot. At first she will find it difficult to make her effort correspond to the action of the horse's fore-legs, but, having once caught the motion, she will soon have no trouble in rising regularly. When she rises correctly and without much effort, the reins may be given her. A snaffle will be the best to use until she is sure of not letting them slip through her fingers, or of not interfering with the horse's mouth. She should hold the reins in both hands, as this lessens the probability of sitting askew, although as she becomes more certain of her seat she may transfer them to the left hand, and carry a whip or crop in the right.

If a double bridle has been substituted for the snaffle, the instructor must show the child that the left snaffle rein goes outside of her little finger, the left curb between the little and third fingers, the right curb between the second and third fingers, and the right snaffle between the first and second.

Now, as the child begins to have confidence in herself, is the time to guard against the formation of bad habits, which would later, if uncorrected, be difficult to eradicate.

If parents will take the trouble to make an impartial criticism of their daughter's riding, they can aid her by insisting upon her doing as she ought, which is beyond the authority of the riding-master.

They should see that her body is held erect, her shoulders squarely to the front and thrown back, head up, chin held back, arms hanging straight to the elbows, hands low and close together, her right knee immovable, as from there she must rise. Her left leg must be held quiet, and the heel away from the horse, the ball of the foot resting on the stirrup; but she must be kept from placing too much reliance on that support, by practising without it every time she rides, taking care that, in relinquishing that aid, she does not instead take hold of the horse's mouth.

As the most trustworthy mount will at times be frisky or make a mistake, a child should be prepared for such a contingency, and know how to meet it. If a horse stumbles, she must sit well back and pull his head up. In rearing, the reins must be left loose and the body thrown forward. A tendency to back must be met with a sharp crack of the whip. In shying, she must try to sit close, and in case of a runaway she should understand that no good will come of throwing herself off. To stick close and try to direct him is all she can do, for she cannot hope to stop him when once started. If a horse falls with her, it is best to try and hold on to the reins, as then he cannot reach her with his heels; but if she cannot succeed in doing this, she must endeavor to get clear of him and as far away as possible, to avoid being rolled on or trampled upon as he makes his effort to get up.

When I consider the trials and dangers she must pass through, a girl who is allowed to ride before she is sixteen has my sympathy, while I look with indignation on the mothers who thus thoughtlessly expose children to all the evils attendant upon a too early attempt at riding.

III

BEGINNING TO RIDE

That riding is increasing in popularity is clearly attested by the crowded bridle-path of Central Park. It is greatly to be hoped, however, that with its growth in public favor a more than superficial knowledge of horsemanship will be sought for by those who desire to experience all the pleasure which may be derived from this sport. Women especially, laboring as they do under the disadvantages of a side-saddle and imperfectly developed muscles, should try to follow the most efficacious means of managing their horses, a result best attained by riding in good form.

Even those who consider themselves first-class horsewomen, and who are undoubtedly competent to manage an unruly animal, often have defects in form which destroy the grace and ease of their appearance, and prevent them, in case of an emergency, from employing the full amount of power of which they are capable. Besides this, there are so many benefits to be derived from the exercise--if one will take it in a common-sense manner--that every endeavor should be made to extract from it the full amount of good.

This cannot be done with any undue strain on the muscles arising from either a poor saddle, a back bent almost double, the arms nearly pulled out by improper handling of the horse's mouth, or with that abomination--a tight waist. Sense in dressing and attention to form are the two indispensable attributes by which women can make riding a means to improved health. Under such conditions all the organs are stimulated, and good digestion, an increased appetite, quieted nerves, better spirits, and sound sleep follow. With such advantages in sight, it is strange that more of an effort is not made to bring about these results by overcoming bad habits.

In most instances the faults come either from improper instruction, or vanity which will not permit or heed criticism. If her horse has been docile, and refrained from any attempt to throw her, a woman is sometimes so impressed with her skill that after a few lessons she no longer regards the advice of her instructor, and thinks she is beyond the necessity of heeding his admonitions. Having acquired so little knowledge, she will soon have numerous objectionable peculiarities in form, resulting from her imperfect conception of horsemanship.

Occasionally, too, a woman considers herself "a born rider, with a natural seat," and the result of this belief is a combination of pitiful mistakes, when, had her taste for the sport been properly trained and cultivated, instead of being allowed to run wild, she would probably have become a rider. There might yet remain hope of her acquiring a seat could she be convinced that there really is some knowledge on the subject that she has not yet mastered.

In reference to those who have been taught by incompetent masters, a great deal is to be said, both to enable them to adopt the right way, and to prevent those who are desirous of learning from falling into their mistakes.

Unfortunately it is almost impossible for a woman to mount without assistance, unless she be very tall and her horse small. In this case she can reach the stirrup with her foot, and pull herself up by the saddle. Sometimes the stirrup can be let down and used to mount with, then drawn up when seated in the saddle. But this can only be done when the stirrup leather buckles over the off flap, which is not usual. Another method is to lead the horse to a fence or wall, climb that, and jump on to his back; but all these methods require a very quiet horse, and even then are not always practicable.

It is advisable to learn to mount from the ground as well as from a block. This is done by placing the right hand containing whip and reins on the upper pommel, the left foot, with the knee bent, in the clasped hands of the attendant, the left hand on his shoulder, and, at a signal, springing from the right foot and straightening the left leg.