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diff --git a/42938-0.txt b/42938-0.txt index f195c8a..256e69e 100644 --- a/42938-0.txt +++ b/42938-0.txt @@ -1,39 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Horsemanship for Women, by Theodore Hoe Mead, -Illustrated by Gray Parker - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Horsemanship for Women - - -Author: Theodore Hoe Mead - - - -Release Date: June 13, 2013 [eBook #42938] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HORSEMANSHIP FOR WOMEN*** - - -E-text prepared by Julia Miller, Paul Clark, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 42938-h.htm or 42938-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42938/42938-h/42938-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42938/42938-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/horsemanshipforw00mead - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -HORSEMANSHIP FOR WOMEN - -by - -THEODORE H. MEAD - -With Illustrations by Gray Parker - - - - - - - -New York -Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square -1887 - -Copyright, 1887, by Harper & Brothers. -All rights reserved. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PART I. PAGE - - AMATEUR HORSE-TRAINING 1 - - LESSON - - I. COMING TO THE WHIP 15 - - II. TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY (_Flexion de la mâchoire_), - USING THE CURB 21 - - III. TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY, USING THE SNAFFLE 24 - - IV. TO LOWER THE HEAD 25 - - V. TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE - REINS HELD BELOW THE BIT (_Flexions de l'encolure_) 32 - - VI. TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE - REINS THROWN OVER THE NECK 35 - - VII. TO MOVE THE CROUP TO RIGHT AND LEFT WITH THE WHIP 38 - - VIII. MOUNTED 41 - - IX. MOUNTED (_continued_) 48 - - X. THE WALK 51 - - XI. TO MOVE THE CROUP WITH HEEL AND WHIP (_Pirouette - renversée_) 52 - - XII. TO GUIDE "BRIDLEWISE" 55 - - XIII. THE TROT 58 - - XIV. THE GALLOP, HAND-GALLOP, AND CANTER 64 - - XV. THE PIROUETTE, DEUX PISTES, PASSAGE 71 - - XVI. BACKING 75 - - XVII. RIDING IN CIRCLES.--CHANGE OF LEADING FOOT 79 - - - PART II. - - ETIQUETTE IN THE SADDLE 87 - - Dress 88 - - The Mount 91 - - Mounting 92 - - The Start 99 - - On which Side to Ride 100 - - The Seat 102 - - On the Road 107 - - The Pace 112 - - Turning 112 - - The Groom 116 - - - PART III. - - LEAPING 118 - - - PART IV. - - BUYING A SADDLE-HORSE 132 - - Parts and "Points" of the Horse, Alphabetically Arranged 135 - - List of Diseases and Defects 148 - - INDEX 157 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - PAGE - - Coming to the Whip 6 - A good Saddle 13 - A properly fitted Curb-chain 16 - Flexion of the Jaw--using the Curb 22 - Lowering the Head 26 - Punishment in case of Resistance 27 - "Pulling the Hands steadily Apart" 33 - To Bend the Neck to Right or Left, with the Reins below the Bits 34 - Getting the Horse "Light in Hand" 35 - Pulling on the Right Rein 36 - Moving the Croup one step to the Right 39 - Getting a Horse accustomed to Skirts 42 - Showing Reins in Left Hand 43 - Advancing at touch of Heel 44 - Stopping at touch of Whip on Back 45 - The Walk (Colt in Training) 46 - Bending the Neck to Right and Left 49 - Moving the Croup with the Heel and Whip 53 - Guiding Bridlewise (Turning to the Right) 56 - The Canter 65 - Ordinary Pirouette 71 - Going on "Deux Pistes" 72 - The Passage 73 - Backing 76 - Reins in Hand 77 - Act of changing Reins 77 - Leading with the Right Fore-foot 80 - Leading with the Left Fore-foot 82 - Ready to Mount 94 - "One, Two, Three" 95 - Placing the Foot in the Stirrup 96 - Position in Saddle 97 - A Square and Proper Seat 103 - Method of holding the Reins in both Hands 111 - Approaching a Fence 119 - A Water Jump 121 - Rising to the Leap 127 - Coming Down 129 - Parts and "Points" 136 - The sort of Horse to Buy 146 - The sort of Horse not to Buy 149 - - - - -HORSEMANSHIP FOR WOMEN. - - - - -PART I. - -AMATEUR HORSE-TRAINING. - - -"My _dear_," said my wife, "you don't mean to say you have _bought -that_ horse?" - -"Why, yes, indeed," replied I; "and very cheap, too. And why not?" - -"You will never get your money back," said she, "no matter how cheap -you have bought him. Don't keep him. Send him back before it is too -late." - -It was a sultry July morning, and my wife stood on the farm-house -porch, in provokingly fresh attire, while I held my new acquisition -by the bridle in the scorching sun; and just recovering as I was from -illness, this conversation struck me as really anything but _tonic_ in -its character. However, bracing myself up, I replied, "But I don't want -to get my money back; I intend to train him for my own use under the -saddle." - -"Oh, you can never do anything with that great horse. Why, he is the -awkwardest brute I ever saw. Just look at him now!" - -In fact, his appearance was anything but beautiful at that moment. His -Roman nose, carried a long way forward and a little on one side, gave -him somewhat the air of a camel; his coat showed no recent acquaintance -with the brush; and as he stood there sleepily in the sun, with one -hind-leg hitched up, he did not present at all a picture to charm a -lady's eye. Nevertheless, he was, in fact, a reasonably well-made -horse, a full black, fifteen and three-quarter hands high, sound, kind, -and seven years old. - -"He's just horrid," said my wife. - -"Oh, that's nothing," said I; "that's only a bad habit he has. We will -soon cure him of such slovenly tricks. Just see what good points he -has. His legs are a little long, to be sure, but they are broad, and -have excellent hoofs; his breast is narrow, but then it is deep; and -that large nostril was not given him for nothing. You will see he will -run like a race-horse." - -"If you once get him started you can never stop him," said my wife. -"You know how he pulls, and how nervous he is. He will go till he -drops. You are not strong enough to ride such a horse." - -"Oh, nonsense," said I; "you can see that there is no mischief in -him. Look what a kind eye he has! The fact is, horses are often very -sensitive; and while this one may never have been cruelly treated, yet -he has been misunderstood, and his feelings hurt a great many times a -day. Human beings are the only things he seems afraid of. As for his -awkward carriage, it is no worse than that of the farm hand who has -made such a failure of trying to use him, and who is, nevertheless, -when he stands up straight, a well-made, good-looking fellow. A little -careful handling will make that animal as different from his present -self as a dandified English sergeant is from the raw recruit he once -was. What do you think of his name? It is Sambo." - -But my wife was not to be led off on any side question, and after -intimating that such a plebeian appellation struck her as quite -suitable, she continued; "Now you know that Mr. ----" (the farmer -of whom I purchased) "knows a great deal more about horses than you -do; you must admit that, for he has been buying and selling and -driving them all his life, and _he_ doesn't like him, or he wouldn't -sell so cheap; and as for training him, for my part I don't believe -horse-training can be learned out of books, as a woman would learn a -receipt for making cake. Do get him to take the horse back!" - -Now I have a great respect for my wife's opinion in general, and in -this particular case all her points seemed well taken. - -The horse was tall, and I was short; he was excitable, and I hadn't the -strength of a boy; he was very awkward, and I had never trained a horse -in my life. However, I had been reading up a little on the subject, -and feeling the confidence in myself which a very little knowledge is -apt to impart, I was determined to try my hand. - -I had remarked that there was a certain French system which was, in -the several works I had consulted, always spoken of with respect as -a complete and original method, so I obtained a copy of the book, in -which is set forth the _Méthode d'Équitation basée sur de nouveaux -Principes, par F. Baucher_, and having disentangled (no easy task) -what was really practical from the enveloping mass of conceited sham -scientific nonsense, I had numbered the margin so as to make a series -of simple progressive lessons of half an hour each. The volume in -question, which was not, by-the-bye, the present improved edition, I -now produced in a somewhat dog-eared condition from under my arm. My -wife, seeing that remonstrance was of no avail, took a seat on the -veranda, so as to be ready to advise and assist, while my excellent -friends, the farmer and his wife, came out "to see the circus," as they -said, and established themselves in suitable midsummer attitudes, with -countenances of amused expectation. - -"The first few lessons must be given on foot," said I, and spreading my -Baucher open upon the "horse-block," I proceeded to carry out its first -injunction by placing myself, with riding-whip under my arm, in front -of the horse, which was already saddled and bridled, and "looking him -kindly in the face." He bore my gaze with equanimity, but when the -riding-whip was produced he started violently; and when I raised my -hand to pat his neck reassuringly he threw up his head and ran back. -This evidently was not temper, but alarm. Clearly, moral suasion was -not the kind that had been used with him hitherto. In plain English, he -had been beaten on the head; and it was some time before he got over -the impression made by such ill-treatment and ceased dodging at every -sudden motion on my part. - -However, a lump of sugar gave the poor fellow more confidence, and, -avoiding all brusque movements, I went on to give him the first lesson -of the Baucher series, viz., _To Come to the Whip_. - -It is encouraging for beginners that this lesson, while producing -conspicuous results, is in most cases very easy. In less than half an -hour my audience was not a little surprised to see Sambo come to me -at the slightest motion of the whip, and follow me about with neck -arched, ears pricked up, and eyes lustrous with the unwonted pleasure -of comprehending and voluntarily carrying out his master's wishes. - -[Illustration: COMING TO THE WHIP.] - -"Well, that's very pretty," said the farmer; "but what's the good of -it?" - -This criticism, it may be remarked, he continued to repeat at every -step in the horse's education. He did not "see the good" of a double -bridle with two bits. He did not see the good of teaching the horse to -relax the muscles of his jaw and to hold the bit lightly in the mouth. -He did not see the good of suppling the various muscles of the neck, on -which, nevertheless, depend to a surprising degree the balance of the -whole body and the easy motion of the limbs. In fact, he maintained his -attitude of amused and good-natured incredulity until one day, after -about three weeks, I rode Sambo into the lawn, his neck arched and tail -displayed, and, with the reins hanging on my little finger, made him -cut circles and figure eights of all sizes at a spanking trot. - -Then my good farmer gave up, and said he really would hardly have -believed it could be the same horse. What is more, he took off his own -driving horses "the overdrawn check-reins" by which he had been hauling -their noses up into as near a horizontal line as possible, and allowed -them to carry their heads in a more natural manner. - -The afternoon of his first lesson Sambo was put in double harness for a -drive of ten or twelve miles, during which he annoyed me excessively by -his restless dancing and fretting, so that next morning I expected to -have to begin all over again; but, to my satisfaction, he had forgotten -nothing, and came towards me at the first motion of the whip, so that -I passed on to the _Flexions de la Mâchoire_, which we translate as -the _suppling of the muscles of the jaw_. Here I came upon my first -difficulty, and it lasted me several days. It was, however, the only -serious one in my whole course, and from subsequent experience I am -satisfied that my own awkwardness and disposition to compel obedience -by main force were the principal causes of it. - -However, success soon rewarded my perseverance, and I had the -satisfaction of feeling the iron grip of the bit relax, and seeing the -nose brought in and the face assume a perpendicular position. - -Without at present going further into detail, I will simply say that at -the expiration of a month, during which Sambo had been driven double -almost daily, his education for the saddle had so far advanced that -his head was admirably carried, his trot was greatly improved--his -walk always had been light and swift--he could trot sideways to the -right or left, could pirouette to the right or to the left on the -hind-feet or on the fore-feet, responding to the pressure of the rein -upon his neck or of the leg against his side, while he had become so -steady that I could fire at a mark with a pistol from his back. - -All this was very satisfactory progress, especially in view of my -total inexperience, poor health, and the heat of the weather; but -there is no doubt that any active young girl of sixteen or eighteen -can do the like, for it was accomplished not by any mysterious or -difficult process, nor by any exertion of physical strength, but by -patiently following out, step by step, the processes which I am about -to describe, and which are substantially those of Baucher, adapted to -the use of a person of total inexperience, and that person a lady. - -If any such, having accompanied me thus far, feels the impulse to -try to improve her own mount, I will confide to her the fact that -the incidents narrated really occurred within the last few years -not a hundred miles from New York; and I hope that the following -propositions, which are literally true, will help to encourage her -to an undertaking in which she will find amusement, exercise, and a -discipline as useful to herself as to her horse: - -1. If, as is very likely, you feel a little afraid of your horse, you -may be assured that your horse is a great deal more afraid of you. - -2. If you can only make clear to him what you wish him to do, he will -try his best to do it, and will feel amply repaid for his efforts by a -few kind words and caresses. - -3. His narrow brain can entertain only one idea at once, and therefore -only one problem, and that a simple one, must be given him at a time. - -4. Once the problem is mastered, a very little practice makes the -performance of the task instinctive, so that it will be performed at -the proper signal, even against his own will, provided his mind is -occupied with something else. - -This course of lessons is prepared with these facts in view. - -"But is horse-breaking a fitting amusement for young ladies?" a mother -asks, and with an air indicating that to her, at least, a reply seems -quite unnecessary. My dear madam, it is not horse-breaking we are -talking of, but horse-training, which is a very different thing. There -are, doubtless, many women who could break a colt if they chose, but it -is an undertaking which we certainly do not recommend. In the "breaking -to harness" of an untamed horse there is naturally included more or -less of training, but the essential lesson to be taught is that it is -useless to resist the will of man, for sooner or later the horse will -test the question, and put forth every effort to throw off control. -When, however, panting and exhausted, he finally submits, he has -learned the necessary lesson; and whether it be after a long fight with -a brutal rough-rider, or a physically painless struggle with an adroit -Rarey, he has learned it for life. Henceforth he accepts the supremacy -of the human race, and, unless under the goad of maddening pain or -terror, will never, save in rare instances, really rebel; obeying not -men only, but women, children, and even the very tools and implements -of man, so that a dog may lead him by the bridle. Like a spoiled child, -however, a horse will sometimes presume upon indulgence, and, to use a -mother's phrase, will try to see how far he can go. - -At such times he is best opposed not by violence, but by firmness, -reinforced, perhaps, now and then by a sharp cut with the whip, which, -given unexpectedly at the precise moment of disobedience, will have the -settling effect ascribed to the time-honored nursery "spank," and will -bring him to his senses. Generally, however, what seems insubordination -is in reality nervousness, which requires soothing, not punishment, and -which you will be careful not to increase by fidgeting or by brusque -movements of the reins. Even when severity is needed, a reproof in a -cold, stern tone is often more effective than the lash. - -Thousands of young girls, who for various reasons cannot ride in -winter, have every summer within reach horses quite as good as the -average of those at city riding-schools, but which they are never -allowed to mount. - -They look wistfully at the honest animals, longing for the exercise -which would be so beneficial to their health and to their physical -development, while so delightfully exhilarating to their spirits; -but one horse is pronounced "skittish," another "hard-mouthed," and -so on to the end. Nevertheless, some enterprising damsel manages to -overcome all opposition, and, skirted, hatted, gloved, sets off in fine -spirits. The horse, accustomed to the resistance of a heavy vehicle, -moves forward with slow and heavy strides. Urged to greater speed, he -rolls his shoulders so that it is almost impossible to rise to his -trot. When put to the canter he pounds along the road, his hind-feet -kept far in the rear and his head swaying up and down, while, missing -the customary support of the bearing-rein, he all the time leans his -heavy head on his rider's delicate arm, till it seems as if she would -be pulled out of the saddle. However, the fresh open air is there, and -the scenery; exercise, too, in plenty, and the pleasure of independent -movement, so that our heroine is half inclined to persevere. But, -alas! an equestrian party on well-bitted, light-stepping horses sweeps -by, casting a pitying glance at her rustic mount and helpless plight. -Mortified and discouraged, she goes home and dismounts, determined not -to try again. Nevertheless, her horse is very likely quite as good as -theirs, and all he wants is a little "handling," as the horsemen say. -For twenty-five dollars a riding-master will turn him over to her as -docile and supple as any of them, and, with a little time and trouble, -she can do it herself for nothing. - -As for the proficiency in riding requisite, it is only necessary that -you should not depend upon the reins for your balance--a common habit, -but one destructive of all delicacy of the horse's mouth. - -As the first half-dozen lessons of this course are to be given on -foot, a riding-habit would only be in the way; so go to your first -_tête-à-tête_ with your new scholar in a stout walking-dress, easy in -the waist, short of skirt, and of stuff that will bear scouring, for -frothy lips will certainly be wiped on it. Let the hat be trim, the -gloves strong and old, and the boots heavy with low heels. - -The saddle should, if possible, be of the safe and easy modern pattern, -with hunting-horn and low pommel on the right side--but of course any -one which does not gall the horse can be made to do. It should have -at least two strong girths, and must be so padded with wool as not to -touch the backbone. Make sure, before putting it on, that there are no -tacks loose or likely to become so in the lining. - -[Illustration: A GOOD SADDLE.] - -The bridle should be a double one, with one "snaffle" or jointed -bit, and one curb-bit, each having, of course, separate reins and -headstalls. By-and-by you can use a single bridle, if you prefer, with -whichever bit you think best suited to your hand and your horse's -mouth. - -The whip should be elastic and capable of giving a sharp cut (though -you may never need to administer one with it), and it is convenient to -have a loop of cord or ribbon by which it may be hung to the wrist. A -good birch switch is better for your present purpose than the usual -flimsy "lady's whip;" and if you are in the country, it makes a good -whip to begin with, as you will probably soon wish to substitute a crop. - -The place of instruction should be as retired as possible, so that -there may be nothing to distract the horse's attention. - -For the first few lessons it will be well, if you are not thoroughly at -home with horses, to have a man--some friend or attendant--near at hand -to give you confidence by his presence, and to come to your aid in case -of necessity. - - - - -LESSON I. - -COMING TO THE WHIP. - - -Have the horse brought saddled and bridled. Walk quietly up in front of -him, with your riding-whip under your arm, and look him kindly in the -face. See that the bridle fits properly, as a careless groom may have -neglected to adjust it to the length of the head. - -The _throat-latch_ should be loose enough to permit the chin to come -easily to the breast; the bits should lie in their proper place on the -_bars_, and the curb-chain should lie flat in the _chin groove_, just -tight enough to allow your fore-finger to pass under it. The _bars_ are -that part of the gum between the _grinders_, or back teeth, and the -_nippers_, or front teeth, which in the mare is destitute of teeth, and -in the horse has a tusk called the _bridle-tooth_. - -It is upon these bars, of course, that the bits should lie, and the -curb-bit, according to military rule, at an inch above the tusk. -By general usage they are placed too high, the proper place of the -curb-bit being not up in the corner of the lips, but opposite or nearly -opposite the chin groove, which is just above the swell of the lower -lip. If the curb-chain is too loose the bit will "fall through," or -turn around in the mouth. If it is too tight, or is ill adjusted, or -if, from the bits being too high, it slips up where the skin is thinner -and the bones sharper, it will give such pain that, to avoid it, the -nose will be thrust out instead of being brought in. The chain should -press below the snaffle, or the latter will unhook it. Adjust and -settle the various straps with your hand, speaking kindly to your horse -at the same time; but when you have begun to teach him, reserve all -praises and caresses to reward him when he has done well. It is a good -plan to give him a lump of sugar before you begin and after you finish -each lesson. - -[Illustration: A PROPERLY FITTED CURB-CHAIN.] - -Now, standing in front of the horse, take both curb-reins in the left -hand at six inches below the bit, and, with the whip held tip downward -in the right hand, strike him a light blow on the breast; in about a -second give him another, and continue striking at the same interval, -looking calmly at him the while, and following him if he steps backward -or sideways. - -Sooner or later, and usually very soon, he will come straight towards -you; then instantly relax his head, say "Bravo! bravo!" and stroke -him on the face and neck. You will very likely hear him give a deep -sigh of relief, like a frightened child. Give him half a minute or -more, according to circumstances, to look about and recover from his -nervousness--for you will find that his nerves work a good deal like -your own--and then begin again, allowing him after every trial a -half-minute or so of rest. - -It will not be long before he discovers that the way to avoid the whip -is to come straight to you, and he will do so at the least motion of -it. Take advantage of this to make him curve his neck, put his head in -the proper perpendicular position, and bring his haunches under him, -by holding him back with the curb-reins as he presses towards you. -This lesson, to a careless observer, looks rather pretty than useful, -but is indispensable for your purpose, for it gives you the means -of preventing the horse from backing while you are teaching him the -flexions of the jaw and of the neck. It shows him, also, that the whip -is only to be dreaded when he disobeys, so that later on it will become -in your hands, strange as it may now seem to you, a powerful means -of calming his ardor and soothing his impatience, and thus sparing -your bridle-hand the sometimes excessive fatigue of restraining his -impetuosity. - -In practice it is not necessary to carry this instruction to the point -where the horse will come to you from so great a distance as shown in -the accompanying cut, though there is no difficulty in so doing. - -A certain English nobleman used to say that a man was as much above his -ordinary self on horseback as he was at other times above the brutes. -Possibly more than one young equestrian, remembering the exhilaration -of some morning ride, the quickened appreciation, the redoubled -enjoyment of the beauties of nature, and of the charm of congenial -companionship, will be ready to echo the sentiment. It is only true, -however, even approximately, _when the rider controls all the forces -of the horse_, and it is the object of the present article to put this -perfect control within the reach of every one willing to take the time -and trouble to acquire it, for not daring, but calmness, not strength, -but perseverance, are the qualities requisite. - -Both time and trouble undoubtedly will be required, for while, by even -a careless use of this method, your horse may be made vastly more -comfortable under the saddle, yet only by tact and patience can you win -that mastery over his every volition by which his splendid strength, -courage, and endurance will seem to be added to your own. You will -find him, however, no tiresome pupil. On the contrary, every day will -increase your pleasure both in his progress and in his companionship, -for he will soon become attached to you, and will now and then turn -his head and look at you with such an expression in his eyes that -you will think the old belief in the transmigration of souls not so -very wonderful after all. You will, besides, find in your lessons no -contemptible discipline of character, for you will have to conquer your -natural timidity in feeling your weakness opposed to his strength, to -suppress your impatience when he is slow of apprehension, to remain -calm when he is restive, and to award him your caresses, not because -his neck is sleek and beautiful, but because he has done exactly as you -directed. You will find also that they will have a tendency to improve -your seat, by taking your attention from yourself, and with it some of -the involuntary stiffness always born of self-consciousness. - -A different, but equally practical, result of knowing something of -horse-training is that wherever you may be you will have no difficulty -in getting a mount--no small advantage either, as many an enthusiastic -young girl can testify as she remembers the stony look which came -over some comfortable farmer's countenance when she confidingly asked -to ride one of his round-bellied horses. Many an owner of a trained -saddle-horse would gladly have him ridden carefully by one capable -of keeping him "in good form," while every horse-owner, no matter -how poor his nags, dreads an ignorant rider as he does the epizooty. -Probably scores of country stable-keepers and thousands of farmers, -after a season's experience with ordinary city riders, have vowed never -to let a woman mount one of their horses again. One of the former, -at a popular summer resort, said to the writer, "Two ladies hurt my -hosses more last summer than all the rest of the work. They ain't no -more saddles to be found in my stable!" A neighboring farmer, who had -at first thought to reap a golden harvest from his five excellent -horses at a dollar a ride, hereupon remarked, "They hain't no sense. -They think a horse will go like a machine, and all they've got to do -is to turn steam on with the whip." Very different would have been -the verdict had the riders but possessed even a slight experience in -training, for the horses would have come from their hands improved in -mouth and gait, and almost certainly uninjured by bad usage. - - - - -LESSON II. - -TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY (_FLEXION DE LA MÂCHOIRE_), USING THE CURB. - - -Begin by assuring yourself that the horse has forgotten nothing of the -previous lesson. Do not allow him to sidle up to you upon your movement -of the whip towards him, nor to twist his nose towards you, but make -him advance in a straight line. - -Now, standing at the left of the horse's head, with your feet firmly -planted a little way apart, take the left snaffle-rein in the left -hand, and the left curb-rein in the right, at five or six inches from -their respective bits, and having brought the head into the proper -perpendicular position, pull the two hands apart with gentle but steady -force. Hold your whip, meanwhile, tip downward in the right hand, to -prevent him from running back, which can be done without relaxing your -pull by tapping him with it upon the breast. - -The object of this lesson, as well as of those which follow, is to -overcome involuntary muscular contraction. In some cases, as probably -in the present one, the contractions are simply nervous, and will cease -with the mental cause; in others the muscles have grown into improper -positions, so that time will be required to set them right. - -[Illustration: FLEXION OF THE JAW--USING THE CURB.] - -Your object at present is to get the jaw relaxed, so that you can move -it at pleasure without resistance, and this may take time and patience, -for you must not be satisfied with anything less than complete success, -or you will repent it later. At first, however, seize the slightest -involuntary opening of the horse's mouth as an excuse to relax your -hold, caress and praise him, then let him stand a half-minute with his -head free, and begin again. - -When he is submissive, and pleased with you, he will almost always show -it by gently champing his bit; but do not be deceived by a nervous -simulation which you will probably detect, and which consists in -opening the mouth a very little and immediately gripping the bit again. -You will have been completely successful when, by simply drawing on the -curb-reins, the head is brought to the proper perpendicular position, -and the bit, instead of being gripped, is held lightly in the mouth, -or, to use the school term, when the horse is "light in hand." - -This is the only lesson in the series in which it is possible (though -not probable) that your unaided strength may be insufficient; if so, -get some one to help you over the first resistance of the horse. -With care and tact, however, you will in all probability require no -assistance. - - - - -LESSON III. - -TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY, USING THE SNAFFLE. - - -Begin by repeating in proper order all that has been done at the -previous lessons. Now, having got the horse "light in hand" with the -curb, relax the curb-rein and try to keep him light with the snaffle. - -He will probably begin to bear on it. If so, restrain him by successive -tugs, punishing him a little with the curb, if necessary, and always -rewarding him with praises and caresses when he does well. Avoid -any violent use of the curb, or the horse, in his efforts to escape -the pain, may get his tongue over the bit, and thus acquire a very -troublesome habit. It must be remembered that the bit being the -principal channel of communication between his mind and yours, his -whole attention is concentrated upon it, and he is almost as much -disconcerted by a sudden harsh movement of it as you would be by an -unexpected shout in your ear. - -By this time your groom is perhaps watching you with interest, and -may be trusted to repeat your handling, thus saving you some time and -trouble; but, as a general thing, two lessons a day of from half to -three-quarters of an hour each, are as much as a horse can receive with -profit. - - - - -LESSON IV. - -TO LOWER THE HEAD. - - -Always look over your horse before beginning your instruction, to see -that he has not met with any mishap. Observe that his eye is bright and -that he feels in good spirits; run your eye over his limbs to detect -any cut, bruise, or swelling; see that the hoofs are not cracked. - -Assure yourself that he is properly groomed--one good test being -the absence of scurf at the roots of the mane; that his mouth has -been sponged out before putting in the bit, his hoofs wiped off -clean--never, however, blacked--and that he is properly saddled and -bridled. With a little practice you will do all this in half a minute, -while you are buttoning your gloves. About once a week ask after his -food and appetite, and make the groom show you his shoes; and when -the time comes for him to be re-shod (which should be at least once -a month) positively forbid any trimming of the frog or of the inside -of the hoof--any "cleaning up of the foot," as farriers are pleased -to call it. The only part to be touched with the knife is the bottom -of the outer, horny shell, which is not half an inch thick; and even -this must be cut with moderation, never burned by fitting the shoe -to it hot--the common makeshift of lazy farriers--nor filed on the -outside, as both these operations not only weaken the hoof but impair -Nature's arrangement for oiling and lubricating it. Should the horse -not bear equal weight on all four legs, move him a step to see if the -faulty posture may not have been accidental; and if it is repeated, -examine the "favored" leg, carefully laying your bare hand on the hoof -and joints to detect inflammation, feeling along the bones for lumps, -comparing any suspicious spot with the same part of the corresponding -leg, observing whether it is warmer or more sensitive than its fellow. - -[Illustration: LOWERING THE HEAD.] - -Having assured yourself that your horse is in perfect order, and -that he has forgotten nothing of your previous instruction, you will -now proceed to the lesson of the day. Place yourself on his left, or -"near," side, take the snaffle-reins at a few inches from the bit, and -pull his head downward. Should he not yield, cross the reins, by taking -the right rein in the left hand and _vice versa_, which will pinch his -jaw sharply, and pull again till he drops his head, when you will hold -it down a few seconds, praising him the while; then raise it up, and -allow him a little time to rest. - -[Illustration: PUNISHMENT IN CASE OF RESISTANCE.] - -For our young readers we give below a few of the more usual technical -terms, of which it will be found convenient to have a knowledge in the -course of these lessons: - -_Amble._--A gait like pacing, but slower, in which the two legs on the -same side are moved together. - -_Appel._--The gentle tug on the rein given by the horse at each step. - -_Arrière-main._--That part of the horse back of the saddle, called, not -quite correctly, in this article, the croup. - -_Avant-main._--That part of the horse forward of the saddle--the -forehand. - -_Bore._--To lean on the bit. - -_Bridle-tooth._--Tusk found in the horse's mouth, though not in the -mare's, between nippers and grinders. - -_Bucking._--Leaping vertically into the air with all four feet at once. - -_Chin Groove._--That part of underjaw next the swell of lower lip in -which curb-chain rests. - -_Curb._--Bit without joint, with levers at side and chain, which, -passing under jaw, serves as a fulcrum to communicate pressure of bit -to bars of mouth. - -_Deux Pistes._--To go on _deux pistes_ is to advance with the body -placed obliquely, so that the hind feet move on a different line or -_piste_ from the fore. - -_Elbow._--Joint of fore-leg next above knee, lying next horse's side. - -_Fetlock._--Joint next below knee. - -_Forearm._--That part of leg between elbow and knee. - -_Forge._--To strike the toe of the fore-foot with the toe of the -hind-foot--usually the result of bad shoeing. - -_Frog._--Triangular piece of spongy horn in middle of sole of foot, -forming a cushion for the navicular bone. - -_Grinders._--Back teeth. - -_Hand._--Four inches (one-third of a foot). - -_Hand-gallop._--A slow gallop. - -_Haute Êcole--Haut Manége._--The complete course of training given in -the French military riding-schools. To translate this by "high-school," -as is sometimes done, produces a ludicrous impression. - -_Hock._--Joint of hind-leg between thigh and shank. - -_Interfere._--To strike the fetlock with the foot--often caused by bad -shoeing. - -_Manége._--Horse-training, also the training-school itself. - -_Nippers._--Front teeth. - -_Pace._--A rapid gait, in which the fore and hind foot on same side -move at same time and strike the ground together. - -_Pastern._--Bones between fetlock and foot. - -_Passage._--Moving sideways, as to close up or open the ranks, as in -cavalry exercises. - -_Pirouette._--Wheeling on the hind-legs. - -_Pirouette renversée._--Wheeling on the fore-legs. - -_Piaffer._--A slow and cadenced trot, in which the horse balances a -certain time on each pair of feet. - -_Piste._--The imaginary circle (usually, however, a well-beaten track) -three feet from the wall of the _manége_. - -_Poll._--Top of head between the ears. - -_Rack._--A gait somewhat similar to _single-foot_. - -_Ramener._--To bring the head to the perpendicular. - -_Rassembler._--To get the horse together, with his legs well under him -and his head perpendicular. - -_Shank._--Parts of fore-leg between knee and fetlock, and parts of -hind-leg between hock and fetlock. - -_Single-foot._--A very rapid gait, taught principally in the Western -States of America, in which one foot is put down at a time. - -_Snaffle._--Bit jointed in middle, without side levers or chin-chain. - -_Spavins_ and _Splints_.--Excrescences on bones of legs, usually caused -by strain. When they occur on the fore-shanks they are called splints, -and may do no harm. If on the hind-legs they are called spavins, and -usually result in permanent lameness. - -_Stifle._--Joint of hind-leg between hip and hock, lying against -horse's side. - -_Surcingle._--A girth extending entirely around the horse. - -_Thigh._--Popularly speaking, it comprises the two upper joints of -hind-leg from hip to hock. - -_Throat-latch._--That strap of the bridle which passes under the throat. - -_Withers._--Highest point of shoulder between neck and saddle. - - - - -LESSON V. - -TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE REINS HELD BELOW THE BIT -(_FLEXIONS DE L'ENCOLURE_). - - -Before beginning each lesson it is well, as has been already -recommended, to review hastily the instruction previously given. - -Now place yourself on the left side of your horse, with your -riding-whip tip downward in your right hand, and with your feet firmly -planted a little apart. Take the right curb-rein in your right hand -at about six inches from the lever of the bit, and the left curb-rein -in your left at three inches from the lever, and having brought the -horse's head to a perpendicular position, pull the two hands steadily -apart, moving the right hand to the right and the left hand to the -left, so as to pry the horse's head around to the right by means of -the twist of the bit in his mouth. If he offers to back, stop him by -tapping his breast with the whip; if he tries to pull away his head, -hold on tight, until presently he will turn his head to the right, -when you will instantly say, "Bravo! bravo!" and after holding it so -a few seconds, bring it back to its original position. Very soon he -will take the idea, and you will bring his head around until it faces -backward, being careful to keep it always exactly perpendicular, and -not to allow the horse to move it of his own accord in any direction. - -[Illustration: "PULLING THE HANDS STEADILY APART."] - -Now try to obtain this flexion with the right-hand rein alone, only -using the left hand to assist it if he fails to understand or to obey, -and also to bring back the head to its original position. - -To bend the neck to the left requires simply a reversal of the process -just described, and will give you probably no trouble. Do not be -satisfied with anything else than an easy, graceful, and patient -obedience on the part of the horse. Should he back or fidget out of -his place, bring him back to it before going on, as you will find that -his associations (unconscious, doubtless) with place are remarkable, -and that any fault is likely to be repeated on the spot where it was -first committed. - -[Illustration: TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT OR LEFT, WITH THE REINS BELOW -THE BITS.] - -When he will look backward on either side, and remain looking so upon -your drawing upon the proper rein, the lesson is perfect. The utility -of it may not appear at first, but will be evident at a later stage of -your instructions. - - - - -LESSON VI. - -TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE REINS THROWN OVER THE NECK. - - -Take the left snaffle-rein in the left hand at about a foot from the -bit, and with the right hand draw the right snaffle-rein over the -horse's neck just in front of the shoulder, until both sides pull -equally on the bit and the horse is "light in hand." Then, by drawing -upon the right rein gradually, bend his head around to the right, -gently feeling the left rein so as to keep the bit straight in the -mouth and prevent him from moving faster than you wish; for in this, as -in all other cases, while he is to do exactly what you direct, he is to -do nothing more. - -[Illustration: GETTING THE HORSE "LIGHT IN HAND."] - -To bend the neck to the left, you will, of course, reverse the -operation above described, standing on the other side of the horse, -taking the right snaffle-rein in the right hand at a foot from the -bit, and drawing the left rein over the shoulder with the left hand. -Keep the horse "light in hand" all the time, and his head perfectly -perpendicular, as any twisting of the nose to one side has a ludicrous -appearance. Now repeat with the curb. - -[Illustration: PULLING ON THE RIGHT REIN.] - - - - -LESSON VII. - -TO MOVE THE CROUP TO RIGHT AND LEFT WITH THE WHIP. - - -It is unfortunate that we have not in English a vocabulary of definite -terms relating to the training and riding of horses. We will for -convenience call all that part of the horse in front of the saddle the -_forehand_, and all that part back of the saddle the _croup_. - -Take both snaffle-reins in the left hand at a few inches from the bit, -and standing near the horse's left shoulder, get him "light in hand" -with the bit; and if his hind-legs are not well under him, make him -bring them forward by tapping him gently on the rump with your extended -whip, keeping the forehand motionless by your hold on the bit. - -Now, holding his head so that he will not move his left fore-foot, tap -him lightly on the left flank near the hip until he moves the croup one -step to the right. - -Then pat and praise him, and if he has not moved his right fore-foot, -tap his right leg with the whip to make him bring it forward even with -the left. After a little rest begin again, asking and allowing only -one step at a time, and persevering until he will move the croup one -step over to each tap of the whip, pivoting on the left fore-foot and -walking the right foot by little steps around it. - -[Illustration: MOVING THE CROUP ONE STEP TO THE RIGHT.] - -When he is perfect with the snaffle, repeat the process with the curb, -keeping his hind-legs well under him, and holding him "light in hand," -while maintaining his left fore-foot immovable, with a delicate touch, -to resemble as much as possible the action of the rein when drawn from -the saddle. - -Now repeat the process to the left, taking your stand near the right -shoulder, and, with both snaffle-reins in your right hand and the whip -in your left, proceed as before until the horse will walk one step at -each tap of the whip around the right fore-foot, which should in its -turn be kept so firmly in place as to bore a hole in the ground. Repeat -with the curb. - -This lesson, which will last, very likely, two or three days, may -appear to some of no practical utility, but it is indispensable alike -to your comfort when mounted, to the safety of those who accompany -or meet you, and to the continued education of your horse. Who has -not seen an untrained animal force his rider to dismount to lift some -gate-latch which was really within easy reach, or prancing about in a -crowd, to the terror and vexation of his neighbors, or in momentary -danger of hooking his legs into the wheels of passing vehicles? - -Now, if you trample on any one, or upset a light vehicle, though -you risk, and perhaps break, your own bones, yet you are liable for -damages; and this fact is so well known that a suit will be promptly -begun against you. Besides, for your own sake you must have it in your -power to get your horse's haunches, and with them your own person, out -of danger from careless or mischievous drivers--just as a cavalryman -has to save his horse from a slash or thrust. - - - - -LESSON VIII. - -MOUNTED. - - -_To Advance at Touch of Heel and Stop at Touch of Whip on Back._--Your -horse's education must now be carried on from the saddle, and should -he never have been ridden, it will be prudent to have a man mount him -first upon a man's saddle, and afterwards upon your side-saddle, with -a blanket wrapped around the legs to simulate a skirt. If the previous -lessons have been carefully given, you will have no trouble in making -him stand wherever you please while you mount, nor in getting him -"light in hand" afterwards. First, however, see that the saddle fits -snugly in its place, and that the girths are good and in order. If -there are more than two, let the third be loose while the others are -tight. The writer once saw a powerful horse burst two good English -girths by a sudden bound and throw off his rider, saddle and all. If -the girths and saddle are not very strong, put a broad, thin strap--a -surcingle will do--over all. - -[Illustration: GETTING A HORSE ACCUSTOMED TO SKIRTS. - -(An example of the "flying trot.")] - -Being mounted, gather the reins all into the left hand in the following -manner: Draw the right snaffle-rein between the fore and middle -fingers, and the left snaffle rein under the little finger into the -palm, throwing the ends forward together over the first finger, to be -held by the thumb; in like manner draw the curb-reins into the palm on -each side of the ring-finger, the left rein, of course, below, and the -right above it, throwing the ends, like those of the snaffle, forward -over the fore-finger and under the thumb. Now taking the curb-rein by -the seam, draw it through your fingers till both reins fall equally on -the bit; then do the same by the snaffle, but draw it so much tighter -than the curb that the latter will hang loose, and any movement of your -hand will be felt through the snaffle. Grasp all the reins firmly, your -hand back upward, with wrist a little bent and elbow near your side, so -that if the horse, stumbling, thrust his nose suddenly out, you will -not be jerked from the saddle. - -[Illustration: SHOWING REINS IN LEFT HAND.] - -All this you will quickly get the knack of, and do as easily as you -would thread a needle. You will observe that, having the width of three -fingers between the two snaffle-reins, you can, by bending your wrist -to right or left, guide the horse as easily as with the reins in both -hands. Get the horse "light in hand" by the usual play of the bit, -first the curb, then the snaffle, tapping him on the right side, just -forward of the girth, if he fails to respond or offers to back. - -[Illustration: ADVANCING AT TOUCH OF HEEL.] - -Now press him just back of the girth with your left heel, at the same -time relaxing the rein a little. If he steps forward, pat and praise -him, but if not, press him more firmly, at the same time touching him -as before with the whip. When he moves forward praise him, and after a -few seconds stop him, leaning back a little and laying your whip by a -turn of the wrist on his back just behind the saddle. Then recommence, -and persevere until he will start promptly forward at the touch of the -heel, and stop at the touch of the whip on his back, keeping "light -in hand" the while. If he is very sluggish you may have to strike him -smartly for not answering instantly to the heel, but he will soon -learn not to wait for the blow. Let the heel act close to the girth, -as you will soon wish to move the croup over by the same means applied -farther back. It is well not to start with the whip, nor by chirping or -clucking, which is as likely to excite your companion's horse as your -own, and is annoying to most people. - -[Illustration: STOPPING AT TOUCH OF WHIP ON BACK.] - -Accustom your horse to stop short, whether at the pull on the reins, -the touch of the whip, or the word "Whoa." - -After riding have the saddle removed, and should a puffy spot appear -on the back where it has pressed, take the hint at once and have the -padding eased over the place, or a tedious and vexatious "saddle-gall" -may result. There is no better treatment for such a spot than bathing -with very hot water. As a preventive, however, it is an excellent plan -to bathe the back with cold water, afterwards carefully rubbing dry. - -[Illustration: THE WALK (COLT IN TRAINING).] - -The several instruments of torture represented in the above cut are the -_dumb-jockey_ upon the horse's back, the _cavesson_ around his nose, -and the _lunging-cord_ in the hands of the groom--to whom the artist -has very properly given the countenance of one who, had he lived in -old times, would have lent a hand at the rack or the iron boot without -wincing. The dumb-jockey has elastic reins, which are adjusted so -as to hold the head in the proper position. The cavesson is a broad -leather band, stiffened with iron, which is fastened around the nose -just where the cartilage joins the bone, so that a tug upon it causes -great pain, and will bring anything but determined vice to submission. -These appliances are usually only the resort of laziness or ignorance, -for none of them can for a moment compare with the human hand; and in -fact they effect no saving in time, for it is not safe to leave a horse -a minute alone with a dumb-jockey on his back, as he may rear and fall -over backward at the risk of his life. The writer knew of an accident -of this kind which ended the victim's usefulness in the saddle, and he -has seen a strong and proud horse sweat profusely, with the thermometer -at ten degrees below the freezing point, while being _lunged_, _i.e._, -driven in a ring, with a dumb-jockey on. - - - - -LESSON IX. - -MOUNTED. - - -_To Bend the Neck to Right and Left._--You can now, if you please, -substitute a stiff _crop_ for the flexible whip you have so far made -use of. Having taken your place in the saddle and got your horse light -in hand review the previous lesson; then, having your horse still -carefully light in hand and light on foot--that is, with hind-feet -well under him--draw gently upon the left snaffle-rein. When the -horse's head has come around to your knee, keep it in that position -an instant, and then put it straight again by drawing upon the right -rein, insisting that his face remains perpendicular during the whole -operation. Now go through the same process with the right snaffle-rein, -and then repeat the whole operation with the curb. These flexions of -the neck may now seem to you of doubtful utility, but as the education -of the horse advances, your opinion will change. It is as rare for -horses as for people to have a noble and graceful carriage; and while -you cannot, of course, really change the shape of your mount, yet you -can, by care, entirely change his appearance. His various gaits you -can indeed improve, but for his _style_ he depends, nine times out of -ten, entirely upon you, and if you are indifferent he will be careless -and probably clumsy. - -[Illustration: BENDING THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT.] - - - - -LESSON X. - -THE WALK. - - -This gait is apt to be hardly appreciated by youthful equestrians, -whose love of excitement leads them often to prefer rapidity to grace -of motion; but it can, with a little painstaking, be made swift and -agreeable; and certainly, when light and animated, it shows off both -horse and rider to better advantage than any other. It is, besides, -an indispensable stage in the bitting of the horse; for until he will -continue "light" while starting, stopping, and turning at a walk, he -should not be put to a faster pace. - -Your chief difficulty will be his propensity to drop into a jog-trot -as soon as you try to quicken his steps; but this must be overcome by -stopping him immediately and then recommencing the walk, urging him -forward with the heel and encouraging him to lift his feet quickly by -a delicate play of the bit, but leaving his head as free as possible. -This will give you occupation, probably, for several days. Do not -forget to praise him when he does well. - - - - -LESSON XI. - -TO MOVE THE CROUP WITH HEEL AND WHIP (_PIROUETTE RENVERSÉE_). - - -Having your horse light in hand and light on foot (that is to say, as -we have before explained, with his face perpendicular, the bit held -lightly, and his weight well supported on his hind-legs), tap him on -the right flank with your whip or "crop" till he moves the croup one -step to the left. Your great difficulty will be to prevent him from -moving his right fore-foot, which by careful play of the bit you must -endeavor to keep fixed to the ground, while at each tap of the whip the -other three feet move one step around it. When this lesson has been -satisfactorily learned, proceed to teach in like manner the movement -of croup to the right, pivoting on the left fore-foot, substituting, -however, for the tap of the whip a pressure with the left heel, applied -as far behind the girth as possible. - -[Illustration: MOVING THE CROUP WITH THE HEEL AND WHIP.] - -Should he not understand this pressure, interpret it to him with the -whip. As long as there seems to be any mental effort required on his -part, pause after each step to caress and praise him. Be careful to -keep him calm while learning, or he may tread one foot upon the -other, possibly inflicting a severe wound, and after dismounting -inspect his feet carefully to make sure that this has not happened. - - - - -LESSON XII. - -TO GUIDE "BRIDLEWISE." - - -Up to this time your horse has been guided as in driving, by a pull -upon one side of the bit, that is to say, upon one corner of the mouth, -and it is time now to substitute a simple pressure of the rein upon -his neck. The chief difficulty to be encountered is in the fact that, -as the rein is attached to the bit, the tension of it against one side -of the neck pulls the bit on that side, consequently conveying to the -horse an impression exactly opposite to that intended. This difficulty -must be overcome by patience, for this instruction cannot be completed -in a single lesson, but will have to be carried on simultaneously with -other work for a week or more. It is given by carrying your hand over, -whenever you turn, to the side towards which you wish to go, so that -the reins will press against the neck. Thus, if you wish to turn to the -left, draw on the left snaffle-rein, and as the horse answers to it, -carry your hand to the left, so that the right reins press against the -right side of the neck. This must be done with judgment, or the bit, -being pulled too hard on the right side by the tension of the rein on -the neck, will stop him in his turn. Of course you will seek as many -occasions as possible for turning, choosing, in preference, places -where your intention cannot be misunderstood, as at a corner, for -instance. There is no better spot than some old orchard, for the horse -instantly takes the idea of going around a tree, and there will be more -or less shade, and probably good turf. While he is learning this lesson -do not distract his attention by other instruction; but as soon as he -has mastered it, see that his head is always turned in the direction -towards which he is to go, for it is a habit with horses, as awkward -as it is common, to turn one way and look the other. At the same time -always lean in your saddle towards the centre of the curve you are -describing, and at an angle increasing in proportion to your speed. - -[Illustration: GUIDING BRIDLEWISE (TURNING TO THE RIGHT).] - -Some English writers depreciate the above method of guiding the horse, -preferring to use the bit exclusively, but it is almost universal in -the United States, and its advantages for ordinary riders are numerous -and evident. Indeed, Stonehenge, a well-known English authority, says -that in "this way a horse can be turned with a much greater degree of -nicety and smoothness than by acting on the corner of his mouth." - - - - -LESSON XIII. - -THE TROT. - - -Writers on the horse distinguish three kinds of trot, _viz._, the -"jog" trot, the "true" trot, and the "flying" or "American" trot. In -the first the feet remain longer on the ground than in the air, and -lazy animals are naturally fond of it, while spirited horses sometimes -drop into it from impatience of walking. It is, however, apt to be -a slovenly gait, which, though easy to the rider, should hardly be -permitted. - -In the flying trot the horse leaps a considerable distance through -the air at each stride--evidently a mode of progression unsuited for -ladies, who must attain speed in trotting by quickening the step -without undue lengthening of the stride. - -Your first care will be to prevent your horse from losing his -"lightness," as he will be inclined to do at every change of gait or -increase of speed--and this, while often by no means easy, is yet a -task to be thoroughly accomplished if you wish for comfort or style -in the future. You will observe in trotting, as in all other gaits, -at each step a slight tug on the rein, called by some writers the -_appel_, and this you will ordinarily yield your hand to, so as to keep -a steady feeling of the mouth. - -If, however, the horse begins to bear on the bit, hold your hand -firmly, with the rein just so tight that at every step he will himself -thrust his jaw against the curb. This will very likely bring him to his -senses and restore his lightness, and if so, pat and praise him; but if -not, tap him on the side with your whip, at the same time pulling on -the curb for a second or two. If he does not yield to this, repeated -two or three times, stop him short; and when, by the same method, you -have got him to relax his gripe of the bit and arch his neck, allow him -to go on again. He will dislike excessively to be stopped and started -in this way, and when he finds that he will not be permitted to go in -any way but the right one he will give up the attempt. - -Do not try to succeed by giving a long, steady pull, nor by using -force, as it will do no good, and may cause the tongue to be put over -the bit--a very troublesome trick. Remember, in stopping, to lean back, -and lay your whip, by a movement of the wrist, on the horse's back. - -You will next turn your attention to your horse's gait. As the trot -is rarely so easy that a lady can sit down to it with comfort, it is -advisable to rise in the stirrup. - -This is difficult and fatiguing if the stride is too long, and you -will therefore prevent its extending too much by giving a little tug -on the rein just as each step is made, at the same time with the heel -keeping up speed and animation. - -If your bitting has been thoroughly done, and your horse's mouth -is fine and sensitive, you will probably find the snaffle best for -trotting, and you will give a steady support with it. - -Keep the step quick, elastic, perfectly cadenced, and without any -rolling of the shoulders. - -Should you happen to be mounted upon a horse which, from bad handling -or his own faulty conformation, is disposed to "bore," or bear on his -bit, you will ride with the curb, taking its reins in one hand, but -in the other hand taking the snaffle, with the left rein drawn much -tighter than the right. This will have an effect quite different from -what one might expect, and will put a stop to this most fatiguing and -annoying trick. - -This recipe is not found in Baucher's book, but is said to have been -given by him verbally to his pupils, and it is really "a trick worth -knowing." If it does not have the desired effect, however, when -practised with the left snaffle-rein, try it with the right, as the -mouth--for instance, from the effect of double harness--may not be -equally sensitive on both sides. - -If you observe that the step of one foot is shorter than that of the -other, making the horse appear lame, you may be almost sure you have -fallen into the too common feminine practice of bearing too much of -your weight on one side. An even balance in the saddle is of capital -importance, and a rough-and-ready test is to observe whether the -buttons of your habit are in the same plane as the horse's backbone, -and your shoulders nearly equidistant from his ears--points of which -you can judge as well as any one. - -In the matter of the horse's gait you must be equally exacting, not -resting so long as you can perceive the slightest irregularity or -difference between the strides. It is desirable to cultivate such -a sensitiveness to all the horse's movements as will enable you to -know where his feet are at all times without looking, and the first -step towards this is to learn to "sit close to the saddle." This firm -and easy seat, coveted by every rider, is attained by some with much -greater difficulty than by others. Many riders will bump about on their -saddles for thousands of miles without being "shaken into their seat," -because they neither abandon themselves to the instinct which correctly -guides a child, nor, on the other hand, seek out and remove the cause, -in the muscular contractions of the body and limbs. - -A loose sack of grain set upright on horseback does not jump up and -down, and, while it is not desirable to be quite so inert as a bag of -grain, yet a lesson may be learned from it--which is, that the lower -part of the person, from the hips to the knees, should be kept firmly -and steadily, though not stiffly, in place, while the waist, with the -back bent slightly inward, should be as flexible as possible, and the -whole upper part of the person pliant and supple, so as to yield with a -certain _nonchalance_ to every movement. - -Nervous riders, like nervous horses, are those in whom involuntary -muscular contractions persist the most obstinately. - -As both of the horse's strides are equal when the trot is true, it -seems nonsense to talk, as some writers do, about the "leading foot" in -trotting; and except that few horses are so perfectly symmetrical that -both strides are equally elastic, there should be no difference to a -man on which one he "rises," and he will therefore spare that foot and -leg which, for any cause, he may suppose to be the weaker. A lady will -without effort find the stride best suited to her. - -Horses are often trained in our Western States to trot when the rider -touches the back of their neck, and to single-foot or pace when he -makes play gently with the curb-bit. These signals are injudicious, -because in harness a slight movement of the bit sets the horse so -trained to single-footing, and there is no way to communicate to him -your wish that he should trot. It is better, therefore, to give the -signal to trot by taking a firm hold of the snaffle, and laying your -whip gently on his hind-quarter while you incite to speed with your -heel. - -After dismounting, observe whether your horse has _interfered_--that -is, struck one or more of his fetlock joints with his hoofs; should -the skin be knocked off, apply some healing ointment; and if the joint -swells, bathe with water as hot as the hand will bear. This is the best -remedy for all ordinary bruises and sprains. - - - - -LESSON XIV. - -THE GALLOP, HAND-GALLOP, AND CANTER. - - -These are treated of by some writers as distinct, the canter being -called "purely artificial;" but it will be convenient and sufficiently -accurate for our purpose to take them up together and to consider the -canter as what it in fact is--an _improved_, and not an "artificial," -gait. Horses undoubtedly often canter in a rude way without being -taught, as may be seen often in the field, and not seldom in harness, -and you will probably have little trouble in getting your horse to do -the same. It is this natural canter which is called by country people -the "lope." It is of importance, however, that your horse should not -change his gait without orders, no matter how hard pressed, this being -especially true if he is to be driven as well as ridden. The signal -to canter should, therefore, be such as can be given only from the -saddle. It is well not to use the whip for the purpose, but to try by -raising the bridle to lift the forehand, while stimulating at the same -time with the heel. Should he persist in trotting, do not get vexed -or discouraged, for he is only resisting temptation to do what he -has expressly been taught not to do; but continue your incitements, -raising the bridle-hand firmly at every stride till you have got him -fairly off his feet into a gallop, when you will soothe his nerves by -patting and praising him, and gradually calm him down into a canter, -lifting your hand at every stride to prevent his relapsing into a trot. -When he will canter promptly at the signal, you will get him "light -in hand" before giving it; then make him start without thrusting out -his nose, and keep him light by the means already detailed in the -lesson on the trot. Next you will bring his haunches forward under him, -which is the great point, and increase the brilliancy of his action by -stimulating him with heel and whip, while at each step you restrain -him by a gentle pull, so that he will not spring forward so far as he -intended. Persevere until he will canter as slowly as he would walk. -Your best guide will be to observe the action of some well-trained and -well-ridden horse, and to endeavor to obtain the same in yours. - -[Illustration: THE CANTER.] - -To _change the leading foot_ in cantering is, however, a more difficult -matter, and we will postpone the consideration of it until his -education is a little farther advanced. In the mean time you will avoid -turning a sharp corner at a canter. - -The hand-gallop is simply a moderate gallop in which the ear observes -three beats, - -[Music] - -as in the canter, but swifter; while in the extended gallop it hears -but two, - -[Music] - -though given with a sort of rattle, which shows that neither the fore -nor the hind feet strike the ground exactly together, as they do in -leaping. - -_Keep to the left, as the law directs_, is an admonition on bridges and -other thoroughfares in England which has often excited the surprise of -Americans, very likely eliciting some such comment as "How stupid!" -"How perfectly ridiculous!" Yet for many centuries it was really the -only safe way to turn, whether on foot or on horseback, and as all our -fashions of riding and driving are based upon it, it is hard to see why -the custom should have changed in this country. In the olden time, when -people went about principally on horseback, when roads were lonely and -footpads plenty, it would have been "perfectly ridiculous" for a man to -turn to the right and expose his defenceless bridle-arm to a blow from -a bludgeon or slash from a hanger. Much more would it have been so had -he a lady under his care, who would thus be left in the very front of -danger, whether it might be of robbery from highwaymen, of insult from -roistering riders, or of simple injury from passing vehicles. At the -present day and in this country the danger last mentioned is the only -one really to be feared, and it is so considerable that the question is -often raised whether a lady be not safer at the right of her cavalier; -but the still greater danger in this case of her being crushed between -the horses, in case of either one springing suddenly towards the other, -has caused it thus far to be decided in the negative. There is also -always a possibility--slight, doubtless--of a lady's getting kicked or -bitten when on the right; and it might be difficult for her companion, -without risk to her limbs, to seize her horse by the head should he -become refractory. In case of its becoming absolutely necessary to take -a terrified or exhausted rider off of an unmanageable horse, there -would probably be time for her escort to cross behind her and place -himself at her left hand. - -Now that we are on the subject, we may give a word of caution as to -some other dangers of the road. Among those to the rider, the most -common is _shying_; but vigilance--and perpetual vigilance will be -necessary--will reduce this to the rank of simple annoyance. Get your -horse past the alarming object somehow, even if he has to be led; get -him up to it if you can, and then pat and praise him; never let him -hurry off after passing it; never whip him afterwards. - -Rearing is less common than shying, but more dangerous from the risk -of pulling the horse over backward. To rear he must, of course, spring -up with the fore-legs, and if his intention can be divined in time it -may perhaps be frustrated by a smart stroke down the shoulder; but an -active animal is usually up before his rider has had time to think, and -the question is how to come safe down again. To this end, on no account -pull on the bit, but, without letting go the rein, grasp a thick -lock of the mane and hold yourself with it as close to the neck as -possible--which will throw your weight in the best place, and prepare -you to leap down, should it be necessary. If you have kept perfectly -calm, so that the horse has not suspected that you were frightened, -he will doubtless come down on his feet, and very likely may not rear -again. If, however, you feel his hind-legs sink under him, he will be -intending to throw himself down, and you must jump down instantly to -avoid getting caught under the saddle. - -Kicking, when coming unexpectedly, is more likely than rearing to -unseat the rider. If you withstand the first assault, however, get the -horse's head up by an energetic use of the bit, and look out that he -does not get it down again. It is needless to say that should either of -the last two tricks become a habit, it will make the horse quite unfit -for a lady's use. - -If your horse is restless and disposed to jump, or perhaps run, when -horses or vehicles rapidly approach him from behind, occupy his -attention by moving the bit a little from side to side in his mouth. - -Running away is undoubtedly serious business, but all authorities agree -that the safest plan is to let the horse run, if there is room, and -that the best lesson for him is to make him continue running after he -wishes to stop. A steady pull on the bit is quite useless, and so is -any cry of "Whoa! whoa!" at first. But after a little the bit should -be vigorously _sawed_, so as to sway the head from side to side if -possible, and thus confuse him, while you speak to him in a commanding -tone. - -The dangers to the horse upon the road, however, are greater and more -numerous than to yourself, but they may almost all be averted by care -and watchfulness on your part. Beware of a fast pace on hard macadam; -beware of loose stones, which may bruise the frog or cause a tedious -sprain; beware of food, water, above all, of currents of air when he is -warm. - - - - -LESSON XV. - -THE PIROUETTE, DEUX PISTES, PASSAGE. - - -In the _pirouette ordinaire_ of the French _manége_ the horse turns -upon one of his hind-legs, walking on the other three around it, just -as in the _pirouette renversée_ of Lesson XI. he turned upon one of -the fore-legs, around which he walked upon the other three; and now, as -then, the chief difficulty is to keep him from moving the leg which is -to serve as a pivot. The means for accomplishing this you have already -acquired, and a pressure of the heel on the one side, or of the crop -on the other, will prevent an intended movement of the croup, while -by the rein against the neck you move the forehand to the one side or -to the other. In wheeling to the left it is the left hind-foot, and -to the right the right hind-foot, which serves as a pivot. If your -horse is stiff and clumsy in this exercise it will probably be because -you have not got him together, with his hind-legs well under him, but -at best you will probably find him less supple on one side than the -other. Begin by moving the forehand but one step at a time, keeping -your horse calm, so that he may not wound one foot with the other, -holding your own person motionless, and gradually accustoming him to -slight and delicate effects of hand, heel, and whip, so that he may to -a by-stander appear to move of his own volition. - -[Illustration: ORDINARY PIROUETTE.] - -The _piste_ (literally "trail" or "track") in the French _manége_ is -an imaginary circle lying three feet distant from the wall; which -imaginary line, however, becomes in practice a well-defined path, which -the horse soon learns to follow with little guidance from his rider. To -go, then, "on two _pistes_" is to cause the horse to advance with his -body placed obliquely, so that the hind-feet move on a different line -from the fore-feet. In the cut the horse is shown directly across the -_piste_. - -[Illustration: GOING ON "DEUX PISTES."] - -The _passage_ is a side movement without advancing. By it the cavalry -close up their ranks, and to a civilian it is useful in many ways. Both -of these movements you are now able to execute at pleasure. - -[Illustration: THE PASSAGE.] - - - - -LESSON XVI. - -BACKING. - - -This lesson has been deferred thus far because, while it is one of the -most practically and frequently useful, yet it is also the method which -the horse naturally takes to escape from the unwonted constraint put -upon the muscles of his neck and jaw in the course of the preceding -lessons. You have had, therefore, to be on your guard hitherto against -it; and had you taught it earlier you would have found your horse -cunning enough to pretend to believe every play of the bit to be a -signal to step back, and thus protract the instruction. - -Having, then, got your horse, as usual, well in hand, lean back and -give a pull on the reins. If he steps back, well; if not, touch him -with the heel or tap his side with the crop, and when he lifts his foot -to step forward repeat the pull on the reins, when the foot will be -replaced farther back; then pat and praise him, and persevere until he -will, at each tug of the reins, move backward one step and no more. - -Should he swerve to right or left, straighten him by a tap or pressure -of the crop on his right side, or by the pressure of the heel on the -left, as the case may require. - -[Illustration: BACKING.] - -Your horse having learned to obey the pressure of the rein upon the -neck, you may now, if you choose, adopt another method of holding the -reins. It differs from that described in Lesson XIII. in that the two -snaffle reins, instead of being separated by three fingers, have only -one--the middle finger--between them; while the curb-reins, instead of -coming into the hand between the snaffle-reins, come in below, having -the little finger inserted between them. - -[Illustration: REINS IN HAND.] - -This method, though formerly the one usually taught, being that adopted -by the English cavalry, has not, on the whole, as many advantages as -the other for a civilian. - -[Illustration: ACT OF CHANGING REINS.] - -If you have occasion to use the left hand, or wish to rest it, change -the reins into the right hand by placing the right, still holding the -whip, over and in front of the left, both palms downward, inserting -the right fore-finger between the reins separated by the left little -finger, and so on, then grasping all together with the whip, and -allowing the ends to pass out to the right. - -This does not disarrange the reins, but makes it possible for you to -take them back into the left hand in an instant by passing the left -hand in like manner over the right. - - - - -LESSON XVII. - -RIDING IN CIRCLES.--CHANGE OF LEADING FOOT. - - -You are now prepared to practise with profit a simple exercise, which -you will find interesting to yourself, and, if carefully done, very -improving to your horse. It is the riding in circles of small diameter. -Mark out a number of rings of various sizes in some pasture-field with -white pebbles or beans or small scraps of white paper, which may be -scattered at intervals of two or three feet, so that the figures may -not be remarked by the horse, but that he may receive his instruction -from you only. Let the circles touch one another, so that you may -change from one into the other, and thus turn to the right and left -alternately. Begin at a walk, then proceed to a trot, practising first -on the large circles, and then taking the smaller ones. Keep your -horse "light in hand," and do not let him place his body across the -line, but make him follow it accurately, with his neck and body bent -around to the curve which it describes. When he is perfect in this -exercise on level ground, move to some hill-side and begin again. When -he can do figure 8's of a small size accurately at a smart trot on a -pretty steep slope, you may congratulate your self on having made good -progress, and may begin to do the large circles on level ground at a -canter. Here comes in the troublesome matter of the "leading foot," -and if you do not understand it, you must not be discouraged, for many -persons ride "hit or miss" their whole lives long without thinking or -knowing anything about it. The expression, besides, is misleading, and -you will do well to study up the subject first on straight lines. Get -a friend to canter beside you, and observe the motion of his horse's -feet. You will see that the two fore-feet and the two hind-feet strike -the ground not only one later than the other, but one in advance of the -other, and that the one which leaves the ground last steps past the -other and is planted farthest forward. It is this foot taking the long -stride which is called, although it moves last, the "leading foot." - -[Illustration: LEADING WITH THE RIGHT FORE-FOOT.] - -It ought not to make any difference to the horse with which foot he -leads, nor to his rider, if a man, so long as he follows a straight -line; but whenever he has to turn, it becomes both to horse and rider -of importance--if the curve is sharp, of very great importance--that he -should lead on the side towards which he is to turn. - -A little observation of your companion's horse when turning will make -the reason clear to you. A woman's seat being on the left side of the -horse, it is easier for her that the shoulder having the most motion -should be on the right side, and ladies' saddle-horses are consequently -trained to lead with the right foot; the result, we may remark, often -being that the fore-foot which does most work gives out before the -others. - -[Illustration: LEADING WITH THE LEFT FORE-FOOT.] - -The horse so trained, however, is in this way always ready to wheel -to the right; but when he turns to the left, whether carrying man or -woman, he must change and lead with the left foot; and if he has not -sense enough to do so himself, you must teach him. - -This, really, is not an easy task for an amateur, especially for -the amateur feminine, who has not the efficient masculine resource -of a pair of spurred heels. Even with their aid a man is often so -embarrassed to make his horse comprehend that he gives up the attempt, -and contents himself with "slowing down" before turning, his failure -usually resulting from the insufficient previous training of the horse, -coupled with his own ignorance of the successive short steps by which -the latter may be led up to the performance of the wished-for act. - -If you have been exact in the instruction hitherto given--if your -bitting has been so thorough that your horse remains "light in hand" -during all the manoeuvres described in the foregoing lessons; if he -responds instantly to the pressure of the rein upon the neck, and to -the touch of the heel and of the whip upon the flank, so that you can -move the forehand and the croup separately or at the same time in the -same or in opposite directions; if he will rise from a walk into a -canter without trotting; and if, finally, your drilling in the flexions -of the neck permits you to bend his head to right or left when at rest -or in motion without affecting the position of the forehand--then your -horse is thoroughly prepared for the present lesson; and the same tact -and patience which have brought you on thus far will assuredly carry -you triumphantly through it. - -First, however, you should learn to tell with which foot you are -leading, and you can do so by leaning forward in the saddle while -cantering, when you will see that the knee of the leading leg is thrown -up higher than its fellow, and by bending still farther you may see -this foot planted in advance upon the ground. If your horse has never -been trained, it is as likely to be one foot as the other. Now, the -first step to be taken is to put your horse in such a position that it -will be easy and natural for him to lead off with the desired foot, -and awkward to lead off with the other. This position is with the head -turned in the direction you wish to go, and with the croup advanced -a little in the same direction, so that the body is placed obliquely -across the line of advance. Thus, if you wish to lead with the right -foot, you keep his head turned in the direction you wish to go, while -with the heel you move the croup over two steps to the right; then, -touching him with the heel and raising the hand, you give the signal to -canter, and he will probably lead off with the right foot. If not, stop -him and try again, giving him a sharp cut with your whip just behind -the right shoulder. To lead with the left the process is reversed, the -croup being moved two steps to the left before the signal to canter is -given, a sudden dig with the heel behind the shoulder conveying to -the horse the hint to hurry forward his left leg. You can now begin -to canter on the circles you have marked out; you will, however, -at first come down to a walk before changing from one circle to an -adjoining one--which change, of course, reverses the curve, and makes -it necessary to change the leading foot. - -This figure eight riding, thus, [infinity sign], is most useful both -for horse and rider when it is carefully done. Keep the horse "light in -hand," and above all, _collected_--_viz._, with his haunches well under -him, and always with his feet exactly in the circle and his neck and -body bent to the curve. As soon as he will lead off correctly from a -walk, begin to teach him to do so from the trot; and when this lesson -has been learned, practise him on the double circles, or figure 8's, -beginning at a trot, and lifting him into a canter just as you pass from -one circle to the other. This will accustom him to the idea of a change -of movement at the time of a change in direction. Having got him to -canter, continue on the same circle many times around and around, then -bring him to a trot, and pass to the adjoining circle, lifting him to a -canter just as you turn into it, as before, but of course leading with -the opposite foot. Make your circles smaller and smaller, and continue -till he has had time to appreciate the importance of leading correctly; -then try to make him change at a canter, choosing for the purpose one -of your smallest figure 8's, and indicating to him the change of foot -on the same spot and in the same way as when you began by trotting, and -you will no doubt be immediately successful. - -If the horse in changing the lead of the fore-feet does not make the -corresponding change with the hind-feet, he is said to be _disunited_. -This fault must be corrected immediately, as it renders his gait not -only uncomfortable to the rider, but very insecure. - - - - -PART II. - -ETIQUETTE IN THE SADDLE. - - -There is a large class of excellent people who feel a decided -impatience at the very name of etiquette. "It is all nonsense," they -say, and they will give you various infallible receipts for getting -on without such an objectionable article. One admonishes you to be -"natural," and your manners will leave nothing to be desired. Another -sagaciously defines politeness to be "kindness kindly expressed," and -intimates that if your heart is right your deportment cannot fail to -be so too. All these philosophizings, however, give little comfort to -the bashful young person just venturing into society, for unfortunately -few of us are so happily constituted as always to think, much less -to say and do, exactly the right thing at the right time, and the -most unobservant presently discovers, very likely at the cost of no -small mortification, that the usages of society, even when apparently -arbitrary, cannot be disregarded with impunity. In the etiquette of -the saddle, however, common-sense takes so decidedly precedence of -the arbitrary and conventional that no courageous, kind-hearted, -and sensible young girl, however inexperienced, need be afraid of -committing any fatal solecism. The reason of this is that the element -of danger is never entirely absent, and that the importance of assuring -the safety and comfort of yourself and companions, to say nothing of -lookers-on and passers-by, or of the noble and valuable animal you -ride, far transcends that of observing any mere forms and ceremonies. - - -DRESS. - -Fashion at present, both in this country and in England, requires -that the whole riding costume be as simple as possible, and entirely -without ornament. Formerly much more latitude was allowed, and very -pretty effects were produced with braid trimming across the breast, -a little color at the neck, and a slouched hat with long feather or -floating veil--witness the picture of the Empress Eugénie when Countess -Montijo, and many a charming family portrait besides--but now fashion -pronounces all that sort of thing "bad form," and a word to the wise -is sufficient. The habit itself must be quite dark, or even black, -perfectly plain in the waist, with black buttons up to the neck, and -with a scant, short skirt only just long enough to cover the feet. The -cuffs and collar must be of plain linen, no color or flutter of ribbon -being anywhere permissible. The handkerchief must not be thrust in -the breast, but kept in the saddle pocket, and if a veil is worn, it -must be short and black. The hair should be so securely put up that -it will not shake down, and that the hair-pins will not work out. In -the matter of the hat more freedom of choice is allowed, and in the -country almost anything may be worn, but wherever there is any pretence -of dressing, the only correct thing is the regulation silk "cylinder," -which, by-the-bye, usually looks better rather low in the crown, and -which is every way a pleasanter and more serviceable hat than ladies -who have never worn one are apt to imagine. About the cutting of a -riding-habit, it may be remarked, there is nothing mysterious, although -one might think so from the way it is often talked about, especially -in the advertisements of fashionable tailors, and there is no reason -in the world why any clever young girl should not make one for herself -if she chooses. The only eccentricity about it, from the dress-making -point of view, is the shaping out of a place for the right knee, so -that the skirt may hang straight and not ruck up, and this can easily -be managed at home by improvising a horse with a couple of chairs and -a rolled-up rug, putting the saddle on it, and trying the effect in -place. Be careful to leave plenty of room across the breast. A couple -of straps should be sewn inside in the proper place, so that the toe -or heel of each foot may be inserted to prevent the skirt from rising -and exposing the feet; and these straps should not be strong, but, on -the contrary, like all other parts of the skirt, and particularly -the facing, should be made so as certainly to tear loose instantly -in case of getting caught in a fall. Before leaving the habit, we -may remark that the wearer should practise gathering it up, holding -it in one hand, and walking in it at home, and if possible before a -mirror. No petticoats ought to be worn, but merino drawers, and easy -trousers of the same stuff as the rest of the habit. Beware of badly -made seams, which have a vexatious way, as many a masculine wearer can -testify, of pinching out a bit of skin at some inopportune moment. The -trousers should be cut away a little over the instep, and fastened down -under the sole with straps, which may be either sewed on or attached -by buttons inside the band, in which case india-rubber is the best -material, being easy alike on buttons, stuff, and fingers. Corsets -should be worn as usual, but never laced tight, and it would be better -that they should not have steel clasps or steel springs, which might -be dangerous in case of a fall. The boots should be easy, broad-soled, -low-heeled, and rather laced than buttoned, as less likely on the one -hand to catch in the stirrup, and on the other to bruise the foot by -chafing against the saddle. The gloves should be strong, but supple -and easy, as it is important that every finger should have free and -independent movement. Tight gloves not only benumb the hands in cold -weather, but always cause an awkward handling of the reins, and may be -positively dangerous with a fresh horse. As to the relative merits of -crop and whip, there is room for difference of opinion. By many persons -the former is looked upon as a senseless affectation of English ways, -but the fact is that with a horse regularly trained to the saddle it -is more useful than a whip, as by its aid a lady can "collect" her -horse--that is, can make him bring his hind-legs under him, in the same -way that a man does by the pressure of his calves. If, however, the -horse has never been trained, and is sluggish or wilful, a whip may be -more useful. Whichever of the two produces the better results will have -the more "workmanlike" look and be in the "better form." - - -THE MOUNT. - -It is undoubtedly much pleasanter and more exhilarating to ride a -good and handsome horse than a poor and ugly one, a horse adapted -to one's size and weight than one too large or too small, too heavy -or too light; but none of these points are matters of etiquette. On -this whole subject etiquette makes only one demand, but that one is -inexorable--it is _perfect neatness_. A lady's mount must be immaculate -from ear to hoof, in coat and mane and entire equipment. It is in a -great degree their exquisite neatness that gives such an air of style -not only to English horsewomen, but to English turn-outs of all kinds, -which, nevertheless, have not usually the "spick and span new" look of -fashionable American equipages. On coming out, therefore, prepared -for a ride, take time to look your horse over swiftly, but keenly, -noting first that his eye and general appearance indicate good health -and spirits; secondly, that he has been thoroughly groomed, his mane -freed from dandruff, his hoofs washed, but not blacked; thirdly, that -the saddle and bridle are perfectly clean and properly put on. Every -buckle should have been undone and cleansed, the leather suppled, -and the bright metal polished; the girths, three in number--never -fewer than two--should be snug, but not tight enough to impede free -breathing; the bits in their proper place, that is to say, the snaffle -just high enough up not to wrinkle the corners of the mouth, and the -curb considerably lower, with its chain, which should pass below the -snaffle, lying flat and smooth against the skin in the chin groove; -finally, the throat-latch loose. While it is not always wise to -reprimand carelessness on the part of your groom on the spot, it is -well never to let it pass unnoticed, while, on the other hand, it is -a good plan always to show appreciation of especial attention to your -wishes by a kind word or a smile. - - -MOUNTING. - -It is rather a trying ordeal for an inexperienced rider to mount a -tall horse from the ground, even when there are no lookers-on, and -many a one remains in bondage to chairs and horse-blocks all her life -long rather than undertake it. The feat, however, is really so much -easier than it looks, and when well performed makes the rider appear -so agile and graceful, giving such an air of style and _savoir-faire_ -to the departure, that it is well worth every lady's while to acquire -it. The first requisite is that the horse should stand still, and for -this purpose the attendant should have given him some preliminary -exercise, as the fresh air and bright light are so exhilarating to a -high-strung horse that he cannot at first restrain his impulse to caper -about. This preparatory airing should be entered upon invariably as -calmly as possible, and begun at a walk, for a flurry at starting, and -especially the use of the whip, will often disturb a horse's nerves -for hours, making him unpleasant if not dangerous to ride. When the -horse is brought to the door, let the groom stand directly in front of -him, holding the bridle not by the rein, but with both hands by each -cheek, just above the bit. If he is a proud and sensitive animal, do -not rush up to him excitedly with a slamming of doors and gates, nor -allow any one else to do so, but approach with gentle steadiness. Stand -a moment and look him over, give your orders quietly, and pat his neck -for a moment, speaking pleasantly to him the while, so that he may get -accustomed to your voice. - -[Illustration: READY TO MOUNT.] - -Now standing with your right side a few inches from the saddle, facing -the same way as the horse, and with your left shoulder slightly thrown -back, place the right hand on the second pommel, holding in it the -whip, and the reins drawn just tight enough to give a feeling of the -bit. Your attendant will stand facing you, and as close as convenient, -and will now stoop forward, with his hands clasped and with his right -forearm firmly supported on his right thigh. Now with your left hand -lift your riding-skirt in front, and place your left foot in his hands. -Let go the skirt, rest your left hand on his shoulder, and giving him -the cue by bending the right knee, spring up erect on the left foot, -and, seating yourself sideways on the saddle, place the right knee over -the horn. - -[Illustration: "ONE, TWO, THREE."] - -If your attendant is unused to rendering such service, you had better -make your first essays in some secluded place, in which you can -instruct him where to stand, just how high to lift your foot, and -caution him to put forth strength enough to support you steadily, -without lifting too violently. Do not be deterred by awkwardness on -his part or on your own from learning to mount from the ground, for -the more awkward, the better practice for you. Your attendant will now -lift your skirt above the knee, so that it will hang properly without -dragging, and then disengaging the stirrup from beneath the skirt, will -place your left foot in it. - -[Illustration: PLACING THE FOOT IN THE STIRRUP.] - -Too much care cannot be taken with the position in the saddle, which -should be exactly as shown in the following cut. The left leg should -invariably hang perpendicularly from the knee, with the heel depressed, -and with the foot parallel with the horse's side. The length of the -stirrup-strap should be such that the knee thus is out of contact with -the hunting-horn, but near enough to be brought firmly up against -it by raising the heel. The right knee should rest easily but snugly -over the pommel, so as to grasp it in case the horse springs. Neither -foot should be allowed to sway about nor to project so as to be seen -awkwardly poking out the skirt. If your clothing does not feel quite -comfortable, rise in your stirrup and shake it down, resting your hand, -if necessary, on your attendant's shoulder, for it will be very awkward -should it become disarranged on the road. Now put your handkerchief in -the saddle pocket, take the reins in the left hand, or in both hands, -as you prefer, and start the horse by a touch with the heel. - -[Illustration: POSITION IN SADDLE.] - -It is, of course, the correct thing to mount from the ground, if -possible, but here again common-sense comes so decidedly to the front -that it is not too much to say that the sole indispensable requirement -of an enlightened etiquette is _good-nature_. Certain it is that the -eye masculine will follow with pleasure, and perhaps with some emotion, -the movements of the young girl who comes out bright and fresh, gives -her horse a pat or two, with a lump of sugar, as she glances him -quickly over, looks kindly at her stable-boy, and then skips gayly -into the saddle from a chair brought out by a maid, while the same -eye will rest quite unmoved, except by a spirit of criticism, on the -self-conscious and selfish damsel, though she be put on in the most -approved manner by the smartest groom who ever wore top-boots. Mount, -then, from the ground, if you have some one to put you on and some -one to hold your horse; or, if the horse will stand without holding, -cautioning your escort--if you are not sure of his expertness in such -services--to be sure to raise your foot straight up, and to give you -warning by counting one, two, so that you may be certain to have the -leg straightened before he begins to lift, as otherwise the result may -be the reverse of graceful. When in the saddle, rise in your stirrup, -as already suggested, and smooth down your dress, meantime thanking -your escort and telling him how well he did it. This smoothing down -of the skirt it is a good plan to practise frequently, first standing, -then at a walk, then at a trot, till you can do it deftly, almost -without thought, for there is no telling at what inopportune moment it -may become necessary. - -To mount from the ground without assistance is a feat which few ladies -would voluntarily undertake. It may be accomplished in an emergency, -however, if the horse is quiet and not too tall, by lowering the -stirrup sufficiently to reach it with the left foot, and springing up -with the aid of the hands, the left of which should grasp the mane and -the right the cantle of the saddle. - - -THE START. - -Do not put your horse in motion by a cut with the whip, which would -be trying to his nerves, nor by chirping or clucking, which would be -equally trying to the nerves of your companions, but by a touch with -the heel, or a pressure between your heel on the left side and your -crop on the right. If other ladies are to be mounted, move on so far -that they will be in no danger, either real or imaginary, from your -horse's heels, and never at any time put him in such a position that -he can kick any one, or that you can get kicked yourself by any other -horse. If you have to turn about on starting, try to do so by making -your horse step around with his hind-legs (in the technical phrase, -_pirouette renversée_), so as to avoid turning your back and presenting -his haunches towards any one with whom you may be talking or from whom -you are to take leave. To be able to do this easily and gracefully you -must have him well "collected" and "light in hand." - - -ON WHICH SIDE TO RIDE. - -The next question that arises is on which side of her escort a lady -should ride. This point, so much discussed and disputed in this -country, is scarcely raised in England, where the universal habit of -turning to the left makes it, under almost all circumstances, safer -for her to be on his left, in which position he finds himself always -interposed between his charge and any passing vehicle, whether it -come from before or from behind. In this country, however, we have -adopted--nobody knows why, unless it is because the French do so--the -rule of keeping to the right, and yet without changing our manner -of riding and driving, so that the result is often awkward and even -dangerous. The teamster who used to walk on the left of his horses, -so as to lead them out of the way when occasion required, still -walks on the left, which now puts him in the middle of the road; the -coachman still sits on the right, though the probability of contact has -changed over to the other side; the lady's seat is still on the left -side of the horse, which obliges her to choose between the danger of -being caught by passing wheels or crushed by the horse of her escort. -As there is no reason in the world, whether in the conformation -of the female form or of the horse itself, or in the exigencies of -equestrianism, that makes it inherently more proper to sit on one side -of the horse rather than on the other, it seems strange that none of -our independent American ladies should have undertaken to set the -fashion of sitting on the right side. The Princess of Wales always does -so, for some special reason. The Empress of Austria, who is well known -as one of the boldest and most graceful riders as well as one of the -most beautiful women in Europe, is said to have saddles made in both -ways, using them alternately, and this plan is adopted by more than one -of the noble ladies of England who hunt regularly in the season, with -a view of preventing too constant a strain on the same set of nerves, -and possibly causing an unequal development of the two sides of the -person. However, accepting the present feminine seat as a thing not to -be changed, the advantages in this country of riding on the one hand -of the escort or on the other are so equally divided that the balance -may incline to either side, and a lady is always free to do about -it as she pleases without exciting remark. When riding on the right -side, the lady is protected from passing vehicles, and the gentleman -has his right hand free to assist her in any way, even to taking her -off her horse in case of necessity; but if either horse were to shy -towards the other, she might get bruised, and she is always liable to -an occasional contact with her companion's person, which may not be -pleasant. Children should certainly be kept on the right, and so should -any inexperienced or very timid person; and at all times a gentleman -should interpose himself between the lady under his charge and danger -of any kind--as, for instance, reckless drivers, rude strollers, or a -drove of cattle. When riding on the left, the lady is undoubtedly in a -more exposed position, especially if her horse is disposed to dance or -shy at rattling wagons and the like; but her escort, being able to ride -closer to her, is enabled more quickly and safely to take the animal by -the head, if necessary, and under all circumstances he should hold his -reins and whip in his right hand, and in case of danger keep his horse -well "collected," so as to be ready to act promptly and without any -show of excitement. - - -THE SEAT. - -_Position._--The lady's position on horseback is so conspicuous that -the fact ought to stimulate the most indifferent so to place and carry -herself as to show her figure to the best advantage, and this graceful -carriage of the person will be found to be the first step towards -achieving a firm and easy seat. The posture should be erect, the back -slightly hollowed, the breast thrown forward, the chin drawn in so -that the neck will be nearly vertical. The lower limbs should rest -easily but firmly in their respective places, the left leg hanging -perpendicularly from the knee downward, with heel slightly depressed, -and foot parallel with the horse's side, the right toe raised a little -above the horizontal, but not carried far enough forward to poke up -the riding habit. The seat should be in the middle of the saddle, not -on the right side of it with the body inclined to the left, which is -excessively awkward, nor on the left side with an inclination to the -right, which is equally awkward, and with the additional disadvantage -of being sure to cause saddle galls. When the body is consciously -_balanced_ on the horse's back, when the shoulders are equidistant from -his ears, and when the eyes, looking between said ears (an excellent -habit), look straight along the road, and not off obliquely to one side -of it, then the seat, whatever else it may not be, is at least in the -middle of the saddle. - -[Illustration: A SQUARE AND PROPER SEAT.] - -_The Hand._--As to the manner of carrying the arms, Colonel Hayes -remarks that he has seen of late (in England) some ladies sticking out -their elbows, but that he, for his part, decidedly approves of the -old rule which forbade that daylight should be seen between a lady's -arms and body. The sight which annoyed Colonel Hayes is not unknown -in America, but probably most observers correctly attribute it either -to ignorance or affectation. Certainly there is no reason for it, -whether practical or æsthetic, as the raising of the elbows lifts the -hands into a position in which the reins act less correctly on the -horse's mouth, while substituting angles for curves in the outline of -the figure, and quite destroying the air of well-bred repose which -is one of the great charms of a finished horsewoman. The arms should -hang naturally by the sides, with the hands, a few inches apart, just -above the knee, and as low as possible without resting on it, the nails -turned down, the knuckles at an angle of forty-five degrees with the -horizon, the wrists bent inward so as to permit of a little play of the -wrist joint at each tug of the horse on the reins. - -_The Poise._--All this is not very difficult so long as the horse keeps -quiet, or even when he merely walks; but how is this much-admired -statuesque repose to be preserved at the trot, the canter, the gallop, -to say nothing of incidental shying and capering? There is only one -answer to this question, and that is--_practice_. But even practice -is usually not sufficient without an accompaniment, infrequent and -not always pleasant, _viz._, frank and unflattering criticism; and -every one who really wishes to excel, and to merit the praises which -as woman she is certain to receive, will see to it that this wholesome -corrective is often at hand. Practice itself, to be profitable, must -be intelligent, and the cause of any discomfort from the motion of the -horse should be sought out and removed. It will be found almost always -to result from involuntary muscular contractions, especially of the -waist, which should invariably be kept supple, as it is to a slight -play of loin and thigh that the rider must look to prevent being thrown -up by each spring of the hind-legs in cantering or galloping. - -In rising to the trot, bear outwardly with the left heel, which will -keep the knee close against the saddle, and prevent the leg from -swaying about. At the same time be careful not to rise towards the -left--an awkward but very common habit, which can be detected by the -plan already suggested of sighting between the horse's ears. Mr. Sidney -says, "The ideal of a fine horsewoman is to be erect without being -rigid, square to the front, and until quite at home in the saddle, -looking religiously between her horse's ears. The shoulders must -therefore be square, but thrown back a little, so as to expand the -chest and make a hollow waist, such as is observed in waltzing, but -always flexible. On the flexibility of the person above the waist, -and on the firmness below, all the grace of equestrianism, all the -safety, depend. Nervousness makes both men and women poke their heads -forward--a stupid trick in a man, unpardonable in a woman. A lady -should bend like a willow in a storm, always returning to an easy and -nearly upright position. Nothing but practice--frequent, but not too -long continued--can establish the all-important balance. Practice, -and practice only, enables the rider instinctively to bear to the -proper side, or lean back, as a horse turns, bounds, or leaps." It is -evidently not simply pounding along the high-road in a straight line -on a steady nag which is here meant. The following advice, given by a -lady who is herself an accomplished horsewoman, will furnish a clew to -the sort of exercise which will be really profitable. She says, "Let -the pupil practise riding in circles to the right, sitting upright, -but bending a little to the horse's motion, following his nose with -her eye; beginning with a walk, proceed to a slow trot, increasing the -action as she gains firmness in the saddle. When in a smart trot on a -circle to the right she can, leaning as she should to the right, see -the feet of the horse on the right side, it may be assumed that she has -arrived at a firm seat." Another excellent exercise is to lean over, -now to one side, now to the other, now in front, far enough to observe -the horse's action, the motion of his feet, and the regularity of his -step. - - -ON THE ROAD. - -If good-nature is the quality most essential to _mounting_ in a -pleasing manner, that which will cause a lady to shine most _on the -road_ is kindness. Such a statement will perhaps bring a smile to -the lips of some dashing girl who thinks that she has other means of -pleasing, once mounted on a spirited horse, than the practice of any -of the Christian virtues; but the writer, after many years' experience -with _amazones_ both young and old, believes it to be literally true. -A lady who, without weakness, is gentle and thoughtful, will have, -other things being equal, more sympathetic obedience from her horse, -a finer hand, a more supple seat, and will bring him back fresher and -her whole party home in better spirits than one who is not. To begin -with, there is almost always one of the horses which is not equal to -the others, but keeps up with difficulty, and as it is precisely that -horse which should set the pace for the rest, it is well to observe -the capacity of the different animals, and spare the feelings of any -one of the party who may be poorly mounted. One might hardly suppose -it necessary to mention so elementary a rule of politeness as that -which bids us, when we ride in company, not to keep always in the best -part of the road; but horses are sometimes selfish as well as human -beings, and the selfish horse, like the selfish man, unless he is -prevented, will imperceptibly crowd his patient companion into the -ruts, when the rider will get the credit or discredit of the action. -Another too common piece of thoughtlessness is the splashing at full -speed through mud puddles, the result of which is naturally more -apparent to one's neighbors than to one's self. If to an equestrian, -however, being splashed or spattered is annoying, to a pedestrian it -is nothing less than exasperating, and such a one will look after the -person guilty of the rudeness with eyes of anything but admiration. One -cannot be too careful, indeed, when riding near pedestrians, as they -are decidedly susceptible under such circumstances, and likely to take -offence; and especially is caution required where women and children -are concerned, for it is impossible to conjecture what they will do -if suddenly startled by the rapid approach of horses. The writer saw, -one afternoon, a nursery-maid crossing Rotten Row with a baby-carriage -(_Anglice, perambulator_), and two children holding to her skirts. -When half-way over, a lady and three gentlemen came galloping down, -followed by two grooms. The children scattered, the riders could not -pull up, and for an instant it seemed as if the little party were -doomed to destruction, as the horses appeared to pass right over some -of them. The English rule, not only for country riding, but for the -Park or other public places (and an excellent one it is), requires a -gentleman to pull up and pass a lady, if alone, at a walk, whether she -be on foot or on horseback, and though more latitude may be allowed a -lady, yet she should not gallop up suddenly behind another lady who -is alone, as a nervous horse might be so excited as to cause great -uneasiness to a timid rider. If you should unfortunately produce such -a result, by all means pause and express regret, and if your horse is -quiet, offer to ride for a few minutes beside the sufferer--for so she -may be called. In passing on the road, the rule is, when meeting, to -keep to the right, but when overtaking, to pass to the left, and in -like manner, when overtaken, to keep to the right, so as to leave the -road free at your left. The only exception to this rule is in the case -of led-horses, which, as they are often inclined to kick, should be -avoided by passing next to the one ridden. When approaching a lady in a -public place a gentleman should always do so on the off or right side. - -It is sometimes rather a nice point to decide when assistance ought to -be offered by a gentleman to a lady with whom he is not acquainted, -and, if offered, whether it ought to be accepted. The following -incident, recounted by Sir Joseph Arnould in his "Life of Lord -Chief-justice Denman," is interesting as showing how such a question -was discussed in what may certainly be considered as among the very -best society in England. He says that on occasion of a visit which the -Lord Chief-justice paid to Walmer Castle, three years before the Duke -of Wellington's death, in a conversation about riding, the duke said, -"When I meet a lady on horseback I always stop, and if her horse seems -troublesome, offer to ride alongside her in the Row till it is quiet. -The other day I met a lady on a fresh, violent horse, so I took off my -hat and said, 'Shall I ride with you? My horse is perfectly quiet.' -She knew me, for she replied, 'No, your Grace; I think I can get on -very well.' After she was gone, I felt sure it was Jenny Lind." "We all -agreed," adds Lord Denman, "that the great singer should have accepted -the services of the great duke, whether she wanted them or not." - -It is better not to fight a restive horse unless you have reason to be -sure of victory, but rather get some one to lead him past the object -or into the road which he may have taken it into his foolish head to -object to. If he is in "that state of nervous irritability known as -_freshness_" do not jerk the bit, but keep a steady, patient bearing -on it, speaking soothingly to him in a low though steady voice, for -his acute hearing will enable him to perceive distinctly tones which -are almost or quite inaudible to your companions. Try not to have an -anxious expression of countenance, no matter what he may do, but to -look serene and smiling, as it will not only be more becoming, but will -undoubtedly react upon your own feelings. If he pulls, it is well to -take the slack of the right reins in the spare fingers of the left, -and _vice versa_, as this will give a firmer hold, and enable you to -shorten the reins without relaxing their tension. - -[Illustration: METHOD OF HOLDING THE REINS IN BOTH HANDS.] - -Always speak to your horse on approaching and on leaving him, and also -whenever he has tried especially to please you, as your voice will soon -come to have a great influence over him. There is a story told of two -keepers in a zoological garden, one of whom was a favorite with the -animals, while the other, though a more conscientious man, was disliked -by them. The authorities, curious to learn the reason, had them -watched, and it was found that the former always talked to the animals, -while the latter served them silently. Too much conversation with -one's horse, however, is apt to get to be a bore to one's companions. - - -THE PACE. - -This should vary with the nature of the ground, as it is dangerous to -the horse, and consequently very bad form, to ride fast on a very rough -or hard road. If slippery, a smart trot is safer than a slow trot or -walk; but if walking, by all means let the horse have his head. If a -steep place is to be descended, attack it at right angles, and not -obliquely, for, when going down straight, a slip is likely to have no -worse result than a momentary sitting down on the haunches, whereas, -if going diagonally, it would probably bring the horse down flat. The -canter, which is peculiarly the lady's pace, is much harder than the -trot on the horse's feet and legs, especially on the leading foot and -leg, and it should be reserved for comparatively soft ground. The lead -with the right foot is easier for a lady, owing to her one-sided seat, -than that with the left, and it would be considered awkward or ignorant -for her not to start off with the right, although during a long ride it -is well to change, so as to bring the strain upon a new set of muscles. - - -TURNING. - -Of course in turning you must always lead towards the turn, that is, -with the right foot in turning to the right, and with the left in -turning to the left. For instance, if you have to round a corner to -the right, and are leading with the right foot, as will probably be -the case, you have nothing to do but to go on around, being careful to -choose good footing for your horse, and avoiding particularly loose -stones. If, however, you are leading with the left, you must change, -and you can best do so in the following manner. As you approach the -critical spot, _collect_ your horse with the curb, and bring him to -a trot; then, just as you reach the corner, make him swerve slightly -to the left and instantly give the signal to canter, at the same time -turning him sharply to the right, pressing your heel against his side -back of the girth, and lifting the right snaffle-rein. It is well to -draw back the right shoulder also, so as to throw your weight on his -left side, and leave his right leg free to make the long stride. As -this is by no means an easy operation for an unskilled rider, except -on a perfectly trained horse, I will give the directions also in -detail for the reverse process of wheeling to the left. If your horse -should be leading with the left foot, you have, of course, no change -to make. If, however, you are, as usual, leading with the right, -you must "change the leg" to the left. As you draw near the corner, -moderate your speed and collect your horse with the curb, bringing him -to a trot. Then, just at the moment of turning, sway his shoulders a -very little to the right, give the signal to canter by raising your -hand, and wheel sharply to the left, at the same time pressing your -crop against his right side back of the girth, and raising the left -snaffle-rein. While doing so, draw back your left shoulder so as to -throw your weight on the right side. If he does not take the hint at -once, do not be discouraged, but practise him in some quiet place, -choosing, if possible, a corner where the turn is uphill; and when he -does well, pat him and make much of him, for you will find that no -one of your admirers is more sensitive to your praises than he. This -matter of turning is well worth all the trouble it may cost you, as it -will give you a lively pleasure to find your horse's powerful limbs -moving sympathetically to the gentle impulses of a woman's hand, and, -besides, it lends an air of style and _savoir-faire_ which will be -fully appreciated by every looker-on who knows anything whatever about -riding. Be particular to lean over towards the centre of the curve you -are describing at an angle proportionate to the speed, just as the -horse does himself, that is, leaning to the right side as he wheels -to the right, and to the left when he wheels to the left. It is well -not to let him cut off his corners, but to preserve the same distance -from the centre of the road, just as if you were riding in company, -and when this last is the case be careful to keep exactly abreast both -on the straight road and on the turns, for there is nothing that looks -more countrified than to see riders straggling along irregularly like a -party of mechanics out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. - -It is well never to canter a carriage-horse unless you know him well, -and are sure he will not thus be rendered unsteady in harness, and in -like manner you should be considerate of your escort or companions, and -not urge their horses beyond their proper gait. A good way to do, if -you are much the best mounted of the party, is now and then, when the -road is suitable, to gallop on and return again. It looks well to see -a lady cantering beside a gentleman who is trotting; but the reverse -never seems quite good form, and especially when it is evident that the -gentleman's horse is galloping because he has been pushed off his legs. - -A borrowed horse is an article which is looked upon with very different -eyes by the elderly people who generally are the lenders, and the -youthful riders that are usually the borrowers, and many a man, and -perhaps many a woman too, remembers with shame and regret how little -were appreciated or deserved the favors of this sort received in -youthful days. A borrowed horse should be scrupulously ridden exactly -as the owner wishes, and moreover the owner's desires ought to be -respectfully ascertained in advance. - -For cross-country riding the stirrups should be taken up at least one -hole, and the same is advisable in mounting a strange horse. Another -safe precaution, in the latter case, is a running martingale, which -will prevent him from throwing up his head, as some horses have the -habit of doing, to the great annoyance of the rider. - -There are two or three more practical suggestions which may not be out -of place here. The first and most important is that it is exceedingly -dangerous to let a horse stand in a draught of air, or in a cool place, -or eat or drink, when heated. In ten minutes he may be so crippled -that he will never take a free step again. Ferry-boats are notoriously -bad places, and a horse should never be taken on to them till quite -cool. It is not well to let your horse crop the leaves or grass, as -kind-hearted riders permit him to do sometimes, for it soils his lips -and bits, giving him a slovenly air, and you run the risk besides of -his wiping them on your habit before you part from him. Avoid letting -your horse drink unless he really would be better for the refreshment, -as he can hardly do so without wetting the curb-reins, making them -stiff and dirty-looking. - - -THE GROOM. - -The costume of the groom is too well known to require remark further -than that it should be scrupulously neat. In the country, top-boots, -etc., are by no means _de rigueur_, and under many circumstances would -savor more of pretence than of real gentility. The groom ought to be -mounted on a strong and able horse, which, if unused to the saddle, he -should train at least so far that he can with one hand, by the aid of -his legs, force it to take and keep any position. When accompanying -inexperienced riders his horse should be able to overtake theirs -easily. The distance at which he should ride behind his mistress -varies with circumstances--in a crowded street his place being close -behind her, while in the Park or in the country he naturally falls -farther back, though never beyond easy call. If he is mounted on a good -saddle-horse, he should keep in his place, that is, always at the same -distance, galloping if necessary; but if riding a carriage-horse, as -is often convenient, he should not, unless absolutely necessary, force -the animal beyond the fastest trot at which it looks well in harness. -He should never canter any horse unless instructed expressly to do -so, but should trot in a business-like way, rising in his stirrups, -or, if necessary, should gallop, sitting straight, with hands low and -feet thrust home in the stirrups. In all cases he should look straight -forward, without appearing to notice what goes on around him. Nothing -looks in worse form than a groom sitting lazily back on a cantering -horse, and casting glances at the admiring nursery-maids along the way. -When summoned to his mistress, he should touch his hat to acknowledge -receipt of the command, and should ride quickly up on the off side, -where he should listen in a respectful attitude with eyes cast down, -then, touching his hat again, depart to carry out her orders. - - - - -PART III. - -LEAPING. - - -One pleasant winter afternoon a fashionably dressed young man, crop in -hand, spur on heel, and mounted on a tall horse, was seen to emerge -briskly from a little grove in a gentleman's place, and come to a -sudden halt in the level field across which he had intended to gallop. -The cause was a new ditch, deep though narrow, stretching across from -fence to fence before him. He looked at the obstacle a moment, then -up and down the field, and remarked to a gardener, an old Scotchman, -who stood looking on, spade in hand, "Well, I suppose I must go back." -"I suppose so," said the old fellow, dryly, looking up out of the -corner of his eye with an almost imperceptible smile. The young man -reddened, hesitated, and then turned away, saying, as if the other's -thoughts had been spoken out, "To tell the truth, I don't know whether -my horse would if he could, nor whether he could if he would." "An' -the same o' yourself," muttered the old man in his grizzled beard. -The sarcasm was not to be wondered at, as the speaker remembered what -he had many a time seen, and very likely himself done in his younger -days in some hunting field of the old country, for the ditch before -him could have been cleared by an active boy, on his own legs, with -a good run. Moreover, it is not improbable that the reader is ready -to agree with the old satirist in thinking the young man a "muff." -Nevertheless, both horse and rider might easily have come to grief, for -the steep banks were crumbly, and while the rider's seat was not of -the firmest, his mount was straight in the shoulder and a little stiff -in the pastern. However, they were both as well fitted to overcome -such a difficulty as nine-tenths of American horses and riders, and a -very little previous practice would have enabled them to spring over -without bestowing a second thought upon it. The total indifference on -this subject of leaping among our people is really quite remarkable, -for one can hardly take a ride anywhere in the country without there -arising some occasions when even a little knowledge of the art would -have added to one's pleasure. How often, for instance, an easy fence -separates the dusty road, too hard as well as too hot for fast riding, -from some cool wood with its shaded turf, where a gallop would be -delightful and would do the horse good instead of harm. The reason of -this indifference is not only the fear of getting shaken off, but a -doubt as to the horse's ability to leap, and a dread of doing him some -harm by such an unusual exertion. All these apprehensions are very -likely well-founded, for if you have never done any leaping your first -essay will, in all probability, give you a severe shock. Then if your -horse is green at this sort of work, and the fence is at all difficult, -he will not improbably refuse altogether, or jump so unwillingly and -clumsily as to risk your bones as well as his own; and if he does not -really fall, he may cause such a strain upon unaccustomed muscles as to -set up a "splint" or "spavin," producing at least temporary lameness. -Nevertheless, all these excellent reasons for not trying to leap can -gradually, but rapidly and with perfect safety, be removed by practice, -and practice of a kind very pleasant and interesting, while at the -same time improving to your seat, giving it a firmness under all -circumstances which no amount of riding on the highway could ever do. - -[Illustration: APPROACHING A FENCE.] - -Some horses are exceedingly fond of leaping, but the majority are -indifferent, though on the whole rather averse to it, while a few -positively will not try at all. The first thing to be done is to get -your horse to take low and easy leaps without repugnance. For this -purpose lay the bar you intend to use on the ground, and lead him over -it without looking back at him or giving him any reason to suppose -that you have any particular object in so doing. Should he object to -stepping over it, be patient though firm, and when he has finally -done so, pat and praise him; but if he has been bred in this country, -and is used to bar places, he will probably give no trouble at this -stage of his education. Now mount him and repeat the operation; then, -having the bar raised a few inches, do so again, and continue doing -so, always at a walk, until it is so high that he can no longer step -over it. American horses are famous for their excellent tempers; -nevertheless, at this point, unless you manage with care and with a -judicious reference to equine peculiarities of mind and temper, you may -meet with a refusal to proceed. In this event you must not use force -or severity, or you may disgust the horse, perhaps forever, with the -very exercise you wish him to learn to enjoy, but must content yourself -with preventing him from sheering off and keeping him facing his task -till, sooner or later, he will go over. Now praise him and make much -of him, and ask no more jumping till the next lesson. It is not a good -plan to put the bar up in an open place, for the horse will think it -nonsense, and unless he is unusually docile will resent what will seem -to him to be an imposition in forcing him to jump over it when he -could easily go around it. A bar place or gate-way is much better, as -it cannot be "flanked," and he will not wonder at being asked to go -through it, but he should never be ridden backward and forward over -the bar, nor allowed to see it raised, but should be brought around to -it by a circuit which, if possible, should be large enough to make -him forget the leaping, or think of it only as an accidental episode -in the ride. The ground also should be no harder than good firm turf. -Let him jump towards his stable or towards home by preference, and it -will be well to let your assistant hold some little article of food -which he is especially fond of in view just beyond the bar, so that -his attention may be distracted from the effort, while an agreeable -association is given him with it, and he is prevented from thinking -that the obstacle is one of your making. Bear in mind that your object -at present is threefold: to induce him to take a liking for the new -exercise; to give him ease and confidence in the performance of it; and -to train and strengthen by use the muscles brought into play, so that -none of the unpleasant results mentioned above may follow. Therefore do -not for a considerable time set the bar more than two feet high, but -practise him at it several times a day; first, as already said, at a -walk, then at a slow trot, and then at a canter, making him lead first -with one foot, then with the other, until he not only springs over -without touching and without apparently thinking anything about it, -but shows by his lengthening or shortening his stride on approaching, -so as to "take off" at the right distance, that his eye is becoming -educated; and, finally, until a careful daily inspection of his feet -and legs has proved that no soreness or tenderness anywhere is caused -by this exercise. If he does not jump clean, but knocks the bar with -his feet, it may be because he underestimates the height, as not only -horses but men too are apt to do in the case of open fences made with -posts and rails; therefore have a broad piece of board, two feet long, -stood up against the bar like a post, and make him leap over it. If -he still strikes, it will be well to try the plan which M. Baucher -so enthusiastically recommends for all horses, and which consists in -raising the bar a little just as the horse is in the act of springing. - -[Illustration: A WATER JUMP.] - -It will be interesting to hear exactly what so great an authority has -to say on this subject. After remarking that the bar should not be -covered with anything to diminish its hardness, he proceeds: "I let -two men hold the bare bar at six inches above the ground. The rider -advances towards it at a walk, and at the moment when the horse, aided -by the rider, takes the leap, the two men _raise the bar six inches_." -The horse naturally strikes his feet against it. "I make him begin -again, until he clears the bar without touching, notwithstanding the -repeated raising of it at each leap. Then I have the bar held at a -foot above the ground, and, as before, it will be raised six inches -at the moment of the leap. When the horse is accustomed to clear -this new elevation, I have the bar gradually held six inches higher, -still continuing to raise it six inches at each leap, and I thus -succeed, after a few lessons given with the regular progression above -described, in making all horses jump obstacles of a height that they -would otherwise never have been able to clear. This simple proceeding, -well applied, will be useful even to exceptional horses, such as -steeple-chasers, by teaching them to come more carefully to the point -of 'taking off,' and will render falls less frequent." The idea of M. -Baucher is to get the horse in the habit of jumping a little higher -than he thinks necessary, so as to be on the safe side, and a very good -idea it is. It is a practice among experienced riders to hounds in -England, instead of leaping a post-and-rail fence midway between the -posts, to leap as close to a post as possible, or directly over it when -it is not much higher than the rail. - -To return to our equine scholar, having practised him for a month or so -at an elevation of two feet, his muscles will have adapted themselves -to the new strain put upon them, and it will be safe to begin to raise -the bar higher, and gradually to go up nearly to the limit of his -ability. It is well, however, never to ask too much, as even a willing -leaper will be sometimes so disgusted at what he thinks tyrannical -exactions as to refuse obstinately ever to try again. The horse should -never be allowed to rush at the bar, but should always, if approaching -at a gallop, be collected, as much as a hundred feet away, so as to -be under perfect control. The higher the leap, the slower the pace at -which it should be taken, for the very momentum acquired by a rush, -which would be useful in a water leap, would carry the animal against -the bar instead of over it. The reins should be held in both hands, -and after the horse has been collected with the curb, as may very -likely be necessary, the curb should be relaxed, so that on approaching -the leap he may feel only the gentle pressure of the snaffle, which -will not make him fear to thrust forward his head, a fear which would -possibly result in bringing him down on all fours at once, or even with -the hind-feet first. As he rises to his leap, keep a steady but very -gentle tension on the reins, being ready to support him firmly as his -fore-feet touch the earth. - -It is now time to experiment with low stone walls and with brooks, -being always on your guard against those concealed man-traps in the -shape of loose stones, which form one of the chief dangers of leaping -in this country. - -[Illustration: RISING TO THE LEAP.] - -All this while we have been assuming the rider to be an accomplished -horsewoman, and quite _au fait_ at her fences. If, however, the -business is entirely new to her, let her not be at all disheartened, -for her own education can be carried on simultaneously with that of -the horse, and without the least detriment to it. In this case, keep -to the standing leap--that is, the leap taken from a walk--although -it is really the most difficult to sit, until you can support the -unusual motion without being in the least loosened in the saddle, and -do not try the higher ones till you are perfect in the lower. The hands -should be held as low as possible above the right knee, and pretty -close to the body, so that they may have room to yield, and that the -sudden thrusting out of the horse's head may not jerk you forward in -the saddle, in which case the powerful impulsion of the hind-legs -might pitch you out altogether. The advice is often given in books -to lean forward and then backward in the leap, but the fact is that -beginners, if they lean forward intentionally, seldom get back in time -to avoid the shock above alluded to, and teachers, therefore, as well -as friendly _coaches_, often call out "lean back" as a lady nears the -bar, which results in giving the learner an awkward though perhaps not -unsafe manner. The fact is that there is no necessity to try to lean -forward, as the rising of the horse will bring you involuntarily into -a position perpendicular to the ground, while the play of thigh and -waist to prevent being tossed up is of the same kind as that in the -gallop, only proportionately increased, and it will become instinctive -if leaping is begun moderately and carried on progressively as already -recommended. In coming down you can hardly lean too far back. The left -foot should not be thrust forward, but kept straight, or drawn a very -little back and held close against the horse's side; the stirrup, into -which the foot is pushed to the instep, being one or two holes shorter -than for ordinary riding. On approaching the fence, be particular -to do nothing to distract the animal's attention, as, for instance, -by ejaculations or nervous movements of the reins and person; and -after the leap do not fail to reward him by praises and caresses, for -it cannot be too deeply impressed on the mind that he is exceedingly -sensitive to them, and will consider them an ample reward for his -exertion. - -[Illustration: COMING DOWN.] - -The object of these instructions being to enable a lady to master the -art of leaping without a regular instructor, it will not be amiss -to sum up the advice already given at length, in the words of two -competent authorities, "Vieille Moustache" and Mr. Sidney. The former -says: - -"She should take a firm hold of the upper crutch of the saddle with -the right knee, sit well into the saddle--not back of it, because the -farther back the greater the concussion when the horse alights--put her -left foot well home in the stirrup, and press her left thigh firmly -against the third crutch, while keeping the left knee flexible; lean -slightly forward, avoid stiffening her waist, in order to throw the -upper part of her figure backward at the right moment to preserve her -balance. The hands must not move except with the body, and above all -no attempt to enliven the horse by jagging his mouth as he is about to -rise--a pernicious habit, practised by riders of both sexes who ought -to know better. Reins too short, head too forward, and pace too violent -are the ordinary faults of beginners. Women have on their saddles a -firmer seat for leaping than men." - -Mr. Sidney remarks: "A sheep hurdle is quite high enough and the trunk -of a tree is quite wide enough for the first steps in leaping. Balance, -gripe of the pommels, and support of the stirrup must be combined; -the seat as near the centre of the horse's back as the pommels will -permit; the figure erect, not rigid, with the shoulders back, ready -to bend gently backward as the horse rises in the air--not leaning -forward, twisted over on the near side, like a popular spirited and -absurd picture ("First at the Fence"), which really shows 'how not to -do it;' the snaffle-reins held in both hands, at a length that will -enable the horse fully to extend himself, and the rider to bear on his -mouth as she bends back over his croup when he is landing. All this -time her eyes should be looking between the horse's ears, so as to keep -perfectly square in the saddle." - -If the reader carries out the instruction already given with care, and -exercises good sense and judgment, it is very unlikely that she will -have a fall. Should this happen, however, there are two things to be -remembered, first to get instantly away from the horse by scrambling -or rolling, and secondly to keep hold of the reins. In any event, the -timid may be reassured by reflecting that a fall is usually without any -serious result, it being by no means as dangerous to come down with the -horse as to be thrown from him. - - - - -PART IV. - -BUYING A SADDLE-HORSE. - - -The opening of the horse-market is not announced to ladies by cards -of invitation, though such an innovation on the old-fashioned -methods might prove a great success in the hands of a skilful -dealer. Nevertheless, as soon as spring opens, all over the United -States, ladies are "shopping" for horses, but by no means in their -usual jaunty and self-confident way, for their eyes, which do them -such good service at the silk or lace counter, take on a timid and -hesitating expression in the presence of this unwonted problem. The -acquisition of a saddle-horse by a young girl is usually a long -and complicated operation, in the course of which her hopes are -alternately raised and depressed day by day, to be at last very likely -disappointed altogether. It often begins at breakfast-time, somewhat -in the following fashion: "Dear papa, don't you think I might have a -saddle-horse this season? Eleanor B----'s uncle has given her a beauty, -and we could ride together; and you know that is just the sort of -exercise the doctor said would be good for me." The father hesitates, -and few fathers there are who do not in their hearts long to grant the -request; but he is a very busy man, and does not feel as if he could -take any more cares upon his shoulders; and very likely he knows little -about horses, and really has not the slightest idea how to set about -such a purchase; and his mind misgives him as he remembers what he has -heard of the tricks of dealers. So he says, "Oh, my dear, I don't see -how we can manage it. We should be cheated, to begin with, and pay -twice as much as he is worth, and he would run away and throw you off; -and then he would be always sick, and finally fall lame, and would have -to be given away before the season is over." This is the critical point -of this part of the little family transaction, and if the daughter has -nothing more convincing to offer in reply than some vague statement -that she is sure she sees plenty of good horses in the street, and that -she does not see why her horse should be sick any more than any one -else's, and that there must be plenty of good men to take care of him -to be had at low wages, then probably her case is lost. But suppose -that she replies: "Oh yes, papa, I _know_ a horse that will do _nicely_ -and can't be sickly for he has worked all summer and not lost _a day_ -and he is eight years old and so has eaten all his wild oats by this -time and he isn't a very pretty color but then we can buy him cheaper -for that reason and I don't care so much for color as I do for _shape_ -and he is _very_ well formed indeed his legs and feet are excellent and -he has a broad shoulder and a pretty neck and head and we gave him -a long drive the other day and he never missed _a step_ and he isn't -afraid of anything and I drove him fast up a steep hill and jumped out -at the top to give him a bunch of clover and took the opportunity to -listen to his breathing and to feel his pulse and there is nothing the -matter with _his_ heart or wind I assure you and I will promise to go -to the stable once a day to see him." Then the chances are that, after -laughing at the long sentence without a stop, and telling her she is a -runaway filly herself, papa will say, "Well, suppose we take a look at -this wonderful animal; we are not obliged to buy him, you know, unless -we please, and I don't say what I may decide finally," and her case is -won. To be able, however, to make the reply above supposed, simple as -it sounds, indicates a very unusual amount of observation for a young -girl. - -There are many ladies who can at a glance tell real point lace from -artificial, be the imitation never so good; but there are comparatively -few who know the points of a horse, or can detect any but the most -glaring defects or blemishes. The reason is simply want of practice, -for the difference between the well-made and the ill-made horse, or -between the sound animal and the spavined or foundered one, is far -greater than that between the two pieces of lace above mentioned, which -to most masculine eyes would appear exactly alike. With her superior -delicacy of observation and quickness of perception, a woman ought to -be, other things supposed equal, a better judge of horses than a man, -and there must surely be a great many who, if they really believed -this, would think it worth their while to master the small vocabulary -of technical terms in which the information they require is always -couched, and such would speedily find their reward in the opening -of a new and interesting field of research. To begin with, how few -ladies so much as know the names of the different parts of the animal! -Head, legs, and body, eyes, ears, and tail, are about all the words -in the feminine dictionary of horse lore, and whether the pasterns -are not a disease of colts, the coronet a part of a bridle, and the -frog a swelling in the throat, my lady knoweth not. A half-hour, -however, given to the illustration on the following page, will remove -once for all this preliminary difficulty, and will open the way to a -consideration of the proper form and motion of the parts of which the -names are here given: - - -PARTS AND "POINTS" OF THE HORSE, ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED. - -_Arm, or True Arm_ (8, 8).--Extends from the point of the shoulder (29) -to the elbow (10). It should be long. - -_Back._--This is one of the four parts which, according to Arab saying, -should be short. - -_Back Sinew._--The powerful muscle back of the cannon-bone. It should -be free from contact with the bone. - -_Barrel, or Chest._--Should be roomy, as not only the lungs, but all -the organs of digestion, are contained in it. - -_Belly._--This is one of the four parts which the Arab proverb says -must be long. - -_Breast, or Bosom._--Should be deep, but not too broad, or speed will -be diminished. - -_Cannon-bone_ (11).--The strong oval bone stretching between the -knee and fetlock-joint in the fore-leg, and between the hock and -fetlock-joint in the hind-leg. - -_Chin Groove._--The place just above the swell of the lower lip, in -which the curb-chain should lie. - -_Coronet_ (14).--A cartilaginous band encircling the top of the hoof. - -_Crest._--The upper part of the back of the neck. - -_Croup_ (18).--Strictly speaking, the upper part of hind-quarters -between hip and tail, but in a general way taken for that part of the -body back of the saddle. - -_Curb-place_ (29).--A part of the hind-leg, six or eight inches below -the point of the hock, where "curbs," or enlargement of the back sinew -resulting from strain, are to be looked for. - -_Ear._--Neither too long nor very short. - -_Elbow_ (10).--Should not be nearly under the point of the shoulder, -but considerably back of it, and should neither be turned out nor -pressed against the ribs. - -_Eye._--Should be clear and full, and of a gentle expression. - -_Fetlock._--The tuft of hair at the back of the pastern-joint. When -thick and coarse it indicates common blood. - -_Fetlock-joint_ (12).--Is between the shank and the pastern, and is the -same as pastern-joint. - -_Flank_ (22). - -_Forearm_ (9).--Should be long and muscular. - -_Forehead._--The broader, the more sense and courage. The average of -six thorough-bred English horses was nine and a half inches. - -_Frog._--The triangular piece in centre of bottom of hoof. - -_Gaskin, or Lower Thigh_ (23).--Should be strong and long, reaching -well down. Measured from the stifle-joint to the point of hock should -be twenty-eight inches in a well-bred horse of fifteen hands and -three-quarters. - -_Girth_ (30, 30).--Gives approximately the capacity of the lungs. - -_Heel._--Should not to be too high or contracted, that is, drawn -together. - -_Hip._--Should be broad, with powerful muscles. - -_Hip-joint_ (20).--Is not always easily discovered by an amateur. - -_Hock_ (25).--One of the most important of the points of the horse; -should be large, clean--that is, without any rough protuberances on the -bone--flat, and "with a good clean point standing clear of the rest of -the joint." - -_Hoof._--Deep, like a cup; not flat, like a saucer. - -_Jaw._--Should be wide up toward the socket, to give room for windpipe, -and permit of a graceful carriage of head. - -_Knee._--Can hardly be too large. Looked at from in front, should -appear much wider than the leg, and should stretch out backward into a -sharp edge, called the pisiform-bone. - -_Loins_ (17).--Broad, muscular, and arched slightly upward. - -_Lower Thigh._--See "Gaskin" (23). - -_Mane._--When thick and coarse, indicates inferior blood. - -_Muzzle_ (4).--Should be small, but with large nostril. A coarse muzzle -indicates low breeding. - -_Nostril._--Open and prominent. - -_Pastern_ (13).--The short oblique bone between the fetlock and hoof. -Should not be straighter than sixty, nor lower than forty-five degrees -to the ground. - -_Pastern-joint_ (12).--Same as fetlock-joint. - -_Pisiform-bone_ (16).--At the back of the knee. - -_Point of the Hock_ (26). - -_Point of the Shoulder_ (29).--The lower end of the shoulder-blade, to -which is jointed the true arm. - -_Poll._--The top of the head. - -_Quarters_ (21).--Should be muscular. - -_Ribs._--Should be well arched, and come up close to the hip. - -_Shoulder_ (7, 7).--Should be long and oblique. - -_Spavin Place_ (27).--Should be free from bony enlargement. - -_Stifle-joint_ (24).--Corresponds to the human knee. - -_Tail._--Not set on too high, but yet carried gracefully. - -_Thigh, or True Thigh._--Reaches from hip-joint to stifle. Should be -long to give speed. - -_Thrapple, or Throttle_ (5).--Upper part of throat. - -_True Arm_ (8, 8).--See "Arm." To a careless observer it appears to -form part of the shoulder. - -_Withers_ (6).--It is the height of the withers which gives the height -of the horse. - -[Illustration: PARTS AND "POINTS."] - -To be a "good judge of a horse" is indeed an accomplishment as rare as -it is desirable; but while it cannot be taught by word of mouth or pen, -yet a few principles may be acquired which will be of great assistance -in cultivating the eye. Even if the judgment be never so thoroughly -formed as to be a safe guide unaided in purchasing, yet a great deal -of pleasure may be derived from noting the comparative excellences -of the really fine horses constantly to be seen in this country; and -there is no reason in the world why a lady's opinion on this subject -should continue to weigh as little as it has generally done hitherto. A -graceful neck and an air of spirit usually win the feminine suffrages, -yet often co-exist with a long back, spindle-shanks, and a chest both -shallow and narrow. Nevertheless, a good neck is an excellent thing, -and so is a small head, especially if it have a wide forehead; but next -look to see if there is also (to use a horsey expression), "a short -back and a long belly," a deep chest, a sloping shoulder, and legs -broad and long above the knee and hock, but broad and short below. - -The Arabs have a proverb that "there should be four points of a -horse long, four short, and four broad." The long are the neck, the -forearm, the thigh, and the belly; the short are the back, the pastern, -the tail, and the ear; the broad are the forehead, the chest, the -croup, and the limbs. The head should be small and bony; that of an -English thorough-bred of fifteen and three-quarter hands will measure -twenty-two to twenty-four inches in length, with the forehead eight to -ten inches broad, the face dishing below the eyes. The withers should -be high, the shoulder as broad as possible--not fleshy, but bony--and -lying at an angle of about forty-five degrees. The chest should be -broad and deep, to give room for lungs and heart. The knees should be -broad, the hoofs large, and not flat, but deep. - -The reasons for some of the above recommendations may be made clearer -by a rough comparison between the frame of the horse and that of -man. For instance, the shoulder of the former, from the withers to -its forward point at the joint, is equivalent to the shoulder-blade -and collar-bone of the latter, and a broad shoulder is as sure an -indication of strength in the one as in the other. If the horse is -"short above and long below," it gives him a carriage similar to that -of a man with a full, broad chest, who holds his head high and his -shoulders back. - -The knee of the horse corresponds to the human wrist, and his _hock_, -or "back knee," as the children call it, to our heel. The shank of the -fore-leg, then, or the part between the knee and fetlock, corresponds -to the hand, and the hoof and pastern to the fingers; while the shank -of the hind-leg, or the part between hock and fetlock, corresponds -to our foot, the hoof and pastern being the toes. The horse may thus -be said to walk upon the tips of his fingers and toes, and it will -readily be seen why the leg weakens in proportion as the pastern and -shank lengthen. The arm proper of the horse is very short and almost -concealed from view, reaching from the forward point of the shoulder to -the elbow, which is close against the side. - -The more oblique the shoulder, the greater the power of this arm to -throw the forearm forward, so as to support the body in the gallop, -and in coming down from a leap. A straight shoulder is adapted for -pulling loads, but is not fit for the saddle, except upon level roads, -becoming positively dangerous in broken ground. The two upper members -of the hind-leg, reaching from the hip to the hock, are together -commonly called the thigh, as the thigh proper, which stretches from -the hip to the stifle-joint, is very short and almost concealed -from observation. The stifle-joint, which corresponds to our knee, -lies close against the flank. Read the description, to some extent -traditional, of the wonderful mare Swallow, in Kingsley's "Hereward -the Wake." She was evidently not from Arab stock, with her big ugly -head; but horses--like men and women--of extraordinary strength, and -beauty too, are sometimes happened upon in the most unlikely places. -Indeed, in many an ungraceful form there is stored up an amount of -vital energy which explains the saying that one can find "good horses -of all shapes." Nevertheless, the presumption is always in favor of the -well-shaped animal, and the acknowledged type of equine beauty is the -English thorough-bred. This is of pure Arab blood, but so improved by -many generations of careful breeding and training that it now excels -not only all other European and Oriental races but the modern Arab -himself, that is considered to be, weight for weight, twenty-five per -cent. stronger than other breeds. One invariable mark of Arab blood, -by-the-bye, is a high and graceful carriage of the tail. The eye should -be kind and quiet, that of an Arab very gentle, even sleepy, when at -rest, but full of fire and animation when in motion. - -"The relative proportions of and exact shape desirable in each of the -points described varies considerably in the several breeds. Thus, when -speed and activity are essential, an oblique shoulder-blade is a _sine -quâ non_, while for heavy harness it can hardly be too upright. _There -are some elements, however, which are wanted in any horse, such as big -hocks and knees, flat legs with large sinews, open jaws_ (that is, with -the lower jaw-bones wide apart), _and full nostrils_." - -It is well, after taking a general look at a horse and getting an -impression of him as a whole, to divide him up mentally into sections, -and examine these in detail one after the other. Taking first the head, -which should be bony, not fleshy, remember that the more brain the more -"horse sense." Next look at the neck, which should be neither too thick -nor too long, but connecting head and shoulders by a graceful sweep. -Then the forequarters, observing that the shoulder-blade and true arm -are both long, well supplied though not loaded with muscle, and join -each other at the point of the shoulder at a rather sharp angle. Then -the "middle-piece," which should be rounded in the barrel, arched -slightly in the loin, "short above and long below," and well ribbed -up towards the hip. Next the hind-quarters, then the legs, knees, -hocks, and feet, observing that the knees are firm, the cannon-bones -and pastern are flat and strong, and that the back sinew is strong and -stands free from the bone. - -Now have the horse set in motion, and observe him first from one -side, then from the other, and then from behind, noting the carriage -and movements of the different parts in the order above given. This -examination is practically the more important of the two. - -Let no one suppose that mere verbal instruction, however judicious and -elaborate, will, without practice, make a good judge of horse-flesh any -more than it will of Brussels point-lace. All it is here intended to do -is to aid in training the eye, which must be constantly exercised upon -whatever specimens may come before it, comparing them mentally with -one another, and noting their defects and qualities whether of form or -of motion. It will soon be found that such observations, particularly -when relating to the motions of the horse, have a fascination -peculiarly their own, and open a new and wide field of amusement. - -In examining a horse a lady cannot of course usually make the thorough -inspection personally which would be necessary to warrant his limbs -and wind perfectly sound, but she can, by taking a little time to it, -form an opinion which will be very nearly correct. She should first -master the vocabulary at the end of this chapter, which will give her -an idea what defects to be on the lookout for, and just where to seek -for them; and she should cultivate her eye at every opportunity by -scanning critically every horse she sees--or, to be more moderate, say -one or two a day--endeavoring to detect a "spavin" or "curb," or what -not, which the owner does not suspect or perhaps shuts his eyes to. -Then, when a horse is brought up for her approval, let her take her own -time, refuse to be hurried or humbugged, but, as already suggested, -look him over from all sides, at rest and in motion, and finally _get -him on trial for a week_. This last precaution is the most valuable -of all, and worth, as "Stonehenge" says, ten per cent. on the price -of the animal, and it can very often be obtained by the simple offer -of paying for his services in case he is not purchased; indeed, some -of the most successful New York City dealers grant this privilege -to any responsible customer as a matter of course. To return to our -inspection: First take a side view from a little distance, observing -that he stands perpendicularly on all four legs, bearing equal weight -on each; any "pointing," or putting forward of a fore-foot to relieve -it of its share of weight, being indicative of tenderness if not -lameness. Notice the size, shape, and relative proportion of the -different parts, and scrutinize them carefully for swellings, or for -weakened or deformed joints. Then do the same from before, then from -behind. Now have him led past you, first at a walk, then at a slow -trot, insisting that the groom shall not take him by the headstall, but -by the end of the halter, so as to leave him free to nod his head if -he pleases. Now have him saddled and bridled, and all his paces shown, -finishing with a smart gallop long enough to sweat him well, after -which listen carefully to his breathing, which should be noiseless; -observe that the heaving of the flanks is regular and not spasmodic, -and that the beating of the heart is not violent or irregular. During -your week of trial take some disinterested person with you to serve -as witness in case of accident or misconduct, and work the horse hard -every day, so as to be sure that he does not lose his appetite when -fatigued, but being careful not to injure his feet by galloping on -hard roads, or to let him slip or strain himself in any way. Remember -the oft-quoted words of the English stable-man: "It ain't the speed -that 'urts the 'orse; it's the 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer on the 'ard -'igh-road." After your first ride, leave the saddle on for twenty -minutes with the girths slackened, and next morning, before putting it -on again, examine the back carefully for any soreness or puffy spot, -and if such exist, abstain from riding until it has quite disappeared, -for a day of patience now is better than a week after a saddle-gall -has become fairly established. The saddle, of course, should fit the -horse well, and there should always be a free space along above the -backbone and withers. - -[Illustration: THE SORT OF HORSE TO BUY.] - -The cut on the preceding page shows a saddle-horse of the very best -form for a lady's use. - -The color of a horse is an important factor in the price, except in -the case of animals of extraordinary qualities; and although different -persons have their special preferences, yet probably the order of the -following list will give the average taste of the horse-buying public: - - 1. Blood bay with black points; that is, with mane, tail, and legs - from the knee downward black. - - 2. Rich chestnut. - - 3. Rich brown. - - 4. Common bay with black points. - - 5. Common chestnut. - - 6. Dark dapple gray. - - 7. Full black. - - 8. Light bay with brown legs. - - 9. White. - - 10. Common gray. - - 11. Brownish-black. - - 12. Sorrel. - -When your decision is finally made, obtain (from the person selling) a -warranty, which had better be written upon the bill itself, giving the -height, age, and color of the horse, and stating that he is sound, -kind, goes well under the saddle and in single or double harness, and -is afraid of nothing. - -The vices which in the eye of the law make a horse returnable are -Biting, Cribbing, Kicking, Rearing when dangerous, and Shying when -dangerous. - -In estimating the height of a horse it is convenient to remember that -fifteen hands make exactly five feet--a "hand" being four inches, or a -third of a foot. - -To aid the inexperienced we give a cut showing a horse, originally of -high spirit but faulty organization, broken down by ill usage, and -also append a list of the various defects and ailments which every -horse-owner ought to know something about. - - -LIST OF DISEASES AND DEFECTS. - -[Those printed in small capitals constitute UNSOUNDNESS in the eye of -the law.] - -_Acclimation._--Horses removed from one part of the country to another -have usually a period of indisposition, often of severe illness, and -always for some time require more than ordinary care. It is well, -therefore, not to buy a Western horse in the Atlantic States until he -has been at least a month in his new surroundings. - -_Apoplexy._--Sometimes called "sleepy staggers." Begins with -drowsiness, passing into insensibility, with snoring respiration, and -ending in death. - -BLINDNESS.--Often comes on gradually. Eyes of a bluish-black are -thought suspicious, as is inflammation of ball or lid, or cloudiness of -pupil. - -BLIND STAGGERS.--See "Megrims" and "Staggers." - -BOG-SPAVIN.--A soft swelling on the inner side of the hock-joint -towards the front. It is caused by the formation of a sac containing -synovial fluid which has oozed out of the joint. The result usually of -brutality. Incurable. - -BLOOD-SPAVIN.--A swelling in nearly the same place caused by an -aneurism or sac of arterial blood. Incurable. Very rare. - -BONE-SPAVIN.--A swelling caused by a bony growth on the inside of the -hock-joint towards the front. It produces lameness, which sometimes -passes off temporarily after a few minutes' work. Sometimes curable. -This is what is usually meant by spavin. - -_Bots._--Caused by the larvæ of the bot-fly, which cling to the lining -of the stomach by their two hooks till after several months they reach -maturity and pass out with the droppings. They seem to do little harm, -and should be left alone, as they cannot be destroyed by any medicine -safe for a horse to take. - -BREAKING DOWN.--A rupture of the tendons of the leg causing the -fetlock-joint to give way downward. Incurable. - -_Broken Knee._--Indicated by white or bare spots, showing that the -horse has been down, and is presumably a stumbler. - -BROKEN WIND.--Accompanied by a husky cough, and indicated by heaving -flanks and forcible double respiration after exercise. Incurable. - -_Capped Hock._--A soft movable swelling on point of hock, caused by a -bruise, usually got in kicking. - -CATARACT.--Opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye. - -_Chapped Heels._--Always the result of neglect. Often accompanied by -fever and constitutional disturbance. - -_Cold._--Shown by dulness, rough coat, loss of appetite, tears and -running at the nose. Give soft food and nurse well without exercise. - -_Colic._--Distinguished from inflammation of the bowels by intervals of -quiet between the spasms, and by the fact that the horse will strike -his belly violently in the hope of relief. Give first a warm injection, -to remove any obstruction in lower bowel, and then administer -stimulants. - -_Contracted Heels._--Often caused by improper shoeing, but often -natural, and in this case producing no ill result. - -CORNS.--Do not at all resemble human corns. A corn is a reddish and -very sensitive spot in the sole of the foot under the shoe, caused by a -rupture of the delicate blood-vessels, resulting in an abnormal fungoid -growth. - -_Costiveness._--May bring on "blind staggers" in a horse inclined to -this disease. No horse should be hurried when first taken out till his -bowels have been moved. - -COUGH.--Constitutes unsoundness while it lasts. Caused by foul air, -dusty food, irregular work. Crush the oats, damp the hay, and give -linseed tea for drink. - -CRIBBING, _or_ CRIB-BITING.--Is sometimes considered a vice, but is -doubtless a result of indigestion. The horse lays hold of the manger -with his teeth, straightens his neck, sucks wind into his stomach, and -ejects gas. Probably some alkali, say lime-water or baking soda, would -be beneficial. - -CURB.--A soft, painful swelling on the back of the hind-leg six or -eight inches below the hock. See illustration. - -_Cutting._--See "Interfering" and "Speedy Cut." - -_Discharge from Nostril._--Is usually caused by a simple cold, but may -be a symptom of the contagious and incurable disease GLANDERS, and -proximity to it should therefore be carefully avoided. - -_Distemper._--A disease of young horses, occurring once only. See -"Strangles." - -_Ewe Neck._--Carries the head high and nearly in a horizontal position, -so that the bit has not a proper bearing on the "bars," but is inclined -to slip back towards the grinders. - -FARCY.--An incurable and contagious disease, caused by blood-poisoning, -and indicated by sores usually on inside of thigh, or on neck and hips. -As it is communicable to human beings, every farcied horse should be -immediately killed. It is well to avoid all approach to horses having -sores of any kind. See "Glanders." - -_Filled Legs._--A swelled condition of the lower parts, usually caused -by want of exercise, and relieved by bandaging and rubbing. - -_Fistula of the Withers._--An abscess among the muscles over the -shoulder-blades, usually caused by pressure of saddle upon the bony -ridge of back. Requires surgical operation. - -_Forging._--See "Overreaching." - -FOUNDER, OR FEVER IN THE FEET.--An inflammation of the parts between -the crust of the foot and the pedal-bone, including the _laminæ_, -which cease to secrete horn. It is caused sometimes by hard roads, -and sometimes by eating or drinking or standing in a draught of air -when heated. This name is commonly applied to any rheumatic lameness -of the fore-feet or legs brought on as above, whether its seat be the -feet, the tendons of the legs, or the muscles of the breast, in which -last case it is called "chest-founder." The treatment, which is only -palliative, is hot bathing and friction with liniments. - -_Gadfly Bites._--Often very annoying. May be prevented by washing legs -and flanks with a strong tea of green elder bark. - -_Galls_--from saddle.--Best prevented by leaving the saddle in place -for twenty minutes after loosening the girths. When occurring, however, -should receive prompt attention, as they are very tedious if neglected. -Examine the back carefully after the first ride on a new horse, and -also before putting on the saddle the next day. - -GLANDERS.--A disgusting, contagious, and incurable disease, the chief -symptom of which is a discharge from one nostril, at first transparent, -then slightly sticky, then thick and yellow. As it is highly contagious -to human beings, in whom it is equally dreadful and always fatal, _a -glandered horse should be instantly killed, as the law requires_. It is -well to avoid all horses having any discharge, however slight, from the -nose. Glanders may be caught from "farcy," and _vice versa_. - -GRAPES.--A filthy and incurable disease of heels and pastern, caused by -gross neglect. It is the last stage of "grease." - -GREASE.--An aggravated form of "chapped heels," accompanied by -swelling, fever and a serous discharge. Wash clean frequently, and -anoint with Dalley's salve. - -_Gripes._--See "Colic." - -HEART DISEASE.--May be detected by auscultation. Incurable. Ends in -sudden death. - -HEAVES.--See "Broken Wind." - -_Hide-bound._--The skin appears too tight, and as if fast to the ribs. -It is caused by a disordered stomach, and requires nourishing food. - -_Inflammation of Bowels._--The pain is continuous, and the horse is -careful not actually to strike his belly with his feet. Requires, of -course, very different treatment from colic, but an injection should be -the first thing done. - -_Interfering._--Striking the fetlock-joint with the foot. Caused -sometimes by weakness and fatigue, but usually by bad shoeing, and a -good blacksmith is the best adviser. - -_Lampas._--A swelling of the gums, relieved by lancing. - -KNEE-SPRUNG.--Incurable. Result of overwork. - -KNUCKLED.--Same as "set over." A condition of the fetlock-joint -corresponding to that of the "sprung" knee. - -LAMINITIS.--The scientific name of "founder." - -MAD STAGGERS.--Violent insanity, caused by inflammation of the brain. -The last stage sometimes of sleepy staggers. Incurable. - -_Mallenders._--A scurvy patch at the back of the knee, caused by -neglect, and not obstinate. - -_Mange._--An itch produced by a parasitic insect. - -MEGRIMS.--A falling-sickness like epilepsy. It begins with a -laying back of the ears and shaking of the head; is accompanied by -convulsions; and passes off of itself in two or three minutes, the -horse appearing to be none the worse. Often called "Blind Staggers." - -NAVICULAR DISEASE.--An ulceration of the navicular-joint in the foot, -causing lameness; incurable, except by extirpation of the nerve. - -NERVED.--A nerved horse has had one of the nerves of the foot cut to -remove the pain and lameness caused by the "navicular disease." - -OPHTHALMIA.--A purulent inflammation of the eye. Epidemic. - -ORGANIC DISEASE of the bony system anywhere constitutes unsoundness. - -_Overreaching._--Striking the toe of the front-foot with the toe of the -hind-foot; sometimes called "clicking." Often remedied by shoeing. - -_Poll-evil._--An abscess in the top of the neck, near the head, caused -by a blow. - -PUMICE FOOT.--Bulging sole, weak crust, the result of "laminitis." -Incurable. - -_Quarter Crack._--Occurs usually on the inside of fore-foot. A bad -sign, as well as very slow and troublesome to cure. - -QUIDDING.--Dropping the food half chewed from the mouth. Indicative of -sore throat. - -QUITTOR.--Burrowing abscess in the foot. - -_Rheumatism._--Cause, effect, and treatment the same as for human -beings. - -RING-BONE.--An enlargement of the bone by growth, a little above the -coronet. - -ROARING.--Caused by a contraction of windpipe. Incurable. - -RUPTURES of all kinds constitute unsoundness. - -_Saddle-gall._--Swelling caused by chafing of saddle. If the skin is -broken it is called a "sitfast;" if not, a "warble." - -_Sallenders._--Scurvy patch in front of hock-joint. - -_Sand Crack._--Occurs on the inside of fore-foot and on the toe of the -hind-foot. - -_Scratches._--See "Chapped Heels." - -_Scouring._--Looseness of the bowels. - -SEEDY TOE.--A separation of the crust of the hoof from the laminæ, the -result of laminitis. Scarcely curable. - -SIDE-BONE.--A bony growth just above the coronet, causing lameness. -Incurable. - -SPAVIN.--See "Bone, Blood, and Bog Spavin." - -_Speedy Cut._--A cut of the knee from the foot of opposite leg. -Dangerous, because the pain often causes the horse to fall. - -STAGGERS.--See "Apoplexy." "Sleepy," "Trotting," and "Mad" Staggers -are different forms and stages of the same disease, caused usually by -overfeeding. - -_Strangles, or Colt Distemper._--A severe swelling of the glands of the -throat, which gathers and breaks. - -STRING-HALT _or_ SPRING-HALT.--A peculiar snatching up of the hind-leg, -caused by some nervous disorder. Incurable. - -_Surfeit._--An eruption of round, blunt spots, caused by heating food. - -THICK WIND.--Defective respiration without noise. Incurable. - -THICKENING OF BACK SINEWS.--Result of strain. - -THRUSH.--An offensive discharge from the frog, the result of -inflammation, caused by want of cleanliness or overwork, etc. - -THOROUGH-PIN.--A sac of synovial fluid formed between the bones of the -hock from side to side. - -_Warble._--A saddle-gall when simply swollen but not broken. - -_Warts._--Should be removed, as they tend to spread. - -WHIRLBONE LAMENESS.--Lameness of hip-joint. - -_Windgalls, or Puffs._--Little oval swellings just above the -fetlock-joint between the back sinew and the bone. - -_Worms._--Sometimes troublesome, but less so than often supposed. - -WHISTLING.--Caused by a contraction of windpipe. Incurable. - -[Illustration: THE SORT OF HORSE NOT TO BUY.] - - - - -INDEX. - - -Acclimation, 148. - -Advancing at Touch of Heel, 41, 44. - -Amateur Horse-training, 1. - -Amble, 28. - -Apoplexy, 148. - -Appel, 28. - -Approaching a Fence, 119. - -Arm, 135. - -Arrière-main, 28. - -Avant-main, 28. - - -Back, 135. - -Back Sinew, 135. - -Backing, 75, 76. - -Barrel, or Chest, 135. - -Bars, 15. - -Belly, 137. - -Bending the Neck to Right and Left, 32, 35, 48, 49. - -Biting, 148. - -Blind Staggers, 148. - -Blindness, 148. - -Blood-spavin, 150. - -Bone-spavin, 150. - -Boring, 150. - -Bots, 150. - -Breaking Down, 150. - -Breast, or Bosom, 137. - -Bridles, 12. - -Bridle-tooth, 15, 18. - -Broken Knee, 150. - -Buying a Saddle-horse, 132. - - -Cannon-bone, 137. - -Cantering, 64. - -Capped Hock, 150. - -Cataract, 150. - -Cavesson, 46. - -Changing the Leading Foot, 66, 79. - -Chapped Heels, 150. - -Chin Groove, 15, 29, 137. - -Cold, 150. - -Colic, 150. - -Color, 147. - -Contracted Heels, 150. - -Corns, 150. - -Coronet, 137. - -Costiveness, 151. - -Cough, 151. - -Crest, 137. - -Cribbing, 148, 151. - -Croup, 38, 137. - -Curb-place, 137. - -Curbs, 151. - -Cutting, 151. - - -Deux Pistes, 29, 71. - -Discharge from Nostrils, 12, 15. - -Diseases and Defects, 148. - -Distemper, 151. - -Dress, 88. - -Duke of Wellington, 110. - -Dumb-jockey, 46. - - -Ear, 137. - -Elbow, 29, 137. - -Etiquette in the Saddle, 87. - -Ewe Neck, 151. - -Eye, 137. - - -"Falling Through," 16. - -Farcy, 151. - -Fetlock, 29, 137. - -Filled Legs, 151. - -Fistula of the Withers, 151. - -Flank, 137. - -Flexion of the Jaw, 32. - -_Flexions de la Mâchoire_, 21. - -_Flexions de l'Encolure_, 32. - -Flying Trot, 58. - -Forearm, 29, 137. - -Forehand, 38. - -Forehead, 137. - -Forge, 29. - -Forging, 152. - -Founder, or Fever in the Feet, 152. - -Frog, 29, 137. - - -Gadfly Bites, 152. - -Galloping, 64. - -Galls, 152. - -Gaskin, or Lower Thigh, 137. - -"Getting a Horse accustomed to Skirts," 42. - -Girths, 138. - -Glanders, 152. - -Going on _Deux Pistes_, 72. - -Grapes, 152. - -Grease, 152. - -Grinders, 29. - -Gripes, 152. - -Groom, 116. - -Guiding Bridlewise, 55. - - -Hand, 29, 104. - -Hand-gallop, 29, 64. - -Heart Disease, 152. - -Heaves, 153. - -Heel, 138. - -Hide-bound, 153. - -Hip, 138. - -Hock, 29, 138. - -Holding the Bit lightly, 21, 24. - -Hoof, 138. - -Horse-training is not Horse-breaking, 9. - - -Interfering, 28, 153. - - -Jaw, 138. - -Jog-trot, 58. - - -Kicking, 69. - -Knee, 138. - -Knee-sprung, 153. - -Knuckled, 153. - - -Laminitis, 153. - -Lampas, 153. - -Leading with Left Fore-foot, 88. - -Leading with Right Fore-foot, 80. - -Leaping, 118. - -Loins, 138. - -Lower Thigh, 138. - -Lowering the Head, 25, 28. - -Lunging-cord, 46. - - -Mad Staggers, 153. - -Mallenders, 153. - -Mane, 138. - -Manége, 29. - -Mange, 153. - -Megrims, 153. - -Method of holding Reins in both Hands, 111. - -_Méthode d'Équitation_, Baucher, 4. - -Mount, 91. - -Mounting, 92. - -Moving the Croup to Right and Left, 38, 52. - -Muzzle, 138. - - -Navicular Disease, 153. - -Nerved, 153. - -Nippers, 30. - -Nostrils, 138. - - -On the Road, 107. - -On which Side to Ride, 100. - -"One, Two, Three," 95. - -Ophthalmia, 153. - -Ordinary Pirouette, 71. - -Organic Disease, 153. - -Overreaching, 153. - - -Pace, 30. - -Pacing, 192. - -Parts and Points of a Horse, 138. - -Passage, 30, 71, 73, 138. - -Pastern, 30. - -Pastern-joint, 138. - -Piaffer, 30. - -Pirouettes, 30, 71. - -Pisiform-bone, 138. - -Piste, 30, 74. - -Placing the Foot in the Stirrup, 96. - -Poll, 30, 138. - -Poll-evil, 154. - -Position in Saddle, 97. - -"Pulling the Hands steadily Apart," 33. - -Pulling the Right Rein, 36. - -Pumice Foot, 154. - -Punishment in Case of Resistance, 27. - - -Quarter Crack, 154. - -Quarters, 138. - -Quidding, 154. - -Quittor, 154. - - -Rack, 30. - -Ramener, 30. - -Rassembler, 30. - -Ready to Mount, 94. - -Rearing, 66, 148. - -Reins, Act of Changing, 77. - -Reins in Hand, 43, 77. - -Rheumatism, 154. - -Riding in Circles, 79. - -Ring-bone, 154. - -Rising to the Leap, 127. - -Roaring, 154. - -Running Away, 69. - -Ruptures, 154. - - -Saddle-gall, 154. - -Saddles, 12, 13. - -Sand Crack, 154. - -Scouring, 154. - -Scratches, 154. - -Seat, 102, 103. - -Seedy Toe, 154. - -Shank, 30. - -Shoulder, 138. - -Shying, 68. - -Side-bone, 154. - -Sidney, Mr., 130. - -Single-foot, 30. - -Snaffle, 30. - -Spavins and Splints, 30, 138, 154. - -Speedy Cut, 154. - -Staggers, 154. - -Starting, 99. - -Stifle-joint, 31, 138. - -Stopping at Touch of Whip on Back, 45. - -Strangles, 154. - -String-halt, 154. - -Style, 50. - -Surcingle, 31. - -Surfeit, 155. - - -Tail, 134. - -Thick Wind, 155. - -Thickening of Back Sinews, 155. - -Thigh, 31, 139. - -Thorough-pin, 155. - -Thrapple, or Throttle, 139. - -Throat-latches, 15, 31. - -Thrush, 155. - -Trotting, 58. - -True Arm, 139. - -Turning, 112. - - -Vices, 148. - -"Vieille Moustache," 130. - - -Walking, 46, 51. - -Warble, 155. - -Warts, 155. - -Water Jump, 121. - -Whips, 13. - -Whirlbone Lameness, 155. - -Whistling, 155. - -Windgalls, 155. - -Withers, 31, 139. - -Worms, 155. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as -possible. - -Illustrations have been moved. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HORSEMANSHIP FOR WOMEN*** - - -******* This file should be named 42938-8.txt or 42938-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/2/9/3/42938 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Horsemanship for Women - - -Author: Theodore Hoe Mead - - - -Release Date: June 13, 2013 [eBook #42938] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HORSEMANSHIP FOR WOMEN*** - - -E-text prepared by Julia Miller, Paul Clark, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(http://archive.org/details/americana) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 42938-h.htm or 42938-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42938/42938-h/42938-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42938/42938-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - http://archive.org/details/horsemanshipforw00mead - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -HORSEMANSHIP FOR WOMEN - -by - -THEODORE H. MEAD - -With Illustrations by Gray Parker - - - - - - - -New York -Harper & Brothers, Franklin Square -1887 - -Copyright, 1887, by Harper & Brothers. -All rights reserved. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PART I. PAGE - - AMATEUR HORSE-TRAINING 1 - - LESSON - - I. COMING TO THE WHIP 15 - - II. TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY (_Flexion de la machoire_), - USING THE CURB 21 - - III. TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY, USING THE SNAFFLE 24 - - IV. TO LOWER THE HEAD 25 - - V. TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE - REINS HELD BELOW THE BIT (_Flexions de l'encolure_) 32 - - VI. TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE - REINS THROWN OVER THE NECK 35 - - VII. TO MOVE THE CROUP TO RIGHT AND LEFT WITH THE WHIP 38 - - VIII. MOUNTED 41 - - IX. MOUNTED (_continued_) 48 - - X. THE WALK 51 - - XI. TO MOVE THE CROUP WITH HEEL AND WHIP (_Pirouette - renversee_) 52 - - XII. TO GUIDE "BRIDLEWISE" 55 - - XIII. THE TROT 58 - - XIV. THE GALLOP, HAND-GALLOP, AND CANTER 64 - - XV. THE PIROUETTE, DEUX PISTES, PASSAGE 71 - - XVI. BACKING 75 - - XVII. RIDING IN CIRCLES.--CHANGE OF LEADING FOOT 79 - - - PART II. - - ETIQUETTE IN THE SADDLE 87 - - Dress 88 - - The Mount 91 - - Mounting 92 - - The Start 99 - - On which Side to Ride 100 - - The Seat 102 - - On the Road 107 - - The Pace 112 - - Turning 112 - - The Groom 116 - - - PART III. - - LEAPING 118 - - - PART IV. - - BUYING A SADDLE-HORSE 132 - - Parts and "Points" of the Horse, Alphabetically Arranged 135 - - List of Diseases and Defects 148 - - INDEX 157 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - PAGE - - Coming to the Whip 6 - A good Saddle 13 - A properly fitted Curb-chain 16 - Flexion of the Jaw--using the Curb 22 - Lowering the Head 26 - Punishment in case of Resistance 27 - "Pulling the Hands steadily Apart" 33 - To Bend the Neck to Right or Left, with the Reins below the Bits 34 - Getting the Horse "Light in Hand" 35 - Pulling on the Right Rein 36 - Moving the Croup one step to the Right 39 - Getting a Horse accustomed to Skirts 42 - Showing Reins in Left Hand 43 - Advancing at touch of Heel 44 - Stopping at touch of Whip on Back 45 - The Walk (Colt in Training) 46 - Bending the Neck to Right and Left 49 - Moving the Croup with the Heel and Whip 53 - Guiding Bridlewise (Turning to the Right) 56 - The Canter 65 - Ordinary Pirouette 71 - Going on "Deux Pistes" 72 - The Passage 73 - Backing 76 - Reins in Hand 77 - Act of changing Reins 77 - Leading with the Right Fore-foot 80 - Leading with the Left Fore-foot 82 - Ready to Mount 94 - "One, Two, Three" 95 - Placing the Foot in the Stirrup 96 - Position in Saddle 97 - A Square and Proper Seat 103 - Method of holding the Reins in both Hands 111 - Approaching a Fence 119 - A Water Jump 121 - Rising to the Leap 127 - Coming Down 129 - Parts and "Points" 136 - The sort of Horse to Buy 146 - The sort of Horse not to Buy 149 - - - - -HORSEMANSHIP FOR WOMEN. - - - - -PART I. - -AMATEUR HORSE-TRAINING. - - -"My _dear_," said my wife, "you don't mean to say you have _bought -that_ horse?" - -"Why, yes, indeed," replied I; "and very cheap, too. And why not?" - -"You will never get your money back," said she, "no matter how cheap -you have bought him. Don't keep him. Send him back before it is too -late." - -It was a sultry July morning, and my wife stood on the farm-house -porch, in provokingly fresh attire, while I held my new acquisition -by the bridle in the scorching sun; and just recovering as I was from -illness, this conversation struck me as really anything but _tonic_ in -its character. However, bracing myself up, I replied, "But I don't want -to get my money back; I intend to train him for my own use under the -saddle." - -"Oh, you can never do anything with that great horse. Why, he is the -awkwardest brute I ever saw. Just look at him now!" - -In fact, his appearance was anything but beautiful at that moment. His -Roman nose, carried a long way forward and a little on one side, gave -him somewhat the air of a camel; his coat showed no recent acquaintance -with the brush; and as he stood there sleepily in the sun, with one -hind-leg hitched up, he did not present at all a picture to charm a -lady's eye. Nevertheless, he was, in fact, a reasonably well-made -horse, a full black, fifteen and three-quarter hands high, sound, kind, -and seven years old. - -"He's just horrid," said my wife. - -"Oh, that's nothing," said I; "that's only a bad habit he has. We will -soon cure him of such slovenly tricks. Just see what good points he -has. His legs are a little long, to be sure, but they are broad, and -have excellent hoofs; his breast is narrow, but then it is deep; and -that large nostril was not given him for nothing. You will see he will -run like a race-horse." - -"If you once get him started you can never stop him," said my wife. -"You know how he pulls, and how nervous he is. He will go till he -drops. You are not strong enough to ride such a horse." - -"Oh, nonsense," said I; "you can see that there is no mischief in -him. Look what a kind eye he has! The fact is, horses are often very -sensitive; and while this one may never have been cruelly treated, yet -he has been misunderstood, and his feelings hurt a great many times a -day. Human beings are the only things he seems afraid of. As for his -awkward carriage, it is no worse than that of the farm hand who has -made such a failure of trying to use him, and who is, nevertheless, -when he stands up straight, a well-made, good-looking fellow. A little -careful handling will make that animal as different from his present -self as a dandified English sergeant is from the raw recruit he once -was. What do you think of his name? It is Sambo." - -But my wife was not to be led off on any side question, and after -intimating that such a plebeian appellation struck her as quite -suitable, she continued; "Now you know that Mr. ----" (the farmer -of whom I purchased) "knows a great deal more about horses than you -do; you must admit that, for he has been buying and selling and -driving them all his life, and _he_ doesn't like him, or he wouldn't -sell so cheap; and as for training him, for my part I don't believe -horse-training can be learned out of books, as a woman would learn a -receipt for making cake. Do get him to take the horse back!" - -Now I have a great respect for my wife's opinion in general, and in -this particular case all her points seemed well taken. - -The horse was tall, and I was short; he was excitable, and I hadn't the -strength of a boy; he was very awkward, and I had never trained a horse -in my life. However, I had been reading up a little on the subject, -and feeling the confidence in myself which a very little knowledge is -apt to impart, I was determined to try my hand. - -I had remarked that there was a certain French system which was, in -the several works I had consulted, always spoken of with respect as -a complete and original method, so I obtained a copy of the book, in -which is set forth the _Methode d'Equitation basee sur de nouveaux -Principes, par F. Baucher_, and having disentangled (no easy task) -what was really practical from the enveloping mass of conceited sham -scientific nonsense, I had numbered the margin so as to make a series -of simple progressive lessons of half an hour each. The volume in -question, which was not, by-the-bye, the present improved edition, I -now produced in a somewhat dog-eared condition from under my arm. My -wife, seeing that remonstrance was of no avail, took a seat on the -veranda, so as to be ready to advise and assist, while my excellent -friends, the farmer and his wife, came out "to see the circus," as they -said, and established themselves in suitable midsummer attitudes, with -countenances of amused expectation. - -"The first few lessons must be given on foot," said I, and spreading my -Baucher open upon the "horse-block," I proceeded to carry out its first -injunction by placing myself, with riding-whip under my arm, in front -of the horse, which was already saddled and bridled, and "looking him -kindly in the face." He bore my gaze with equanimity, but when the -riding-whip was produced he started violently; and when I raised my -hand to pat his neck reassuringly he threw up his head and ran back. -This evidently was not temper, but alarm. Clearly, moral suasion was -not the kind that had been used with him hitherto. In plain English, he -had been beaten on the head; and it was some time before he got over -the impression made by such ill-treatment and ceased dodging at every -sudden motion on my part. - -However, a lump of sugar gave the poor fellow more confidence, and, -avoiding all brusque movements, I went on to give him the first lesson -of the Baucher series, viz., _To Come to the Whip_. - -It is encouraging for beginners that this lesson, while producing -conspicuous results, is in most cases very easy. In less than half an -hour my audience was not a little surprised to see Sambo come to me -at the slightest motion of the whip, and follow me about with neck -arched, ears pricked up, and eyes lustrous with the unwonted pleasure -of comprehending and voluntarily carrying out his master's wishes. - -[Illustration: COMING TO THE WHIP.] - -"Well, that's very pretty," said the farmer; "but what's the good of -it?" - -This criticism, it may be remarked, he continued to repeat at every -step in the horse's education. He did not "see the good" of a double -bridle with two bits. He did not see the good of teaching the horse to -relax the muscles of his jaw and to hold the bit lightly in the mouth. -He did not see the good of suppling the various muscles of the neck, on -which, nevertheless, depend to a surprising degree the balance of the -whole body and the easy motion of the limbs. In fact, he maintained his -attitude of amused and good-natured incredulity until one day, after -about three weeks, I rode Sambo into the lawn, his neck arched and tail -displayed, and, with the reins hanging on my little finger, made him -cut circles and figure eights of all sizes at a spanking trot. - -Then my good farmer gave up, and said he really would hardly have -believed it could be the same horse. What is more, he took off his own -driving horses "the overdrawn check-reins" by which he had been hauling -their noses up into as near a horizontal line as possible, and allowed -them to carry their heads in a more natural manner. - -The afternoon of his first lesson Sambo was put in double harness for a -drive of ten or twelve miles, during which he annoyed me excessively by -his restless dancing and fretting, so that next morning I expected to -have to begin all over again; but, to my satisfaction, he had forgotten -nothing, and came towards me at the first motion of the whip, so that -I passed on to the _Flexions de la Machoire_, which we translate as -the _suppling of the muscles of the jaw_. Here I came upon my first -difficulty, and it lasted me several days. It was, however, the only -serious one in my whole course, and from subsequent experience I am -satisfied that my own awkwardness and disposition to compel obedience -by main force were the principal causes of it. - -However, success soon rewarded my perseverance, and I had the -satisfaction of feeling the iron grip of the bit relax, and seeing the -nose brought in and the face assume a perpendicular position. - -Without at present going further into detail, I will simply say that at -the expiration of a month, during which Sambo had been driven double -almost daily, his education for the saddle had so far advanced that -his head was admirably carried, his trot was greatly improved--his -walk always had been light and swift--he could trot sideways to the -right or left, could pirouette to the right or to the left on the -hind-feet or on the fore-feet, responding to the pressure of the rein -upon his neck or of the leg against his side, while he had become so -steady that I could fire at a mark with a pistol from his back. - -All this was very satisfactory progress, especially in view of my -total inexperience, poor health, and the heat of the weather; but -there is no doubt that any active young girl of sixteen or eighteen -can do the like, for it was accomplished not by any mysterious or -difficult process, nor by any exertion of physical strength, but by -patiently following out, step by step, the processes which I am about -to describe, and which are substantially those of Baucher, adapted to -the use of a person of total inexperience, and that person a lady. - -If any such, having accompanied me thus far, feels the impulse to -try to improve her own mount, I will confide to her the fact that -the incidents narrated really occurred within the last few years -not a hundred miles from New York; and I hope that the following -propositions, which are literally true, will help to encourage her -to an undertaking in which she will find amusement, exercise, and a -discipline as useful to herself as to her horse: - -1. If, as is very likely, you feel a little afraid of your horse, you -may be assured that your horse is a great deal more afraid of you. - -2. If you can only make clear to him what you wish him to do, he will -try his best to do it, and will feel amply repaid for his efforts by a -few kind words and caresses. - -3. His narrow brain can entertain only one idea at once, and therefore -only one problem, and that a simple one, must be given him at a time. - -4. Once the problem is mastered, a very little practice makes the -performance of the task instinctive, so that it will be performed at -the proper signal, even against his own will, provided his mind is -occupied with something else. - -This course of lessons is prepared with these facts in view. - -"But is horse-breaking a fitting amusement for young ladies?" a mother -asks, and with an air indicating that to her, at least, a reply seems -quite unnecessary. My dear madam, it is not horse-breaking we are -talking of, but horse-training, which is a very different thing. There -are, doubtless, many women who could break a colt if they chose, but it -is an undertaking which we certainly do not recommend. In the "breaking -to harness" of an untamed horse there is naturally included more or -less of training, but the essential lesson to be taught is that it is -useless to resist the will of man, for sooner or later the horse will -test the question, and put forth every effort to throw off control. -When, however, panting and exhausted, he finally submits, he has -learned the necessary lesson; and whether it be after a long fight with -a brutal rough-rider, or a physically painless struggle with an adroit -Rarey, he has learned it for life. Henceforth he accepts the supremacy -of the human race, and, unless under the goad of maddening pain or -terror, will never, save in rare instances, really rebel; obeying not -men only, but women, children, and even the very tools and implements -of man, so that a dog may lead him by the bridle. Like a spoiled child, -however, a horse will sometimes presume upon indulgence, and, to use a -mother's phrase, will try to see how far he can go. - -At such times he is best opposed not by violence, but by firmness, -reinforced, perhaps, now and then by a sharp cut with the whip, which, -given unexpectedly at the precise moment of disobedience, will have the -settling effect ascribed to the time-honored nursery "spank," and will -bring him to his senses. Generally, however, what seems insubordination -is in reality nervousness, which requires soothing, not punishment, and -which you will be careful not to increase by fidgeting or by brusque -movements of the reins. Even when severity is needed, a reproof in a -cold, stern tone is often more effective than the lash. - -Thousands of young girls, who for various reasons cannot ride in -winter, have every summer within reach horses quite as good as the -average of those at city riding-schools, but which they are never -allowed to mount. - -They look wistfully at the honest animals, longing for the exercise -which would be so beneficial to their health and to their physical -development, while so delightfully exhilarating to their spirits; -but one horse is pronounced "skittish," another "hard-mouthed," and -so on to the end. Nevertheless, some enterprising damsel manages to -overcome all opposition, and, skirted, hatted, gloved, sets off in fine -spirits. The horse, accustomed to the resistance of a heavy vehicle, -moves forward with slow and heavy strides. Urged to greater speed, he -rolls his shoulders so that it is almost impossible to rise to his -trot. When put to the canter he pounds along the road, his hind-feet -kept far in the rear and his head swaying up and down, while, missing -the customary support of the bearing-rein, he all the time leans his -heavy head on his rider's delicate arm, till it seems as if she would -be pulled out of the saddle. However, the fresh open air is there, and -the scenery; exercise, too, in plenty, and the pleasure of independent -movement, so that our heroine is half inclined to persevere. But, -alas! an equestrian party on well-bitted, light-stepping horses sweeps -by, casting a pitying glance at her rustic mount and helpless plight. -Mortified and discouraged, she goes home and dismounts, determined not -to try again. Nevertheless, her horse is very likely quite as good as -theirs, and all he wants is a little "handling," as the horsemen say. -For twenty-five dollars a riding-master will turn him over to her as -docile and supple as any of them, and, with a little time and trouble, -she can do it herself for nothing. - -As for the proficiency in riding requisite, it is only necessary that -you should not depend upon the reins for your balance--a common habit, -but one destructive of all delicacy of the horse's mouth. - -As the first half-dozen lessons of this course are to be given on -foot, a riding-habit would only be in the way; so go to your first -_tete-a-tete_ with your new scholar in a stout walking-dress, easy in -the waist, short of skirt, and of stuff that will bear scouring, for -frothy lips will certainly be wiped on it. Let the hat be trim, the -gloves strong and old, and the boots heavy with low heels. - -The saddle should, if possible, be of the safe and easy modern pattern, -with hunting-horn and low pommel on the right side--but of course any -one which does not gall the horse can be made to do. It should have -at least two strong girths, and must be so padded with wool as not to -touch the backbone. Make sure, before putting it on, that there are no -tacks loose or likely to become so in the lining. - -[Illustration: A GOOD SADDLE.] - -The bridle should be a double one, with one "snaffle" or jointed -bit, and one curb-bit, each having, of course, separate reins and -headstalls. By-and-by you can use a single bridle, if you prefer, with -whichever bit you think best suited to your hand and your horse's -mouth. - -The whip should be elastic and capable of giving a sharp cut (though -you may never need to administer one with it), and it is convenient to -have a loop of cord or ribbon by which it may be hung to the wrist. A -good birch switch is better for your present purpose than the usual -flimsy "lady's whip;" and if you are in the country, it makes a good -whip to begin with, as you will probably soon wish to substitute a crop. - -The place of instruction should be as retired as possible, so that -there may be nothing to distract the horse's attention. - -For the first few lessons it will be well, if you are not thoroughly at -home with horses, to have a man--some friend or attendant--near at hand -to give you confidence by his presence, and to come to your aid in case -of necessity. - - - - -LESSON I. - -COMING TO THE WHIP. - - -Have the horse brought saddled and bridled. Walk quietly up in front of -him, with your riding-whip under your arm, and look him kindly in the -face. See that the bridle fits properly, as a careless groom may have -neglected to adjust it to the length of the head. - -The _throat-latch_ should be loose enough to permit the chin to come -easily to the breast; the bits should lie in their proper place on the -_bars_, and the curb-chain should lie flat in the _chin groove_, just -tight enough to allow your fore-finger to pass under it. The _bars_ are -that part of the gum between the _grinders_, or back teeth, and the -_nippers_, or front teeth, which in the mare is destitute of teeth, and -in the horse has a tusk called the _bridle-tooth_. - -It is upon these bars, of course, that the bits should lie, and the -curb-bit, according to military rule, at an inch above the tusk. -By general usage they are placed too high, the proper place of the -curb-bit being not up in the corner of the lips, but opposite or nearly -opposite the chin groove, which is just above the swell of the lower -lip. If the curb-chain is too loose the bit will "fall through," or -turn around in the mouth. If it is too tight, or is ill adjusted, or -if, from the bits being too high, it slips up where the skin is thinner -and the bones sharper, it will give such pain that, to avoid it, the -nose will be thrust out instead of being brought in. The chain should -press below the snaffle, or the latter will unhook it. Adjust and -settle the various straps with your hand, speaking kindly to your horse -at the same time; but when you have begun to teach him, reserve all -praises and caresses to reward him when he has done well. It is a good -plan to give him a lump of sugar before you begin and after you finish -each lesson. - -[Illustration: A PROPERLY FITTED CURB-CHAIN.] - -Now, standing in front of the horse, take both curb-reins in the left -hand at six inches below the bit, and, with the whip held tip downward -in the right hand, strike him a light blow on the breast; in about a -second give him another, and continue striking at the same interval, -looking calmly at him the while, and following him if he steps backward -or sideways. - -Sooner or later, and usually very soon, he will come straight towards -you; then instantly relax his head, say "Bravo! bravo!" and stroke -him on the face and neck. You will very likely hear him give a deep -sigh of relief, like a frightened child. Give him half a minute or -more, according to circumstances, to look about and recover from his -nervousness--for you will find that his nerves work a good deal like -your own--and then begin again, allowing him after every trial a -half-minute or so of rest. - -It will not be long before he discovers that the way to avoid the whip -is to come straight to you, and he will do so at the least motion of -it. Take advantage of this to make him curve his neck, put his head in -the proper perpendicular position, and bring his haunches under him, -by holding him back with the curb-reins as he presses towards you. -This lesson, to a careless observer, looks rather pretty than useful, -but is indispensable for your purpose, for it gives you the means -of preventing the horse from backing while you are teaching him the -flexions of the jaw and of the neck. It shows him, also, that the whip -is only to be dreaded when he disobeys, so that later on it will become -in your hands, strange as it may now seem to you, a powerful means -of calming his ardor and soothing his impatience, and thus sparing -your bridle-hand the sometimes excessive fatigue of restraining his -impetuosity. - -In practice it is not necessary to carry this instruction to the point -where the horse will come to you from so great a distance as shown in -the accompanying cut, though there is no difficulty in so doing. - -A certain English nobleman used to say that a man was as much above his -ordinary self on horseback as he was at other times above the brutes. -Possibly more than one young equestrian, remembering the exhilaration -of some morning ride, the quickened appreciation, the redoubled -enjoyment of the beauties of nature, and of the charm of congenial -companionship, will be ready to echo the sentiment. It is only true, -however, even approximately, _when the rider controls all the forces -of the horse_, and it is the object of the present article to put this -perfect control within the reach of every one willing to take the time -and trouble to acquire it, for not daring, but calmness, not strength, -but perseverance, are the qualities requisite. - -Both time and trouble undoubtedly will be required, for while, by even -a careless use of this method, your horse may be made vastly more -comfortable under the saddle, yet only by tact and patience can you win -that mastery over his every volition by which his splendid strength, -courage, and endurance will seem to be added to your own. You will -find him, however, no tiresome pupil. On the contrary, every day will -increase your pleasure both in his progress and in his companionship, -for he will soon become attached to you, and will now and then turn -his head and look at you with such an expression in his eyes that -you will think the old belief in the transmigration of souls not so -very wonderful after all. You will, besides, find in your lessons no -contemptible discipline of character, for you will have to conquer your -natural timidity in feeling your weakness opposed to his strength, to -suppress your impatience when he is slow of apprehension, to remain -calm when he is restive, and to award him your caresses, not because -his neck is sleek and beautiful, but because he has done exactly as you -directed. You will find also that they will have a tendency to improve -your seat, by taking your attention from yourself, and with it some of -the involuntary stiffness always born of self-consciousness. - -A different, but equally practical, result of knowing something of -horse-training is that wherever you may be you will have no difficulty -in getting a mount--no small advantage either, as many an enthusiastic -young girl can testify as she remembers the stony look which came -over some comfortable farmer's countenance when she confidingly asked -to ride one of his round-bellied horses. Many an owner of a trained -saddle-horse would gladly have him ridden carefully by one capable -of keeping him "in good form," while every horse-owner, no matter -how poor his nags, dreads an ignorant rider as he does the epizooty. -Probably scores of country stable-keepers and thousands of farmers, -after a season's experience with ordinary city riders, have vowed never -to let a woman mount one of their horses again. One of the former, -at a popular summer resort, said to the writer, "Two ladies hurt my -hosses more last summer than all the rest of the work. They ain't no -more saddles to be found in my stable!" A neighboring farmer, who had -at first thought to reap a golden harvest from his five excellent -horses at a dollar a ride, hereupon remarked, "They hain't no sense. -They think a horse will go like a machine, and all they've got to do -is to turn steam on with the whip." Very different would have been -the verdict had the riders but possessed even a slight experience in -training, for the horses would have come from their hands improved in -mouth and gait, and almost certainly uninjured by bad usage. - - - - -LESSON II. - -TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY (_FLEXION DE LA MACHOIRE_), USING THE CURB. - - -Begin by assuring yourself that the horse has forgotten nothing of the -previous lesson. Do not allow him to sidle up to you upon your movement -of the whip towards him, nor to twist his nose towards you, but make -him advance in a straight line. - -Now, standing at the left of the horse's head, with your feet firmly -planted a little way apart, take the left snaffle-rein in the left -hand, and the left curb-rein in the right, at five or six inches from -their respective bits, and having brought the head into the proper -perpendicular position, pull the two hands apart with gentle but steady -force. Hold your whip, meanwhile, tip downward in the right hand, to -prevent him from running back, which can be done without relaxing your -pull by tapping him with it upon the breast. - -The object of this lesson, as well as of those which follow, is to -overcome involuntary muscular contraction. In some cases, as probably -in the present one, the contractions are simply nervous, and will cease -with the mental cause; in others the muscles have grown into improper -positions, so that time will be required to set them right. - -[Illustration: FLEXION OF THE JAW--USING THE CURB.] - -Your object at present is to get the jaw relaxed, so that you can move -it at pleasure without resistance, and this may take time and patience, -for you must not be satisfied with anything less than complete success, -or you will repent it later. At first, however, seize the slightest -involuntary opening of the horse's mouth as an excuse to relax your -hold, caress and praise him, then let him stand a half-minute with his -head free, and begin again. - -When he is submissive, and pleased with you, he will almost always show -it by gently champing his bit; but do not be deceived by a nervous -simulation which you will probably detect, and which consists in -opening the mouth a very little and immediately gripping the bit again. -You will have been completely successful when, by simply drawing on the -curb-reins, the head is brought to the proper perpendicular position, -and the bit, instead of being gripped, is held lightly in the mouth, -or, to use the school term, when the horse is "light in hand." - -This is the only lesson in the series in which it is possible (though -not probable) that your unaided strength may be insufficient; if so, -get some one to help you over the first resistance of the horse. -With care and tact, however, you will in all probability require no -assistance. - - - - -LESSON III. - -TO HOLD THE BIT LIGHTLY, USING THE SNAFFLE. - - -Begin by repeating in proper order all that has been done at the -previous lessons. Now, having got the horse "light in hand" with the -curb, relax the curb-rein and try to keep him light with the snaffle. - -He will probably begin to bear on it. If so, restrain him by successive -tugs, punishing him a little with the curb, if necessary, and always -rewarding him with praises and caresses when he does well. Avoid -any violent use of the curb, or the horse, in his efforts to escape -the pain, may get his tongue over the bit, and thus acquire a very -troublesome habit. It must be remembered that the bit being the -principal channel of communication between his mind and yours, his -whole attention is concentrated upon it, and he is almost as much -disconcerted by a sudden harsh movement of it as you would be by an -unexpected shout in your ear. - -By this time your groom is perhaps watching you with interest, and -may be trusted to repeat your handling, thus saving you some time and -trouble; but, as a general thing, two lessons a day of from half to -three-quarters of an hour each, are as much as a horse can receive with -profit. - - - - -LESSON IV. - -TO LOWER THE HEAD. - - -Always look over your horse before beginning your instruction, to see -that he has not met with any mishap. Observe that his eye is bright and -that he feels in good spirits; run your eye over his limbs to detect -any cut, bruise, or swelling; see that the hoofs are not cracked. - -Assure yourself that he is properly groomed--one good test being -the absence of scurf at the roots of the mane; that his mouth has -been sponged out before putting in the bit, his hoofs wiped off -clean--never, however, blacked--and that he is properly saddled and -bridled. With a little practice you will do all this in half a minute, -while you are buttoning your gloves. About once a week ask after his -food and appetite, and make the groom show you his shoes; and when -the time comes for him to be re-shod (which should be at least once -a month) positively forbid any trimming of the frog or of the inside -of the hoof--any "cleaning up of the foot," as farriers are pleased -to call it. The only part to be touched with the knife is the bottom -of the outer, horny shell, which is not half an inch thick; and even -this must be cut with moderation, never burned by fitting the shoe -to it hot--the common makeshift of lazy farriers--nor filed on the -outside, as both these operations not only weaken the hoof but impair -Nature's arrangement for oiling and lubricating it. Should the horse -not bear equal weight on all four legs, move him a step to see if the -faulty posture may not have been accidental; and if it is repeated, -examine the "favored" leg, carefully laying your bare hand on the hoof -and joints to detect inflammation, feeling along the bones for lumps, -comparing any suspicious spot with the same part of the corresponding -leg, observing whether it is warmer or more sensitive than its fellow. - -[Illustration: LOWERING THE HEAD.] - -Having assured yourself that your horse is in perfect order, and -that he has forgotten nothing of your previous instruction, you will -now proceed to the lesson of the day. Place yourself on his left, or -"near," side, take the snaffle-reins at a few inches from the bit, and -pull his head downward. Should he not yield, cross the reins, by taking -the right rein in the left hand and _vice versa_, which will pinch his -jaw sharply, and pull again till he drops his head, when you will hold -it down a few seconds, praising him the while; then raise it up, and -allow him a little time to rest. - -[Illustration: PUNISHMENT IN CASE OF RESISTANCE.] - -For our young readers we give below a few of the more usual technical -terms, of which it will be found convenient to have a knowledge in the -course of these lessons: - -_Amble._--A gait like pacing, but slower, in which the two legs on the -same side are moved together. - -_Appel._--The gentle tug on the rein given by the horse at each step. - -_Arriere-main._--That part of the horse back of the saddle, called, not -quite correctly, in this article, the croup. - -_Avant-main._--That part of the horse forward of the saddle--the -forehand. - -_Bore._--To lean on the bit. - -_Bridle-tooth._--Tusk found in the horse's mouth, though not in the -mare's, between nippers and grinders. - -_Bucking._--Leaping vertically into the air with all four feet at once. - -_Chin Groove._--That part of underjaw next the swell of lower lip in -which curb-chain rests. - -_Curb._--Bit without joint, with levers at side and chain, which, -passing under jaw, serves as a fulcrum to communicate pressure of bit -to bars of mouth. - -_Deux Pistes._--To go on _deux pistes_ is to advance with the body -placed obliquely, so that the hind feet move on a different line or -_piste_ from the fore. - -_Elbow._--Joint of fore-leg next above knee, lying next horse's side. - -_Fetlock._--Joint next below knee. - -_Forearm._--That part of leg between elbow and knee. - -_Forge._--To strike the toe of the fore-foot with the toe of the -hind-foot--usually the result of bad shoeing. - -_Frog._--Triangular piece of spongy horn in middle of sole of foot, -forming a cushion for the navicular bone. - -_Grinders._--Back teeth. - -_Hand._--Four inches (one-third of a foot). - -_Hand-gallop._--A slow gallop. - -_Haute Ecole--Haut Manege._--The complete course of training given in -the French military riding-schools. To translate this by "high-school," -as is sometimes done, produces a ludicrous impression. - -_Hock._--Joint of hind-leg between thigh and shank. - -_Interfere._--To strike the fetlock with the foot--often caused by bad -shoeing. - -_Manege._--Horse-training, also the training-school itself. - -_Nippers._--Front teeth. - -_Pace._--A rapid gait, in which the fore and hind foot on same side -move at same time and strike the ground together. - -_Pastern._--Bones between fetlock and foot. - -_Passage._--Moving sideways, as to close up or open the ranks, as in -cavalry exercises. - -_Pirouette._--Wheeling on the hind-legs. - -_Pirouette renversee._--Wheeling on the fore-legs. - -_Piaffer._--A slow and cadenced trot, in which the horse balances a -certain time on each pair of feet. - -_Piste._--The imaginary circle (usually, however, a well-beaten track) -three feet from the wall of the _manege_. - -_Poll._--Top of head between the ears. - -_Rack._--A gait somewhat similar to _single-foot_. - -_Ramener._--To bring the head to the perpendicular. - -_Rassembler._--To get the horse together, with his legs well under him -and his head perpendicular. - -_Shank._--Parts of fore-leg between knee and fetlock, and parts of -hind-leg between hock and fetlock. - -_Single-foot._--A very rapid gait, taught principally in the Western -States of America, in which one foot is put down at a time. - -_Snaffle._--Bit jointed in middle, without side levers or chin-chain. - -_Spavins_ and _Splints_.--Excrescences on bones of legs, usually caused -by strain. When they occur on the fore-shanks they are called splints, -and may do no harm. If on the hind-legs they are called spavins, and -usually result in permanent lameness. - -_Stifle._--Joint of hind-leg between hip and hock, lying against -horse's side. - -_Surcingle._--A girth extending entirely around the horse. - -_Thigh._--Popularly speaking, it comprises the two upper joints of -hind-leg from hip to hock. - -_Throat-latch._--That strap of the bridle which passes under the throat. - -_Withers._--Highest point of shoulder between neck and saddle. - - - - -LESSON V. - -TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE REINS HELD BELOW THE BIT -(_FLEXIONS DE L'ENCOLURE_). - - -Before beginning each lesson it is well, as has been already -recommended, to review hastily the instruction previously given. - -Now place yourself on the left side of your horse, with your -riding-whip tip downward in your right hand, and with your feet firmly -planted a little apart. Take the right curb-rein in your right hand -at about six inches from the lever of the bit, and the left curb-rein -in your left at three inches from the lever, and having brought the -horse's head to a perpendicular position, pull the two hands steadily -apart, moving the right hand to the right and the left hand to the -left, so as to pry the horse's head around to the right by means of -the twist of the bit in his mouth. If he offers to back, stop him by -tapping his breast with the whip; if he tries to pull away his head, -hold on tight, until presently he will turn his head to the right, -when you will instantly say, "Bravo! bravo!" and after holding it so -a few seconds, bring it back to its original position. Very soon he -will take the idea, and you will bring his head around until it faces -backward, being careful to keep it always exactly perpendicular, and -not to allow the horse to move it of his own accord in any direction. - -[Illustration: "PULLING THE HANDS STEADILY APART."] - -Now try to obtain this flexion with the right-hand rein alone, only -using the left hand to assist it if he fails to understand or to obey, -and also to bring back the head to its original position. - -To bend the neck to the left requires simply a reversal of the process -just described, and will give you probably no trouble. Do not be -satisfied with anything else than an easy, graceful, and patient -obedience on the part of the horse. Should he back or fidget out of -his place, bring him back to it before going on, as you will find that -his associations (unconscious, doubtless) with place are remarkable, -and that any fault is likely to be repeated on the spot where it was -first committed. - -[Illustration: TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT OR LEFT, WITH THE REINS BELOW -THE BITS.] - -When he will look backward on either side, and remain looking so upon -your drawing upon the proper rein, the lesson is perfect. The utility -of it may not appear at first, but will be evident at a later stage of -your instructions. - - - - -LESSON VI. - -TO BEND THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT, WITH THE REINS THROWN OVER THE NECK. - - -Take the left snaffle-rein in the left hand at about a foot from the -bit, and with the right hand draw the right snaffle-rein over the -horse's neck just in front of the shoulder, until both sides pull -equally on the bit and the horse is "light in hand." Then, by drawing -upon the right rein gradually, bend his head around to the right, -gently feeling the left rein so as to keep the bit straight in the -mouth and prevent him from moving faster than you wish; for in this, as -in all other cases, while he is to do exactly what you direct, he is to -do nothing more. - -[Illustration: GETTING THE HORSE "LIGHT IN HAND."] - -To bend the neck to the left, you will, of course, reverse the -operation above described, standing on the other side of the horse, -taking the right snaffle-rein in the right hand at a foot from the -bit, and drawing the left rein over the shoulder with the left hand. -Keep the horse "light in hand" all the time, and his head perfectly -perpendicular, as any twisting of the nose to one side has a ludicrous -appearance. Now repeat with the curb. - -[Illustration: PULLING ON THE RIGHT REIN.] - - - - -LESSON VII. - -TO MOVE THE CROUP TO RIGHT AND LEFT WITH THE WHIP. - - -It is unfortunate that we have not in English a vocabulary of definite -terms relating to the training and riding of horses. We will for -convenience call all that part of the horse in front of the saddle the -_forehand_, and all that part back of the saddle the _croup_. - -Take both snaffle-reins in the left hand at a few inches from the bit, -and standing near the horse's left shoulder, get him "light in hand" -with the bit; and if his hind-legs are not well under him, make him -bring them forward by tapping him gently on the rump with your extended -whip, keeping the forehand motionless by your hold on the bit. - -Now, holding his head so that he will not move his left fore-foot, tap -him lightly on the left flank near the hip until he moves the croup one -step to the right. - -Then pat and praise him, and if he has not moved his right fore-foot, -tap his right leg with the whip to make him bring it forward even with -the left. After a little rest begin again, asking and allowing only -one step at a time, and persevering until he will move the croup one -step over to each tap of the whip, pivoting on the left fore-foot and -walking the right foot by little steps around it. - -[Illustration: MOVING THE CROUP ONE STEP TO THE RIGHT.] - -When he is perfect with the snaffle, repeat the process with the curb, -keeping his hind-legs well under him, and holding him "light in hand," -while maintaining his left fore-foot immovable, with a delicate touch, -to resemble as much as possible the action of the rein when drawn from -the saddle. - -Now repeat the process to the left, taking your stand near the right -shoulder, and, with both snaffle-reins in your right hand and the whip -in your left, proceed as before until the horse will walk one step at -each tap of the whip around the right fore-foot, which should in its -turn be kept so firmly in place as to bore a hole in the ground. Repeat -with the curb. - -This lesson, which will last, very likely, two or three days, may -appear to some of no practical utility, but it is indispensable alike -to your comfort when mounted, to the safety of those who accompany -or meet you, and to the continued education of your horse. Who has -not seen an untrained animal force his rider to dismount to lift some -gate-latch which was really within easy reach, or prancing about in a -crowd, to the terror and vexation of his neighbors, or in momentary -danger of hooking his legs into the wheels of passing vehicles? - -Now, if you trample on any one, or upset a light vehicle, though -you risk, and perhaps break, your own bones, yet you are liable for -damages; and this fact is so well known that a suit will be promptly -begun against you. Besides, for your own sake you must have it in your -power to get your horse's haunches, and with them your own person, out -of danger from careless or mischievous drivers--just as a cavalryman -has to save his horse from a slash or thrust. - - - - -LESSON VIII. - -MOUNTED. - - -_To Advance at Touch of Heel and Stop at Touch of Whip on Back._--Your -horse's education must now be carried on from the saddle, and should -he never have been ridden, it will be prudent to have a man mount him -first upon a man's saddle, and afterwards upon your side-saddle, with -a blanket wrapped around the legs to simulate a skirt. If the previous -lessons have been carefully given, you will have no trouble in making -him stand wherever you please while you mount, nor in getting him -"light in hand" afterwards. First, however, see that the saddle fits -snugly in its place, and that the girths are good and in order. If -there are more than two, let the third be loose while the others are -tight. The writer once saw a powerful horse burst two good English -girths by a sudden bound and throw off his rider, saddle and all. If -the girths and saddle are not very strong, put a broad, thin strap--a -surcingle will do--over all. - -[Illustration: GETTING A HORSE ACCUSTOMED TO SKIRTS. - -(An example of the "flying trot.")] - -Being mounted, gather the reins all into the left hand in the following -manner: Draw the right snaffle-rein between the fore and middle -fingers, and the left snaffle rein under the little finger into the -palm, throwing the ends forward together over the first finger, to be -held by the thumb; in like manner draw the curb-reins into the palm on -each side of the ring-finger, the left rein, of course, below, and the -right above it, throwing the ends, like those of the snaffle, forward -over the fore-finger and under the thumb. Now taking the curb-rein by -the seam, draw it through your fingers till both reins fall equally on -the bit; then do the same by the snaffle, but draw it so much tighter -than the curb that the latter will hang loose, and any movement of your -hand will be felt through the snaffle. Grasp all the reins firmly, your -hand back upward, with wrist a little bent and elbow near your side, so -that if the horse, stumbling, thrust his nose suddenly out, you will -not be jerked from the saddle. - -[Illustration: SHOWING REINS IN LEFT HAND.] - -All this you will quickly get the knack of, and do as easily as you -would thread a needle. You will observe that, having the width of three -fingers between the two snaffle-reins, you can, by bending your wrist -to right or left, guide the horse as easily as with the reins in both -hands. Get the horse "light in hand" by the usual play of the bit, -first the curb, then the snaffle, tapping him on the right side, just -forward of the girth, if he fails to respond or offers to back. - -[Illustration: ADVANCING AT TOUCH OF HEEL.] - -Now press him just back of the girth with your left heel, at the same -time relaxing the rein a little. If he steps forward, pat and praise -him, but if not, press him more firmly, at the same time touching him -as before with the whip. When he moves forward praise him, and after a -few seconds stop him, leaning back a little and laying your whip by a -turn of the wrist on his back just behind the saddle. Then recommence, -and persevere until he will start promptly forward at the touch of the -heel, and stop at the touch of the whip on his back, keeping "light -in hand" the while. If he is very sluggish you may have to strike him -smartly for not answering instantly to the heel, but he will soon -learn not to wait for the blow. Let the heel act close to the girth, -as you will soon wish to move the croup over by the same means applied -farther back. It is well not to start with the whip, nor by chirping or -clucking, which is as likely to excite your companion's horse as your -own, and is annoying to most people. - -[Illustration: STOPPING AT TOUCH OF WHIP ON BACK.] - -Accustom your horse to stop short, whether at the pull on the reins, -the touch of the whip, or the word "Whoa." - -After riding have the saddle removed, and should a puffy spot appear -on the back where it has pressed, take the hint at once and have the -padding eased over the place, or a tedious and vexatious "saddle-gall" -may result. There is no better treatment for such a spot than bathing -with very hot water. As a preventive, however, it is an excellent plan -to bathe the back with cold water, afterwards carefully rubbing dry. - -[Illustration: THE WALK (COLT IN TRAINING).] - -The several instruments of torture represented in the above cut are the -_dumb-jockey_ upon the horse's back, the _cavesson_ around his nose, -and the _lunging-cord_ in the hands of the groom--to whom the artist -has very properly given the countenance of one who, had he lived in -old times, would have lent a hand at the rack or the iron boot without -wincing. The dumb-jockey has elastic reins, which are adjusted so -as to hold the head in the proper position. The cavesson is a broad -leather band, stiffened with iron, which is fastened around the nose -just where the cartilage joins the bone, so that a tug upon it causes -great pain, and will bring anything but determined vice to submission. -These appliances are usually only the resort of laziness or ignorance, -for none of them can for a moment compare with the human hand; and in -fact they effect no saving in time, for it is not safe to leave a horse -a minute alone with a dumb-jockey on his back, as he may rear and fall -over backward at the risk of his life. The writer knew of an accident -of this kind which ended the victim's usefulness in the saddle, and he -has seen a strong and proud horse sweat profusely, with the thermometer -at ten degrees below the freezing point, while being _lunged_, _i.e._, -driven in a ring, with a dumb-jockey on. - - - - -LESSON IX. - -MOUNTED. - - -_To Bend the Neck to Right and Left._--You can now, if you please, -substitute a stiff _crop_ for the flexible whip you have so far made -use of. Having taken your place in the saddle and got your horse light -in hand review the previous lesson; then, having your horse still -carefully light in hand and light on foot--that is, with hind-feet -well under him--draw gently upon the left snaffle-rein. When the -horse's head has come around to your knee, keep it in that position -an instant, and then put it straight again by drawing upon the right -rein, insisting that his face remains perpendicular during the whole -operation. Now go through the same process with the right snaffle-rein, -and then repeat the whole operation with the curb. These flexions of -the neck may now seem to you of doubtful utility, but as the education -of the horse advances, your opinion will change. It is as rare for -horses as for people to have a noble and graceful carriage; and while -you cannot, of course, really change the shape of your mount, yet you -can, by care, entirely change his appearance. His various gaits you -can indeed improve, but for his _style_ he depends, nine times out of -ten, entirely upon you, and if you are indifferent he will be careless -and probably clumsy. - -[Illustration: BENDING THE NECK TO RIGHT AND LEFT.] - - - - -LESSON X. - -THE WALK. - - -This gait is apt to be hardly appreciated by youthful equestrians, -whose love of excitement leads them often to prefer rapidity to grace -of motion; but it can, with a little painstaking, be made swift and -agreeable; and certainly, when light and animated, it shows off both -horse and rider to better advantage than any other. It is, besides, -an indispensable stage in the bitting of the horse; for until he will -continue "light" while starting, stopping, and turning at a walk, he -should not be put to a faster pace. - -Your chief difficulty will be his propensity to drop into a jog-trot -as soon as you try to quicken his steps; but this must be overcome by -stopping him immediately and then recommencing the walk, urging him -forward with the heel and encouraging him to lift his feet quickly by -a delicate play of the bit, but leaving his head as free as possible. -This will give you occupation, probably, for several days. Do not -forget to praise him when he does well. - - - - -LESSON XI. - -TO MOVE THE CROUP WITH HEEL AND WHIP (_PIROUETTE RENVERSEE_). - - -Having your horse light in hand and light on foot (that is to say, as -we have before explained, with his face perpendicular, the bit held -lightly, and his weight well supported on his hind-legs), tap him on -the right flank with your whip or "crop" till he moves the croup one -step to the left. Your great difficulty will be to prevent him from -moving his right fore-foot, which by careful play of the bit you must -endeavor to keep fixed to the ground, while at each tap of the whip the -other three feet move one step around it. When this lesson has been -satisfactorily learned, proceed to teach in like manner the movement -of croup to the right, pivoting on the left fore-foot, substituting, -however, for the tap of the whip a pressure with the left heel, applied -as far behind the girth as possible. - -[Illustration: MOVING THE CROUP WITH THE HEEL AND WHIP.] - -Should he not understand this pressure, interpret it to him with the -whip. As long as there seems to be any mental effort required on his -part, pause after each step to caress and praise him. Be careful to -keep him calm while learning, or he may tread one foot upon the -other, possibly inflicting a severe wound, and after dismounting -inspect his feet carefully to make sure that this has not happened. - - - - -LESSON XII. - -TO GUIDE "BRIDLEWISE." - - -Up to this time your horse has been guided as in driving, by a pull -upon one side of the bit, that is to say, upon one corner of the mouth, -and it is time now to substitute a simple pressure of the rein upon -his neck. The chief difficulty to be encountered is in the fact that, -as the rein is attached to the bit, the tension of it against one side -of the neck pulls the bit on that side, consequently conveying to the -horse an impression exactly opposite to that intended. This difficulty -must be overcome by patience, for this instruction cannot be completed -in a single lesson, but will have to be carried on simultaneously with -other work for a week or more. It is given by carrying your hand over, -whenever you turn, to the side towards which you wish to go, so that -the reins will press against the neck. Thus, if you wish to turn to the -left, draw on the left snaffle-rein, and as the horse answers to it, -carry your hand to the left, so that the right reins press against the -right side of the neck. This must be done with judgment, or the bit, -being pulled too hard on the right side by the tension of the rein on -the neck, will stop him in his turn. Of course you will seek as many -occasions as possible for turning, choosing, in preference, places -where your intention cannot be misunderstood, as at a corner, for -instance. There is no better spot than some old orchard, for the horse -instantly takes the idea of going around a tree, and there will be more -or less shade, and probably good turf. While he is learning this lesson -do not distract his attention by other instruction; but as soon as he -has mastered it, see that his head is always turned in the direction -towards which he is to go, for it is a habit with horses, as awkward -as it is common, to turn one way and look the other. At the same time -always lean in your saddle towards the centre of the curve you are -describing, and at an angle increasing in proportion to your speed. - -[Illustration: GUIDING BRIDLEWISE (TURNING TO THE RIGHT).] - -Some English writers depreciate the above method of guiding the horse, -preferring to use the bit exclusively, but it is almost universal in -the United States, and its advantages for ordinary riders are numerous -and evident. Indeed, Stonehenge, a well-known English authority, says -that in "this way a horse can be turned with a much greater degree of -nicety and smoothness than by acting on the corner of his mouth." - - - - -LESSON XIII. - -THE TROT. - - -Writers on the horse distinguish three kinds of trot, _viz._, the -"jog" trot, the "true" trot, and the "flying" or "American" trot. In -the first the feet remain longer on the ground than in the air, and -lazy animals are naturally fond of it, while spirited horses sometimes -drop into it from impatience of walking. It is, however, apt to be -a slovenly gait, which, though easy to the rider, should hardly be -permitted. - -In the flying trot the horse leaps a considerable distance through -the air at each stride--evidently a mode of progression unsuited for -ladies, who must attain speed in trotting by quickening the step -without undue lengthening of the stride. - -Your first care will be to prevent your horse from losing his -"lightness," as he will be inclined to do at every change of gait or -increase of speed--and this, while often by no means easy, is yet a -task to be thoroughly accomplished if you wish for comfort or style -in the future. You will observe in trotting, as in all other gaits, -at each step a slight tug on the rein, called by some writers the -_appel_, and this you will ordinarily yield your hand to, so as to keep -a steady feeling of the mouth. - -If, however, the horse begins to bear on the bit, hold your hand -firmly, with the rein just so tight that at every step he will himself -thrust his jaw against the curb. This will very likely bring him to his -senses and restore his lightness, and if so, pat and praise him; but if -not, tap him on the side with your whip, at the same time pulling on -the curb for a second or two. If he does not yield to this, repeated -two or three times, stop him short; and when, by the same method, you -have got him to relax his gripe of the bit and arch his neck, allow him -to go on again. He will dislike excessively to be stopped and started -in this way, and when he finds that he will not be permitted to go in -any way but the right one he will give up the attempt. - -Do not try to succeed by giving a long, steady pull, nor by using -force, as it will do no good, and may cause the tongue to be put over -the bit--a very troublesome trick. Remember, in stopping, to lean back, -and lay your whip, by a movement of the wrist, on the horse's back. - -You will next turn your attention to your horse's gait. As the trot -is rarely so easy that a lady can sit down to it with comfort, it is -advisable to rise in the stirrup. - -This is difficult and fatiguing if the stride is too long, and you -will therefore prevent its extending too much by giving a little tug -on the rein just as each step is made, at the same time with the heel -keeping up speed and animation. - -If your bitting has been thoroughly done, and your horse's mouth -is fine and sensitive, you will probably find the snaffle best for -trotting, and you will give a steady support with it. - -Keep the step quick, elastic, perfectly cadenced, and without any -rolling of the shoulders. - -Should you happen to be mounted upon a horse which, from bad handling -or his own faulty conformation, is disposed to "bore," or bear on his -bit, you will ride with the curb, taking its reins in one hand, but -in the other hand taking the snaffle, with the left rein drawn much -tighter than the right. This will have an effect quite different from -what one might expect, and will put a stop to this most fatiguing and -annoying trick. - -This recipe is not found in Baucher's book, but is said to have been -given by him verbally to his pupils, and it is really "a trick worth -knowing." If it does not have the desired effect, however, when -practised with the left snaffle-rein, try it with the right, as the -mouth--for instance, from the effect of double harness--may not be -equally sensitive on both sides. - -If you observe that the step of one foot is shorter than that of the -other, making the horse appear lame, you may be almost sure you have -fallen into the too common feminine practice of bearing too much of -your weight on one side. An even balance in the saddle is of capital -importance, and a rough-and-ready test is to observe whether the -buttons of your habit are in the same plane as the horse's backbone, -and your shoulders nearly equidistant from his ears--points of which -you can judge as well as any one. - -In the matter of the horse's gait you must be equally exacting, not -resting so long as you can perceive the slightest irregularity or -difference between the strides. It is desirable to cultivate such -a sensitiveness to all the horse's movements as will enable you to -know where his feet are at all times without looking, and the first -step towards this is to learn to "sit close to the saddle." This firm -and easy seat, coveted by every rider, is attained by some with much -greater difficulty than by others. Many riders will bump about on their -saddles for thousands of miles without being "shaken into their seat," -because they neither abandon themselves to the instinct which correctly -guides a child, nor, on the other hand, seek out and remove the cause, -in the muscular contractions of the body and limbs. - -A loose sack of grain set upright on horseback does not jump up and -down, and, while it is not desirable to be quite so inert as a bag of -grain, yet a lesson may be learned from it--which is, that the lower -part of the person, from the hips to the knees, should be kept firmly -and steadily, though not stiffly, in place, while the waist, with the -back bent slightly inward, should be as flexible as possible, and the -whole upper part of the person pliant and supple, so as to yield with a -certain _nonchalance_ to every movement. - -Nervous riders, like nervous horses, are those in whom involuntary -muscular contractions persist the most obstinately. - -As both of the horse's strides are equal when the trot is true, it -seems nonsense to talk, as some writers do, about the "leading foot" in -trotting; and except that few horses are so perfectly symmetrical that -both strides are equally elastic, there should be no difference to a -man on which one he "rises," and he will therefore spare that foot and -leg which, for any cause, he may suppose to be the weaker. A lady will -without effort find the stride best suited to her. - -Horses are often trained in our Western States to trot when the rider -touches the back of their neck, and to single-foot or pace when he -makes play gently with the curb-bit. These signals are injudicious, -because in harness a slight movement of the bit sets the horse so -trained to single-footing, and there is no way to communicate to him -your wish that he should trot. It is better, therefore, to give the -signal to trot by taking a firm hold of the snaffle, and laying your -whip gently on his hind-quarter while you incite to speed with your -heel. - -After dismounting, observe whether your horse has _interfered_--that -is, struck one or more of his fetlock joints with his hoofs; should -the skin be knocked off, apply some healing ointment; and if the joint -swells, bathe with water as hot as the hand will bear. This is the best -remedy for all ordinary bruises and sprains. - - - - -LESSON XIV. - -THE GALLOP, HAND-GALLOP, AND CANTER. - - -These are treated of by some writers as distinct, the canter being -called "purely artificial;" but it will be convenient and sufficiently -accurate for our purpose to take them up together and to consider the -canter as what it in fact is--an _improved_, and not an "artificial," -gait. Horses undoubtedly often canter in a rude way without being -taught, as may be seen often in the field, and not seldom in harness, -and you will probably have little trouble in getting your horse to do -the same. It is this natural canter which is called by country people -the "lope." It is of importance, however, that your horse should not -change his gait without orders, no matter how hard pressed, this being -especially true if he is to be driven as well as ridden. The signal -to canter should, therefore, be such as can be given only from the -saddle. It is well not to use the whip for the purpose, but to try by -raising the bridle to lift the forehand, while stimulating at the same -time with the heel. Should he persist in trotting, do not get vexed -or discouraged, for he is only resisting temptation to do what he -has expressly been taught not to do; but continue your incitements, -raising the bridle-hand firmly at every stride till you have got him -fairly off his feet into a gallop, when you will soothe his nerves by -patting and praising him, and gradually calm him down into a canter, -lifting your hand at every stride to prevent his relapsing into a trot. -When he will canter promptly at the signal, you will get him "light -in hand" before giving it; then make him start without thrusting out -his nose, and keep him light by the means already detailed in the -lesson on the trot. Next you will bring his haunches forward under him, -which is the great point, and increase the brilliancy of his action by -stimulating him with heel and whip, while at each step you restrain -him by a gentle pull, so that he will not spring forward so far as he -intended. Persevere until he will canter as slowly as he would walk. -Your best guide will be to observe the action of some well-trained and -well-ridden horse, and to endeavor to obtain the same in yours. - -[Illustration: THE CANTER.] - -To _change the leading foot_ in cantering is, however, a more difficult -matter, and we will postpone the consideration of it until his -education is a little farther advanced. In the mean time you will avoid -turning a sharp corner at a canter. - -The hand-gallop is simply a moderate gallop in which the ear observes -three beats, - -[Music] - -as in the canter, but swifter; while in the extended gallop it hears -but two, - -[Music] - -though given with a sort of rattle, which shows that neither the fore -nor the hind feet strike the ground exactly together, as they do in -leaping. - -_Keep to the left, as the law directs_, is an admonition on bridges and -other thoroughfares in England which has often excited the surprise of -Americans, very likely eliciting some such comment as "How stupid!" -"How perfectly ridiculous!" Yet for many centuries it was really the -only safe way to turn, whether on foot or on horseback, and as all our -fashions of riding and driving are based upon it, it is hard to see why -the custom should have changed in this country. In the olden time, when -people went about principally on horseback, when roads were lonely and -footpads plenty, it would have been "perfectly ridiculous" for a man to -turn to the right and expose his defenceless bridle-arm to a blow from -a bludgeon or slash from a hanger. Much more would it have been so had -he a lady under his care, who would thus be left in the very front of -danger, whether it might be of robbery from highwaymen, of insult from -roistering riders, or of simple injury from passing vehicles. At the -present day and in this country the danger last mentioned is the only -one really to be feared, and it is so considerable that the question is -often raised whether a lady be not safer at the right of her cavalier; -but the still greater danger in this case of her being crushed between -the horses, in case of either one springing suddenly towards the other, -has caused it thus far to be decided in the negative. There is also -always a possibility--slight, doubtless--of a lady's getting kicked or -bitten when on the right; and it might be difficult for her companion, -without risk to her limbs, to seize her horse by the head should he -become refractory. In case of its becoming absolutely necessary to take -a terrified or exhausted rider off of an unmanageable horse, there -would probably be time for her escort to cross behind her and place -himself at her left hand. - -Now that we are on the subject, we may give a word of caution as to -some other dangers of the road. Among those to the rider, the most -common is _shying_; but vigilance--and perpetual vigilance will be -necessary--will reduce this to the rank of simple annoyance. Get your -horse past the alarming object somehow, even if he has to be led; get -him up to it if you can, and then pat and praise him; never let him -hurry off after passing it; never whip him afterwards. - -Rearing is less common than shying, but more dangerous from the risk -of pulling the horse over backward. To rear he must, of course, spring -up with the fore-legs, and if his intention can be divined in time it -may perhaps be frustrated by a smart stroke down the shoulder; but an -active animal is usually up before his rider has had time to think, and -the question is how to come safe down again. To this end, on no account -pull on the bit, but, without letting go the rein, grasp a thick -lock of the mane and hold yourself with it as close to the neck as -possible--which will throw your weight in the best place, and prepare -you to leap down, should it be necessary. If you have kept perfectly -calm, so that the horse has not suspected that you were frightened, -he will doubtless come down on his feet, and very likely may not rear -again. If, however, you feel his hind-legs sink under him, he will be -intending to throw himself down, and you must jump down instantly to -avoid getting caught under the saddle. - -Kicking, when coming unexpectedly, is more likely than rearing to -unseat the rider. If you withstand the first assault, however, get the -horse's head up by an energetic use of the bit, and look out that he -does not get it down again. It is needless to say that should either of -the last two tricks become a habit, it will make the horse quite unfit -for a lady's use. - -If your horse is restless and disposed to jump, or perhaps run, when -horses or vehicles rapidly approach him from behind, occupy his -attention by moving the bit a little from side to side in his mouth. - -Running away is undoubtedly serious business, but all authorities agree -that the safest plan is to let the horse run, if there is room, and -that the best lesson for him is to make him continue running after he -wishes to stop. A steady pull on the bit is quite useless, and so is -any cry of "Whoa! whoa!" at first. But after a little the bit should -be vigorously _sawed_, so as to sway the head from side to side if -possible, and thus confuse him, while you speak to him in a commanding -tone. - -The dangers to the horse upon the road, however, are greater and more -numerous than to yourself, but they may almost all be averted by care -and watchfulness on your part. Beware of a fast pace on hard macadam; -beware of loose stones, which may bruise the frog or cause a tedious -sprain; beware of food, water, above all, of currents of air when he is -warm. - - - - -LESSON XV. - -THE PIROUETTE, DEUX PISTES, PASSAGE. - - -In the _pirouette ordinaire_ of the French _manege_ the horse turns -upon one of his hind-legs, walking on the other three around it, just -as in the _pirouette renversee_ of Lesson XI. he turned upon one of -the fore-legs, around which he walked upon the other three; and now, as -then, the chief difficulty is to keep him from moving the leg which is -to serve as a pivot. The means for accomplishing this you have already -acquired, and a pressure of the heel on the one side, or of the crop -on the other, will prevent an intended movement of the croup, while -by the rein against the neck you move the forehand to the one side or -to the other. In wheeling to the left it is the left hind-foot, and -to the right the right hind-foot, which serves as a pivot. If your -horse is stiff and clumsy in this exercise it will probably be because -you have not got him together, with his hind-legs well under him, but -at best you will probably find him less supple on one side than the -other. Begin by moving the forehand but one step at a time, keeping -your horse calm, so that he may not wound one foot with the other, -holding your own person motionless, and gradually accustoming him to -slight and delicate effects of hand, heel, and whip, so that he may to -a by-stander appear to move of his own volition. - -[Illustration: ORDINARY PIROUETTE.] - -The _piste_ (literally "trail" or "track") in the French _manege_ is -an imaginary circle lying three feet distant from the wall; which -imaginary line, however, becomes in practice a well-defined path, which -the horse soon learns to follow with little guidance from his rider. To -go, then, "on two _pistes_" is to cause the horse to advance with his -body placed obliquely, so that the hind-feet move on a different line -from the fore-feet. In the cut the horse is shown directly across the -_piste_. - -[Illustration: GOING ON "DEUX PISTES."] - -The _passage_ is a side movement without advancing. By it the cavalry -close up their ranks, and to a civilian it is useful in many ways. Both -of these movements you are now able to execute at pleasure. - -[Illustration: THE PASSAGE.] - - - - -LESSON XVI. - -BACKING. - - -This lesson has been deferred thus far because, while it is one of the -most practically and frequently useful, yet it is also the method which -the horse naturally takes to escape from the unwonted constraint put -upon the muscles of his neck and jaw in the course of the preceding -lessons. You have had, therefore, to be on your guard hitherto against -it; and had you taught it earlier you would have found your horse -cunning enough to pretend to believe every play of the bit to be a -signal to step back, and thus protract the instruction. - -Having, then, got your horse, as usual, well in hand, lean back and -give a pull on the reins. If he steps back, well; if not, touch him -with the heel or tap his side with the crop, and when he lifts his foot -to step forward repeat the pull on the reins, when the foot will be -replaced farther back; then pat and praise him, and persevere until he -will, at each tug of the reins, move backward one step and no more. - -Should he swerve to right or left, straighten him by a tap or pressure -of the crop on his right side, or by the pressure of the heel on the -left, as the case may require. - -[Illustration: BACKING.] - -Your horse having learned to obey the pressure of the rein upon the -neck, you may now, if you choose, adopt another method of holding the -reins. It differs from that described in Lesson XIII. in that the two -snaffle reins, instead of being separated by three fingers, have only -one--the middle finger--between them; while the curb-reins, instead of -coming into the hand between the snaffle-reins, come in below, having -the little finger inserted between them. - -[Illustration: REINS IN HAND.] - -This method, though formerly the one usually taught, being that adopted -by the English cavalry, has not, on the whole, as many advantages as -the other for a civilian. - -[Illustration: ACT OF CHANGING REINS.] - -If you have occasion to use the left hand, or wish to rest it, change -the reins into the right hand by placing the right, still holding the -whip, over and in front of the left, both palms downward, inserting -the right fore-finger between the reins separated by the left little -finger, and so on, then grasping all together with the whip, and -allowing the ends to pass out to the right. - -This does not disarrange the reins, but makes it possible for you to -take them back into the left hand in an instant by passing the left -hand in like manner over the right. - - - - -LESSON XVII. - -RIDING IN CIRCLES.--CHANGE OF LEADING FOOT. - - -You are now prepared to practise with profit a simple exercise, which -you will find interesting to yourself, and, if carefully done, very -improving to your horse. It is the riding in circles of small diameter. -Mark out a number of rings of various sizes in some pasture-field with -white pebbles or beans or small scraps of white paper, which may be -scattered at intervals of two or three feet, so that the figures may -not be remarked by the horse, but that he may receive his instruction -from you only. Let the circles touch one another, so that you may -change from one into the other, and thus turn to the right and left -alternately. Begin at a walk, then proceed to a trot, practising first -on the large circles, and then taking the smaller ones. Keep your -horse "light in hand," and do not let him place his body across the -line, but make him follow it accurately, with his neck and body bent -around to the curve which it describes. When he is perfect in this -exercise on level ground, move to some hill-side and begin again. When -he can do figure 8's of a small size accurately at a smart trot on a -pretty steep slope, you may congratulate your self on having made good -progress, and may begin to do the large circles on level ground at a -canter. Here comes in the troublesome matter of the "leading foot," -and if you do not understand it, you must not be discouraged, for many -persons ride "hit or miss" their whole lives long without thinking or -knowing anything about it. The expression, besides, is misleading, and -you will do well to study up the subject first on straight lines. Get -a friend to canter beside you, and observe the motion of his horse's -feet. You will see that the two fore-feet and the two hind-feet strike -the ground not only one later than the other, but one in advance of the -other, and that the one which leaves the ground last steps past the -other and is planted farthest forward. It is this foot taking the long -stride which is called, although it moves last, the "leading foot." - -[Illustration: LEADING WITH THE RIGHT FORE-FOOT.] - -It ought not to make any difference to the horse with which foot he -leads, nor to his rider, if a man, so long as he follows a straight -line; but whenever he has to turn, it becomes both to horse and rider -of importance--if the curve is sharp, of very great importance--that he -should lead on the side towards which he is to turn. - -A little observation of your companion's horse when turning will make -the reason clear to you. A woman's seat being on the left side of the -horse, it is easier for her that the shoulder having the most motion -should be on the right side, and ladies' saddle-horses are consequently -trained to lead with the right foot; the result, we may remark, often -being that the fore-foot which does most work gives out before the -others. - -[Illustration: LEADING WITH THE LEFT FORE-FOOT.] - -The horse so trained, however, is in this way always ready to wheel -to the right; but when he turns to the left, whether carrying man or -woman, he must change and lead with the left foot; and if he has not -sense enough to do so himself, you must teach him. - -This, really, is not an easy task for an amateur, especially for -the amateur feminine, who has not the efficient masculine resource -of a pair of spurred heels. Even with their aid a man is often so -embarrassed to make his horse comprehend that he gives up the attempt, -and contents himself with "slowing down" before turning, his failure -usually resulting from the insufficient previous training of the horse, -coupled with his own ignorance of the successive short steps by which -the latter may be led up to the performance of the wished-for act. - -If you have been exact in the instruction hitherto given--if your -bitting has been so thorough that your horse remains "light in hand" -during all the manoeuvres described in the foregoing lessons; if he -responds instantly to the pressure of the rein upon the neck, and to -the touch of the heel and of the whip upon the flank, so that you can -move the forehand and the croup separately or at the same time in the -same or in opposite directions; if he will rise from a walk into a -canter without trotting; and if, finally, your drilling in the flexions -of the neck permits you to bend his head to right or left when at rest -or in motion without affecting the position of the forehand--then your -horse is thoroughly prepared for the present lesson; and the same tact -and patience which have brought you on thus far will assuredly carry -you triumphantly through it. - -First, however, you should learn to tell with which foot you are -leading, and you can do so by leaning forward in the saddle while -cantering, when you will see that the knee of the leading leg is thrown -up higher than its fellow, and by bending still farther you may see -this foot planted in advance upon the ground. If your horse has never -been trained, it is as likely to be one foot as the other. Now, the -first step to be taken is to put your horse in such a position that it -will be easy and natural for him to lead off with the desired foot, -and awkward to lead off with the other. This position is with the head -turned in the direction you wish to go, and with the croup advanced -a little in the same direction, so that the body is placed obliquely -across the line of advance. Thus, if you wish to lead with the right -foot, you keep his head turned in the direction you wish to go, while -with the heel you move the croup over two steps to the right; then, -touching him with the heel and raising the hand, you give the signal to -canter, and he will probably lead off with the right foot. If not, stop -him and try again, giving him a sharp cut with your whip just behind -the right shoulder. To lead with the left the process is reversed, the -croup being moved two steps to the left before the signal to canter is -given, a sudden dig with the heel behind the shoulder conveying to -the horse the hint to hurry forward his left leg. You can now begin -to canter on the circles you have marked out; you will, however, -at first come down to a walk before changing from one circle to an -adjoining one--which change, of course, reverses the curve, and makes -it necessary to change the leading foot. - -This figure eight riding, thus, [infinity sign], is most useful both -for horse and rider when it is carefully done. Keep the horse "light in -hand," and above all, _collected_--_viz._, with his haunches well under -him, and always with his feet exactly in the circle and his neck and -body bent to the curve. As soon as he will lead off correctly from a -walk, begin to teach him to do so from the trot; and when this lesson -has been learned, practise him on the double circles, or figure 8's, -beginning at a trot, and lifting him into a canter just as you pass from -one circle to the other. This will accustom him to the idea of a change -of movement at the time of a change in direction. Having got him to -canter, continue on the same circle many times around and around, then -bring him to a trot, and pass to the adjoining circle, lifting him to a -canter just as you turn into it, as before, but of course leading with -the opposite foot. Make your circles smaller and smaller, and continue -till he has had time to appreciate the importance of leading correctly; -then try to make him change at a canter, choosing for the purpose one -of your smallest figure 8's, and indicating to him the change of foot -on the same spot and in the same way as when you began by trotting, and -you will no doubt be immediately successful. - -If the horse in changing the lead of the fore-feet does not make the -corresponding change with the hind-feet, he is said to be _disunited_. -This fault must be corrected immediately, as it renders his gait not -only uncomfortable to the rider, but very insecure. - - - - -PART II. - -ETIQUETTE IN THE SADDLE. - - -There is a large class of excellent people who feel a decided -impatience at the very name of etiquette. "It is all nonsense," they -say, and they will give you various infallible receipts for getting -on without such an objectionable article. One admonishes you to be -"natural," and your manners will leave nothing to be desired. Another -sagaciously defines politeness to be "kindness kindly expressed," and -intimates that if your heart is right your deportment cannot fail to -be so too. All these philosophizings, however, give little comfort to -the bashful young person just venturing into society, for unfortunately -few of us are so happily constituted as always to think, much less -to say and do, exactly the right thing at the right time, and the -most unobservant presently discovers, very likely at the cost of no -small mortification, that the usages of society, even when apparently -arbitrary, cannot be disregarded with impunity. In the etiquette of -the saddle, however, common-sense takes so decidedly precedence of -the arbitrary and conventional that no courageous, kind-hearted, -and sensible young girl, however inexperienced, need be afraid of -committing any fatal solecism. The reason of this is that the element -of danger is never entirely absent, and that the importance of assuring -the safety and comfort of yourself and companions, to say nothing of -lookers-on and passers-by, or of the noble and valuable animal you -ride, far transcends that of observing any mere forms and ceremonies. - - -DRESS. - -Fashion at present, both in this country and in England, requires -that the whole riding costume be as simple as possible, and entirely -without ornament. Formerly much more latitude was allowed, and very -pretty effects were produced with braid trimming across the breast, -a little color at the neck, and a slouched hat with long feather or -floating veil--witness the picture of the Empress Eugenie when Countess -Montijo, and many a charming family portrait besides--but now fashion -pronounces all that sort of thing "bad form," and a word to the wise -is sufficient. The habit itself must be quite dark, or even black, -perfectly plain in the waist, with black buttons up to the neck, and -with a scant, short skirt only just long enough to cover the feet. The -cuffs and collar must be of plain linen, no color or flutter of ribbon -being anywhere permissible. The handkerchief must not be thrust in -the breast, but kept in the saddle pocket, and if a veil is worn, it -must be short and black. The hair should be so securely put up that -it will not shake down, and that the hair-pins will not work out. In -the matter of the hat more freedom of choice is allowed, and in the -country almost anything may be worn, but wherever there is any pretence -of dressing, the only correct thing is the regulation silk "cylinder," -which, by-the-bye, usually looks better rather low in the crown, and -which is every way a pleasanter and more serviceable hat than ladies -who have never worn one are apt to imagine. About the cutting of a -riding-habit, it may be remarked, there is nothing mysterious, although -one might think so from the way it is often talked about, especially -in the advertisements of fashionable tailors, and there is no reason -in the world why any clever young girl should not make one for herself -if she chooses. The only eccentricity about it, from the dress-making -point of view, is the shaping out of a place for the right knee, so -that the skirt may hang straight and not ruck up, and this can easily -be managed at home by improvising a horse with a couple of chairs and -a rolled-up rug, putting the saddle on it, and trying the effect in -place. Be careful to leave plenty of room across the breast. A couple -of straps should be sewn inside in the proper place, so that the toe -or heel of each foot may be inserted to prevent the skirt from rising -and exposing the feet; and these straps should not be strong, but, on -the contrary, like all other parts of the skirt, and particularly -the facing, should be made so as certainly to tear loose instantly -in case of getting caught in a fall. Before leaving the habit, we -may remark that the wearer should practise gathering it up, holding -it in one hand, and walking in it at home, and if possible before a -mirror. No petticoats ought to be worn, but merino drawers, and easy -trousers of the same stuff as the rest of the habit. Beware of badly -made seams, which have a vexatious way, as many a masculine wearer can -testify, of pinching out a bit of skin at some inopportune moment. The -trousers should be cut away a little over the instep, and fastened down -under the sole with straps, which may be either sewed on or attached -by buttons inside the band, in which case india-rubber is the best -material, being easy alike on buttons, stuff, and fingers. Corsets -should be worn as usual, but never laced tight, and it would be better -that they should not have steel clasps or steel springs, which might -be dangerous in case of a fall. The boots should be easy, broad-soled, -low-heeled, and rather laced than buttoned, as less likely on the one -hand to catch in the stirrup, and on the other to bruise the foot by -chafing against the saddle. The gloves should be strong, but supple -and easy, as it is important that every finger should have free and -independent movement. Tight gloves not only benumb the hands in cold -weather, but always cause an awkward handling of the reins, and may be -positively dangerous with a fresh horse. As to the relative merits of -crop and whip, there is room for difference of opinion. By many persons -the former is looked upon as a senseless affectation of English ways, -but the fact is that with a horse regularly trained to the saddle it -is more useful than a whip, as by its aid a lady can "collect" her -horse--that is, can make him bring his hind-legs under him, in the same -way that a man does by the pressure of his calves. If, however, the -horse has never been trained, and is sluggish or wilful, a whip may be -more useful. Whichever of the two produces the better results will have -the more "workmanlike" look and be in the "better form." - - -THE MOUNT. - -It is undoubtedly much pleasanter and more exhilarating to ride a -good and handsome horse than a poor and ugly one, a horse adapted -to one's size and weight than one too large or too small, too heavy -or too light; but none of these points are matters of etiquette. On -this whole subject etiquette makes only one demand, but that one is -inexorable--it is _perfect neatness_. A lady's mount must be immaculate -from ear to hoof, in coat and mane and entire equipment. It is in a -great degree their exquisite neatness that gives such an air of style -not only to English horsewomen, but to English turn-outs of all kinds, -which, nevertheless, have not usually the "spick and span new" look of -fashionable American equipages. On coming out, therefore, prepared -for a ride, take time to look your horse over swiftly, but keenly, -noting first that his eye and general appearance indicate good health -and spirits; secondly, that he has been thoroughly groomed, his mane -freed from dandruff, his hoofs washed, but not blacked; thirdly, that -the saddle and bridle are perfectly clean and properly put on. Every -buckle should have been undone and cleansed, the leather suppled, -and the bright metal polished; the girths, three in number--never -fewer than two--should be snug, but not tight enough to impede free -breathing; the bits in their proper place, that is to say, the snaffle -just high enough up not to wrinkle the corners of the mouth, and the -curb considerably lower, with its chain, which should pass below the -snaffle, lying flat and smooth against the skin in the chin groove; -finally, the throat-latch loose. While it is not always wise to -reprimand carelessness on the part of your groom on the spot, it is -well never to let it pass unnoticed, while, on the other hand, it is -a good plan always to show appreciation of especial attention to your -wishes by a kind word or a smile. - - -MOUNTING. - -It is rather a trying ordeal for an inexperienced rider to mount a -tall horse from the ground, even when there are no lookers-on, and -many a one remains in bondage to chairs and horse-blocks all her life -long rather than undertake it. The feat, however, is really so much -easier than it looks, and when well performed makes the rider appear -so agile and graceful, giving such an air of style and _savoir-faire_ -to the departure, that it is well worth every lady's while to acquire -it. The first requisite is that the horse should stand still, and for -this purpose the attendant should have given him some preliminary -exercise, as the fresh air and bright light are so exhilarating to a -high-strung horse that he cannot at first restrain his impulse to caper -about. This preparatory airing should be entered upon invariably as -calmly as possible, and begun at a walk, for a flurry at starting, and -especially the use of the whip, will often disturb a horse's nerves -for hours, making him unpleasant if not dangerous to ride. When the -horse is brought to the door, let the groom stand directly in front of -him, holding the bridle not by the rein, but with both hands by each -cheek, just above the bit. If he is a proud and sensitive animal, do -not rush up to him excitedly with a slamming of doors and gates, nor -allow any one else to do so, but approach with gentle steadiness. Stand -a moment and look him over, give your orders quietly, and pat his neck -for a moment, speaking pleasantly to him the while, so that he may get -accustomed to your voice. - -[Illustration: READY TO MOUNT.] - -Now standing with your right side a few inches from the saddle, facing -the same way as the horse, and with your left shoulder slightly thrown -back, place the right hand on the second pommel, holding in it the -whip, and the reins drawn just tight enough to give a feeling of the -bit. Your attendant will stand facing you, and as close as convenient, -and will now stoop forward, with his hands clasped and with his right -forearm firmly supported on his right thigh. Now with your left hand -lift your riding-skirt in front, and place your left foot in his hands. -Let go the skirt, rest your left hand on his shoulder, and giving him -the cue by bending the right knee, spring up erect on the left foot, -and, seating yourself sideways on the saddle, place the right knee over -the horn. - -[Illustration: "ONE, TWO, THREE."] - -If your attendant is unused to rendering such service, you had better -make your first essays in some secluded place, in which you can -instruct him where to stand, just how high to lift your foot, and -caution him to put forth strength enough to support you steadily, -without lifting too violently. Do not be deterred by awkwardness on -his part or on your own from learning to mount from the ground, for -the more awkward, the better practice for you. Your attendant will now -lift your skirt above the knee, so that it will hang properly without -dragging, and then disengaging the stirrup from beneath the skirt, will -place your left foot in it. - -[Illustration: PLACING THE FOOT IN THE STIRRUP.] - -Too much care cannot be taken with the position in the saddle, which -should be exactly as shown in the following cut. The left leg should -invariably hang perpendicularly from the knee, with the heel depressed, -and with the foot parallel with the horse's side. The length of the -stirrup-strap should be such that the knee thus is out of contact with -the hunting-horn, but near enough to be brought firmly up against -it by raising the heel. The right knee should rest easily but snugly -over the pommel, so as to grasp it in case the horse springs. Neither -foot should be allowed to sway about nor to project so as to be seen -awkwardly poking out the skirt. If your clothing does not feel quite -comfortable, rise in your stirrup and shake it down, resting your hand, -if necessary, on your attendant's shoulder, for it will be very awkward -should it become disarranged on the road. Now put your handkerchief in -the saddle pocket, take the reins in the left hand, or in both hands, -as you prefer, and start the horse by a touch with the heel. - -[Illustration: POSITION IN SADDLE.] - -It is, of course, the correct thing to mount from the ground, if -possible, but here again common-sense comes so decidedly to the front -that it is not too much to say that the sole indispensable requirement -of an enlightened etiquette is _good-nature_. Certain it is that the -eye masculine will follow with pleasure, and perhaps with some emotion, -the movements of the young girl who comes out bright and fresh, gives -her horse a pat or two, with a lump of sugar, as she glances him -quickly over, looks kindly at her stable-boy, and then skips gayly -into the saddle from a chair brought out by a maid, while the same -eye will rest quite unmoved, except by a spirit of criticism, on the -self-conscious and selfish damsel, though she be put on in the most -approved manner by the smartest groom who ever wore top-boots. Mount, -then, from the ground, if you have some one to put you on and some -one to hold your horse; or, if the horse will stand without holding, -cautioning your escort--if you are not sure of his expertness in such -services--to be sure to raise your foot straight up, and to give you -warning by counting one, two, so that you may be certain to have the -leg straightened before he begins to lift, as otherwise the result may -be the reverse of graceful. When in the saddle, rise in your stirrup, -as already suggested, and smooth down your dress, meantime thanking -your escort and telling him how well he did it. This smoothing down -of the skirt it is a good plan to practise frequently, first standing, -then at a walk, then at a trot, till you can do it deftly, almost -without thought, for there is no telling at what inopportune moment it -may become necessary. - -To mount from the ground without assistance is a feat which few ladies -would voluntarily undertake. It may be accomplished in an emergency, -however, if the horse is quiet and not too tall, by lowering the -stirrup sufficiently to reach it with the left foot, and springing up -with the aid of the hands, the left of which should grasp the mane and -the right the cantle of the saddle. - - -THE START. - -Do not put your horse in motion by a cut with the whip, which would -be trying to his nerves, nor by chirping or clucking, which would be -equally trying to the nerves of your companions, but by a touch with -the heel, or a pressure between your heel on the left side and your -crop on the right. If other ladies are to be mounted, move on so far -that they will be in no danger, either real or imaginary, from your -horse's heels, and never at any time put him in such a position that -he can kick any one, or that you can get kicked yourself by any other -horse. If you have to turn about on starting, try to do so by making -your horse step around with his hind-legs (in the technical phrase, -_pirouette renversee_), so as to avoid turning your back and presenting -his haunches towards any one with whom you may be talking or from whom -you are to take leave. To be able to do this easily and gracefully you -must have him well "collected" and "light in hand." - - -ON WHICH SIDE TO RIDE. - -The next question that arises is on which side of her escort a lady -should ride. This point, so much discussed and disputed in this -country, is scarcely raised in England, where the universal habit of -turning to the left makes it, under almost all circumstances, safer -for her to be on his left, in which position he finds himself always -interposed between his charge and any passing vehicle, whether it -come from before or from behind. In this country, however, we have -adopted--nobody knows why, unless it is because the French do so--the -rule of keeping to the right, and yet without changing our manner -of riding and driving, so that the result is often awkward and even -dangerous. The teamster who used to walk on the left of his horses, -so as to lead them out of the way when occasion required, still -walks on the left, which now puts him in the middle of the road; the -coachman still sits on the right, though the probability of contact has -changed over to the other side; the lady's seat is still on the left -side of the horse, which obliges her to choose between the danger of -being caught by passing wheels or crushed by the horse of her escort. -As there is no reason in the world, whether in the conformation -of the female form or of the horse itself, or in the exigencies of -equestrianism, that makes it inherently more proper to sit on one side -of the horse rather than on the other, it seems strange that none of -our independent American ladies should have undertaken to set the -fashion of sitting on the right side. The Princess of Wales always does -so, for some special reason. The Empress of Austria, who is well known -as one of the boldest and most graceful riders as well as one of the -most beautiful women in Europe, is said to have saddles made in both -ways, using them alternately, and this plan is adopted by more than one -of the noble ladies of England who hunt regularly in the season, with -a view of preventing too constant a strain on the same set of nerves, -and possibly causing an unequal development of the two sides of the -person. However, accepting the present feminine seat as a thing not to -be changed, the advantages in this country of riding on the one hand -of the escort or on the other are so equally divided that the balance -may incline to either side, and a lady is always free to do about -it as she pleases without exciting remark. When riding on the right -side, the lady is protected from passing vehicles, and the gentleman -has his right hand free to assist her in any way, even to taking her -off her horse in case of necessity; but if either horse were to shy -towards the other, she might get bruised, and she is always liable to -an occasional contact with her companion's person, which may not be -pleasant. Children should certainly be kept on the right, and so should -any inexperienced or very timid person; and at all times a gentleman -should interpose himself between the lady under his charge and danger -of any kind--as, for instance, reckless drivers, rude strollers, or a -drove of cattle. When riding on the left, the lady is undoubtedly in a -more exposed position, especially if her horse is disposed to dance or -shy at rattling wagons and the like; but her escort, being able to ride -closer to her, is enabled more quickly and safely to take the animal by -the head, if necessary, and under all circumstances he should hold his -reins and whip in his right hand, and in case of danger keep his horse -well "collected," so as to be ready to act promptly and without any -show of excitement. - - -THE SEAT. - -_Position._--The lady's position on horseback is so conspicuous that -the fact ought to stimulate the most indifferent so to place and carry -herself as to show her figure to the best advantage, and this graceful -carriage of the person will be found to be the first step towards -achieving a firm and easy seat. The posture should be erect, the back -slightly hollowed, the breast thrown forward, the chin drawn in so -that the neck will be nearly vertical. The lower limbs should rest -easily but firmly in their respective places, the left leg hanging -perpendicularly from the knee downward, with heel slightly depressed, -and foot parallel with the horse's side, the right toe raised a little -above the horizontal, but not carried far enough forward to poke up -the riding habit. The seat should be in the middle of the saddle, not -on the right side of it with the body inclined to the left, which is -excessively awkward, nor on the left side with an inclination to the -right, which is equally awkward, and with the additional disadvantage -of being sure to cause saddle galls. When the body is consciously -_balanced_ on the horse's back, when the shoulders are equidistant from -his ears, and when the eyes, looking between said ears (an excellent -habit), look straight along the road, and not off obliquely to one side -of it, then the seat, whatever else it may not be, is at least in the -middle of the saddle. - -[Illustration: A SQUARE AND PROPER SEAT.] - -_The Hand._--As to the manner of carrying the arms, Colonel Hayes -remarks that he has seen of late (in England) some ladies sticking out -their elbows, but that he, for his part, decidedly approves of the -old rule which forbade that daylight should be seen between a lady's -arms and body. The sight which annoyed Colonel Hayes is not unknown -in America, but probably most observers correctly attribute it either -to ignorance or affectation. Certainly there is no reason for it, -whether practical or aesthetic, as the raising of the elbows lifts the -hands into a position in which the reins act less correctly on the -horse's mouth, while substituting angles for curves in the outline of -the figure, and quite destroying the air of well-bred repose which -is one of the great charms of a finished horsewoman. The arms should -hang naturally by the sides, with the hands, a few inches apart, just -above the knee, and as low as possible without resting on it, the nails -turned down, the knuckles at an angle of forty-five degrees with the -horizon, the wrists bent inward so as to permit of a little play of the -wrist joint at each tug of the horse on the reins. - -_The Poise._--All this is not very difficult so long as the horse keeps -quiet, or even when he merely walks; but how is this much-admired -statuesque repose to be preserved at the trot, the canter, the gallop, -to say nothing of incidental shying and capering? There is only one -answer to this question, and that is--_practice_. But even practice -is usually not sufficient without an accompaniment, infrequent and -not always pleasant, _viz._, frank and unflattering criticism; and -every one who really wishes to excel, and to merit the praises which -as woman she is certain to receive, will see to it that this wholesome -corrective is often at hand. Practice itself, to be profitable, must -be intelligent, and the cause of any discomfort from the motion of the -horse should be sought out and removed. It will be found almost always -to result from involuntary muscular contractions, especially of the -waist, which should invariably be kept supple, as it is to a slight -play of loin and thigh that the rider must look to prevent being thrown -up by each spring of the hind-legs in cantering or galloping. - -In rising to the trot, bear outwardly with the left heel, which will -keep the knee close against the saddle, and prevent the leg from -swaying about. At the same time be careful not to rise towards the -left--an awkward but very common habit, which can be detected by the -plan already suggested of sighting between the horse's ears. Mr. Sidney -says, "The ideal of a fine horsewoman is to be erect without being -rigid, square to the front, and until quite at home in the saddle, -looking religiously between her horse's ears. The shoulders must -therefore be square, but thrown back a little, so as to expand the -chest and make a hollow waist, such as is observed in waltzing, but -always flexible. On the flexibility of the person above the waist, -and on the firmness below, all the grace of equestrianism, all the -safety, depend. Nervousness makes both men and women poke their heads -forward--a stupid trick in a man, unpardonable in a woman. A lady -should bend like a willow in a storm, always returning to an easy and -nearly upright position. Nothing but practice--frequent, but not too -long continued--can establish the all-important balance. Practice, -and practice only, enables the rider instinctively to bear to the -proper side, or lean back, as a horse turns, bounds, or leaps." It is -evidently not simply pounding along the high-road in a straight line -on a steady nag which is here meant. The following advice, given by a -lady who is herself an accomplished horsewoman, will furnish a clew to -the sort of exercise which will be really profitable. She says, "Let -the pupil practise riding in circles to the right, sitting upright, -but bending a little to the horse's motion, following his nose with -her eye; beginning with a walk, proceed to a slow trot, increasing the -action as she gains firmness in the saddle. When in a smart trot on a -circle to the right she can, leaning as she should to the right, see -the feet of the horse on the right side, it may be assumed that she has -arrived at a firm seat." Another excellent exercise is to lean over, -now to one side, now to the other, now in front, far enough to observe -the horse's action, the motion of his feet, and the regularity of his -step. - - -ON THE ROAD. - -If good-nature is the quality most essential to _mounting_ in a -pleasing manner, that which will cause a lady to shine most _on the -road_ is kindness. Such a statement will perhaps bring a smile to -the lips of some dashing girl who thinks that she has other means of -pleasing, once mounted on a spirited horse, than the practice of any -of the Christian virtues; but the writer, after many years' experience -with _amazones_ both young and old, believes it to be literally true. -A lady who, without weakness, is gentle and thoughtful, will have, -other things being equal, more sympathetic obedience from her horse, -a finer hand, a more supple seat, and will bring him back fresher and -her whole party home in better spirits than one who is not. To begin -with, there is almost always one of the horses which is not equal to -the others, but keeps up with difficulty, and as it is precisely that -horse which should set the pace for the rest, it is well to observe -the capacity of the different animals, and spare the feelings of any -one of the party who may be poorly mounted. One might hardly suppose -it necessary to mention so elementary a rule of politeness as that -which bids us, when we ride in company, not to keep always in the best -part of the road; but horses are sometimes selfish as well as human -beings, and the selfish horse, like the selfish man, unless he is -prevented, will imperceptibly crowd his patient companion into the -ruts, when the rider will get the credit or discredit of the action. -Another too common piece of thoughtlessness is the splashing at full -speed through mud puddles, the result of which is naturally more -apparent to one's neighbors than to one's self. If to an equestrian, -however, being splashed or spattered is annoying, to a pedestrian it -is nothing less than exasperating, and such a one will look after the -person guilty of the rudeness with eyes of anything but admiration. One -cannot be too careful, indeed, when riding near pedestrians, as they -are decidedly susceptible under such circumstances, and likely to take -offence; and especially is caution required where women and children -are concerned, for it is impossible to conjecture what they will do -if suddenly startled by the rapid approach of horses. The writer saw, -one afternoon, a nursery-maid crossing Rotten Row with a baby-carriage -(_Anglice, perambulator_), and two children holding to her skirts. -When half-way over, a lady and three gentlemen came galloping down, -followed by two grooms. The children scattered, the riders could not -pull up, and for an instant it seemed as if the little party were -doomed to destruction, as the horses appeared to pass right over some -of them. The English rule, not only for country riding, but for the -Park or other public places (and an excellent one it is), requires a -gentleman to pull up and pass a lady, if alone, at a walk, whether she -be on foot or on horseback, and though more latitude may be allowed a -lady, yet she should not gallop up suddenly behind another lady who -is alone, as a nervous horse might be so excited as to cause great -uneasiness to a timid rider. If you should unfortunately produce such -a result, by all means pause and express regret, and if your horse is -quiet, offer to ride for a few minutes beside the sufferer--for so she -may be called. In passing on the road, the rule is, when meeting, to -keep to the right, but when overtaking, to pass to the left, and in -like manner, when overtaken, to keep to the right, so as to leave the -road free at your left. The only exception to this rule is in the case -of led-horses, which, as they are often inclined to kick, should be -avoided by passing next to the one ridden. When approaching a lady in a -public place a gentleman should always do so on the off or right side. - -It is sometimes rather a nice point to decide when assistance ought to -be offered by a gentleman to a lady with whom he is not acquainted, -and, if offered, whether it ought to be accepted. The following -incident, recounted by Sir Joseph Arnould in his "Life of Lord -Chief-justice Denman," is interesting as showing how such a question -was discussed in what may certainly be considered as among the very -best society in England. He says that on occasion of a visit which the -Lord Chief-justice paid to Walmer Castle, three years before the Duke -of Wellington's death, in a conversation about riding, the duke said, -"When I meet a lady on horseback I always stop, and if her horse seems -troublesome, offer to ride alongside her in the Row till it is quiet. -The other day I met a lady on a fresh, violent horse, so I took off my -hat and said, 'Shall I ride with you? My horse is perfectly quiet.' -She knew me, for she replied, 'No, your Grace; I think I can get on -very well.' After she was gone, I felt sure it was Jenny Lind." "We all -agreed," adds Lord Denman, "that the great singer should have accepted -the services of the great duke, whether she wanted them or not." - -It is better not to fight a restive horse unless you have reason to be -sure of victory, but rather get some one to lead him past the object -or into the road which he may have taken it into his foolish head to -object to. If he is in "that state of nervous irritability known as -_freshness_" do not jerk the bit, but keep a steady, patient bearing -on it, speaking soothingly to him in a low though steady voice, for -his acute hearing will enable him to perceive distinctly tones which -are almost or quite inaudible to your companions. Try not to have an -anxious expression of countenance, no matter what he may do, but to -look serene and smiling, as it will not only be more becoming, but will -undoubtedly react upon your own feelings. If he pulls, it is well to -take the slack of the right reins in the spare fingers of the left, -and _vice versa_, as this will give a firmer hold, and enable you to -shorten the reins without relaxing their tension. - -[Illustration: METHOD OF HOLDING THE REINS IN BOTH HANDS.] - -Always speak to your horse on approaching and on leaving him, and also -whenever he has tried especially to please you, as your voice will soon -come to have a great influence over him. There is a story told of two -keepers in a zoological garden, one of whom was a favorite with the -animals, while the other, though a more conscientious man, was disliked -by them. The authorities, curious to learn the reason, had them -watched, and it was found that the former always talked to the animals, -while the latter served them silently. Too much conversation with -one's horse, however, is apt to get to be a bore to one's companions. - - -THE PACE. - -This should vary with the nature of the ground, as it is dangerous to -the horse, and consequently very bad form, to ride fast on a very rough -or hard road. If slippery, a smart trot is safer than a slow trot or -walk; but if walking, by all means let the horse have his head. If a -steep place is to be descended, attack it at right angles, and not -obliquely, for, when going down straight, a slip is likely to have no -worse result than a momentary sitting down on the haunches, whereas, -if going diagonally, it would probably bring the horse down flat. The -canter, which is peculiarly the lady's pace, is much harder than the -trot on the horse's feet and legs, especially on the leading foot and -leg, and it should be reserved for comparatively soft ground. The lead -with the right foot is easier for a lady, owing to her one-sided seat, -than that with the left, and it would be considered awkward or ignorant -for her not to start off with the right, although during a long ride it -is well to change, so as to bring the strain upon a new set of muscles. - - -TURNING. - -Of course in turning you must always lead towards the turn, that is, -with the right foot in turning to the right, and with the left in -turning to the left. For instance, if you have to round a corner to -the right, and are leading with the right foot, as will probably be -the case, you have nothing to do but to go on around, being careful to -choose good footing for your horse, and avoiding particularly loose -stones. If, however, you are leading with the left, you must change, -and you can best do so in the following manner. As you approach the -critical spot, _collect_ your horse with the curb, and bring him to -a trot; then, just as you reach the corner, make him swerve slightly -to the left and instantly give the signal to canter, at the same time -turning him sharply to the right, pressing your heel against his side -back of the girth, and lifting the right snaffle-rein. It is well to -draw back the right shoulder also, so as to throw your weight on his -left side, and leave his right leg free to make the long stride. As -this is by no means an easy operation for an unskilled rider, except -on a perfectly trained horse, I will give the directions also in -detail for the reverse process of wheeling to the left. If your horse -should be leading with the left foot, you have, of course, no change -to make. If, however, you are, as usual, leading with the right, -you must "change the leg" to the left. As you draw near the corner, -moderate your speed and collect your horse with the curb, bringing him -to a trot. Then, just at the moment of turning, sway his shoulders a -very little to the right, give the signal to canter by raising your -hand, and wheel sharply to the left, at the same time pressing your -crop against his right side back of the girth, and raising the left -snaffle-rein. While doing so, draw back your left shoulder so as to -throw your weight on the right side. If he does not take the hint at -once, do not be discouraged, but practise him in some quiet place, -choosing, if possible, a corner where the turn is uphill; and when he -does well, pat him and make much of him, for you will find that no -one of your admirers is more sensitive to your praises than he. This -matter of turning is well worth all the trouble it may cost you, as it -will give you a lively pleasure to find your horse's powerful limbs -moving sympathetically to the gentle impulses of a woman's hand, and, -besides, it lends an air of style and _savoir-faire_ which will be -fully appreciated by every looker-on who knows anything whatever about -riding. Be particular to lean over towards the centre of the curve you -are describing at an angle proportionate to the speed, just as the -horse does himself, that is, leaning to the right side as he wheels -to the right, and to the left when he wheels to the left. It is well -not to let him cut off his corners, but to preserve the same distance -from the centre of the road, just as if you were riding in company, -and when this last is the case be careful to keep exactly abreast both -on the straight road and on the turns, for there is nothing that looks -more countrified than to see riders straggling along irregularly like a -party of mechanics out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. - -It is well never to canter a carriage-horse unless you know him well, -and are sure he will not thus be rendered unsteady in harness, and in -like manner you should be considerate of your escort or companions, and -not urge their horses beyond their proper gait. A good way to do, if -you are much the best mounted of the party, is now and then, when the -road is suitable, to gallop on and return again. It looks well to see -a lady cantering beside a gentleman who is trotting; but the reverse -never seems quite good form, and especially when it is evident that the -gentleman's horse is galloping because he has been pushed off his legs. - -A borrowed horse is an article which is looked upon with very different -eyes by the elderly people who generally are the lenders, and the -youthful riders that are usually the borrowers, and many a man, and -perhaps many a woman too, remembers with shame and regret how little -were appreciated or deserved the favors of this sort received in -youthful days. A borrowed horse should be scrupulously ridden exactly -as the owner wishes, and moreover the owner's desires ought to be -respectfully ascertained in advance. - -For cross-country riding the stirrups should be taken up at least one -hole, and the same is advisable in mounting a strange horse. Another -safe precaution, in the latter case, is a running martingale, which -will prevent him from throwing up his head, as some horses have the -habit of doing, to the great annoyance of the rider. - -There are two or three more practical suggestions which may not be out -of place here. The first and most important is that it is exceedingly -dangerous to let a horse stand in a draught of air, or in a cool place, -or eat or drink, when heated. In ten minutes he may be so crippled -that he will never take a free step again. Ferry-boats are notoriously -bad places, and a horse should never be taken on to them till quite -cool. It is not well to let your horse crop the leaves or grass, as -kind-hearted riders permit him to do sometimes, for it soils his lips -and bits, giving him a slovenly air, and you run the risk besides of -his wiping them on your habit before you part from him. Avoid letting -your horse drink unless he really would be better for the refreshment, -as he can hardly do so without wetting the curb-reins, making them -stiff and dirty-looking. - - -THE GROOM. - -The costume of the groom is too well known to require remark further -than that it should be scrupulously neat. In the country, top-boots, -etc., are by no means _de rigueur_, and under many circumstances would -savor more of pretence than of real gentility. The groom ought to be -mounted on a strong and able horse, which, if unused to the saddle, he -should train at least so far that he can with one hand, by the aid of -his legs, force it to take and keep any position. When accompanying -inexperienced riders his horse should be able to overtake theirs -easily. The distance at which he should ride behind his mistress -varies with circumstances--in a crowded street his place being close -behind her, while in the Park or in the country he naturally falls -farther back, though never beyond easy call. If he is mounted on a good -saddle-horse, he should keep in his place, that is, always at the same -distance, galloping if necessary; but if riding a carriage-horse, as -is often convenient, he should not, unless absolutely necessary, force -the animal beyond the fastest trot at which it looks well in harness. -He should never canter any horse unless instructed expressly to do -so, but should trot in a business-like way, rising in his stirrups, -or, if necessary, should gallop, sitting straight, with hands low and -feet thrust home in the stirrups. In all cases he should look straight -forward, without appearing to notice what goes on around him. Nothing -looks in worse form than a groom sitting lazily back on a cantering -horse, and casting glances at the admiring nursery-maids along the way. -When summoned to his mistress, he should touch his hat to acknowledge -receipt of the command, and should ride quickly up on the off side, -where he should listen in a respectful attitude with eyes cast down, -then, touching his hat again, depart to carry out her orders. - - - - -PART III. - -LEAPING. - - -One pleasant winter afternoon a fashionably dressed young man, crop in -hand, spur on heel, and mounted on a tall horse, was seen to emerge -briskly from a little grove in a gentleman's place, and come to a -sudden halt in the level field across which he had intended to gallop. -The cause was a new ditch, deep though narrow, stretching across from -fence to fence before him. He looked at the obstacle a moment, then -up and down the field, and remarked to a gardener, an old Scotchman, -who stood looking on, spade in hand, "Well, I suppose I must go back." -"I suppose so," said the old fellow, dryly, looking up out of the -corner of his eye with an almost imperceptible smile. The young man -reddened, hesitated, and then turned away, saying, as if the other's -thoughts had been spoken out, "To tell the truth, I don't know whether -my horse would if he could, nor whether he could if he would." "An' -the same o' yourself," muttered the old man in his grizzled beard. -The sarcasm was not to be wondered at, as the speaker remembered what -he had many a time seen, and very likely himself done in his younger -days in some hunting field of the old country, for the ditch before -him could have been cleared by an active boy, on his own legs, with -a good run. Moreover, it is not improbable that the reader is ready -to agree with the old satirist in thinking the young man a "muff." -Nevertheless, both horse and rider might easily have come to grief, for -the steep banks were crumbly, and while the rider's seat was not of -the firmest, his mount was straight in the shoulder and a little stiff -in the pastern. However, they were both as well fitted to overcome -such a difficulty as nine-tenths of American horses and riders, and a -very little previous practice would have enabled them to spring over -without bestowing a second thought upon it. The total indifference on -this subject of leaping among our people is really quite remarkable, -for one can hardly take a ride anywhere in the country without there -arising some occasions when even a little knowledge of the art would -have added to one's pleasure. How often, for instance, an easy fence -separates the dusty road, too hard as well as too hot for fast riding, -from some cool wood with its shaded turf, where a gallop would be -delightful and would do the horse good instead of harm. The reason of -this indifference is not only the fear of getting shaken off, but a -doubt as to the horse's ability to leap, and a dread of doing him some -harm by such an unusual exertion. All these apprehensions are very -likely well-founded, for if you have never done any leaping your first -essay will, in all probability, give you a severe shock. Then if your -horse is green at this sort of work, and the fence is at all difficult, -he will not improbably refuse altogether, or jump so unwillingly and -clumsily as to risk your bones as well as his own; and if he does not -really fall, he may cause such a strain upon unaccustomed muscles as to -set up a "splint" or "spavin," producing at least temporary lameness. -Nevertheless, all these excellent reasons for not trying to leap can -gradually, but rapidly and with perfect safety, be removed by practice, -and practice of a kind very pleasant and interesting, while at the -same time improving to your seat, giving it a firmness under all -circumstances which no amount of riding on the highway could ever do. - -[Illustration: APPROACHING A FENCE.] - -Some horses are exceedingly fond of leaping, but the majority are -indifferent, though on the whole rather averse to it, while a few -positively will not try at all. The first thing to be done is to get -your horse to take low and easy leaps without repugnance. For this -purpose lay the bar you intend to use on the ground, and lead him over -it without looking back at him or giving him any reason to suppose -that you have any particular object in so doing. Should he object to -stepping over it, be patient though firm, and when he has finally -done so, pat and praise him; but if he has been bred in this country, -and is used to bar places, he will probably give no trouble at this -stage of his education. Now mount him and repeat the operation; then, -having the bar raised a few inches, do so again, and continue doing -so, always at a walk, until it is so high that he can no longer step -over it. American horses are famous for their excellent tempers; -nevertheless, at this point, unless you manage with care and with a -judicious reference to equine peculiarities of mind and temper, you may -meet with a refusal to proceed. In this event you must not use force -or severity, or you may disgust the horse, perhaps forever, with the -very exercise you wish him to learn to enjoy, but must content yourself -with preventing him from sheering off and keeping him facing his task -till, sooner or later, he will go over. Now praise him and make much -of him, and ask no more jumping till the next lesson. It is not a good -plan to put the bar up in an open place, for the horse will think it -nonsense, and unless he is unusually docile will resent what will seem -to him to be an imposition in forcing him to jump over it when he -could easily go around it. A bar place or gate-way is much better, as -it cannot be "flanked," and he will not wonder at being asked to go -through it, but he should never be ridden backward and forward over -the bar, nor allowed to see it raised, but should be brought around to -it by a circuit which, if possible, should be large enough to make -him forget the leaping, or think of it only as an accidental episode -in the ride. The ground also should be no harder than good firm turf. -Let him jump towards his stable or towards home by preference, and it -will be well to let your assistant hold some little article of food -which he is especially fond of in view just beyond the bar, so that -his attention may be distracted from the effort, while an agreeable -association is given him with it, and he is prevented from thinking -that the obstacle is one of your making. Bear in mind that your object -at present is threefold: to induce him to take a liking for the new -exercise; to give him ease and confidence in the performance of it; and -to train and strengthen by use the muscles brought into play, so that -none of the unpleasant results mentioned above may follow. Therefore do -not for a considerable time set the bar more than two feet high, but -practise him at it several times a day; first, as already said, at a -walk, then at a slow trot, and then at a canter, making him lead first -with one foot, then with the other, until he not only springs over -without touching and without apparently thinking anything about it, -but shows by his lengthening or shortening his stride on approaching, -so as to "take off" at the right distance, that his eye is becoming -educated; and, finally, until a careful daily inspection of his feet -and legs has proved that no soreness or tenderness anywhere is caused -by this exercise. If he does not jump clean, but knocks the bar with -his feet, it may be because he underestimates the height, as not only -horses but men too are apt to do in the case of open fences made with -posts and rails; therefore have a broad piece of board, two feet long, -stood up against the bar like a post, and make him leap over it. If -he still strikes, it will be well to try the plan which M. Baucher -so enthusiastically recommends for all horses, and which consists in -raising the bar a little just as the horse is in the act of springing. - -[Illustration: A WATER JUMP.] - -It will be interesting to hear exactly what so great an authority has -to say on this subject. After remarking that the bar should not be -covered with anything to diminish its hardness, he proceeds: "I let -two men hold the bare bar at six inches above the ground. The rider -advances towards it at a walk, and at the moment when the horse, aided -by the rider, takes the leap, the two men _raise the bar six inches_." -The horse naturally strikes his feet against it. "I make him begin -again, until he clears the bar without touching, notwithstanding the -repeated raising of it at each leap. Then I have the bar held at a -foot above the ground, and, as before, it will be raised six inches -at the moment of the leap. When the horse is accustomed to clear -this new elevation, I have the bar gradually held six inches higher, -still continuing to raise it six inches at each leap, and I thus -succeed, after a few lessons given with the regular progression above -described, in making all horses jump obstacles of a height that they -would otherwise never have been able to clear. This simple proceeding, -well applied, will be useful even to exceptional horses, such as -steeple-chasers, by teaching them to come more carefully to the point -of 'taking off,' and will render falls less frequent." The idea of M. -Baucher is to get the horse in the habit of jumping a little higher -than he thinks necessary, so as to be on the safe side, and a very good -idea it is. It is a practice among experienced riders to hounds in -England, instead of leaping a post-and-rail fence midway between the -posts, to leap as close to a post as possible, or directly over it when -it is not much higher than the rail. - -To return to our equine scholar, having practised him for a month or so -at an elevation of two feet, his muscles will have adapted themselves -to the new strain put upon them, and it will be safe to begin to raise -the bar higher, and gradually to go up nearly to the limit of his -ability. It is well, however, never to ask too much, as even a willing -leaper will be sometimes so disgusted at what he thinks tyrannical -exactions as to refuse obstinately ever to try again. The horse should -never be allowed to rush at the bar, but should always, if approaching -at a gallop, be collected, as much as a hundred feet away, so as to -be under perfect control. The higher the leap, the slower the pace at -which it should be taken, for the very momentum acquired by a rush, -which would be useful in a water leap, would carry the animal against -the bar instead of over it. The reins should be held in both hands, -and after the horse has been collected with the curb, as may very -likely be necessary, the curb should be relaxed, so that on approaching -the leap he may feel only the gentle pressure of the snaffle, which -will not make him fear to thrust forward his head, a fear which would -possibly result in bringing him down on all fours at once, or even with -the hind-feet first. As he rises to his leap, keep a steady but very -gentle tension on the reins, being ready to support him firmly as his -fore-feet touch the earth. - -It is now time to experiment with low stone walls and with brooks, -being always on your guard against those concealed man-traps in the -shape of loose stones, which form one of the chief dangers of leaping -in this country. - -[Illustration: RISING TO THE LEAP.] - -All this while we have been assuming the rider to be an accomplished -horsewoman, and quite _au fait_ at her fences. If, however, the -business is entirely new to her, let her not be at all disheartened, -for her own education can be carried on simultaneously with that of -the horse, and without the least detriment to it. In this case, keep -to the standing leap--that is, the leap taken from a walk--although -it is really the most difficult to sit, until you can support the -unusual motion without being in the least loosened in the saddle, and -do not try the higher ones till you are perfect in the lower. The hands -should be held as low as possible above the right knee, and pretty -close to the body, so that they may have room to yield, and that the -sudden thrusting out of the horse's head may not jerk you forward in -the saddle, in which case the powerful impulsion of the hind-legs -might pitch you out altogether. The advice is often given in books -to lean forward and then backward in the leap, but the fact is that -beginners, if they lean forward intentionally, seldom get back in time -to avoid the shock above alluded to, and teachers, therefore, as well -as friendly _coaches_, often call out "lean back" as a lady nears the -bar, which results in giving the learner an awkward though perhaps not -unsafe manner. The fact is that there is no necessity to try to lean -forward, as the rising of the horse will bring you involuntarily into -a position perpendicular to the ground, while the play of thigh and -waist to prevent being tossed up is of the same kind as that in the -gallop, only proportionately increased, and it will become instinctive -if leaping is begun moderately and carried on progressively as already -recommended. In coming down you can hardly lean too far back. The left -foot should not be thrust forward, but kept straight, or drawn a very -little back and held close against the horse's side; the stirrup, into -which the foot is pushed to the instep, being one or two holes shorter -than for ordinary riding. On approaching the fence, be particular -to do nothing to distract the animal's attention, as, for instance, -by ejaculations or nervous movements of the reins and person; and -after the leap do not fail to reward him by praises and caresses, for -it cannot be too deeply impressed on the mind that he is exceedingly -sensitive to them, and will consider them an ample reward for his -exertion. - -[Illustration: COMING DOWN.] - -The object of these instructions being to enable a lady to master the -art of leaping without a regular instructor, it will not be amiss -to sum up the advice already given at length, in the words of two -competent authorities, "Vieille Moustache" and Mr. Sidney. The former -says: - -"She should take a firm hold of the upper crutch of the saddle with -the right knee, sit well into the saddle--not back of it, because the -farther back the greater the concussion when the horse alights--put her -left foot well home in the stirrup, and press her left thigh firmly -against the third crutch, while keeping the left knee flexible; lean -slightly forward, avoid stiffening her waist, in order to throw the -upper part of her figure backward at the right moment to preserve her -balance. The hands must not move except with the body, and above all -no attempt to enliven the horse by jagging his mouth as he is about to -rise--a pernicious habit, practised by riders of both sexes who ought -to know better. Reins too short, head too forward, and pace too violent -are the ordinary faults of beginners. Women have on their saddles a -firmer seat for leaping than men." - -Mr. Sidney remarks: "A sheep hurdle is quite high enough and the trunk -of a tree is quite wide enough for the first steps in leaping. Balance, -gripe of the pommels, and support of the stirrup must be combined; -the seat as near the centre of the horse's back as the pommels will -permit; the figure erect, not rigid, with the shoulders back, ready -to bend gently backward as the horse rises in the air--not leaning -forward, twisted over on the near side, like a popular spirited and -absurd picture ("First at the Fence"), which really shows 'how not to -do it;' the snaffle-reins held in both hands, at a length that will -enable the horse fully to extend himself, and the rider to bear on his -mouth as she bends back over his croup when he is landing. All this -time her eyes should be looking between the horse's ears, so as to keep -perfectly square in the saddle." - -If the reader carries out the instruction already given with care, and -exercises good sense and judgment, it is very unlikely that she will -have a fall. Should this happen, however, there are two things to be -remembered, first to get instantly away from the horse by scrambling -or rolling, and secondly to keep hold of the reins. In any event, the -timid may be reassured by reflecting that a fall is usually without any -serious result, it being by no means as dangerous to come down with the -horse as to be thrown from him. - - - - -PART IV. - -BUYING A SADDLE-HORSE. - - -The opening of the horse-market is not announced to ladies by cards -of invitation, though such an innovation on the old-fashioned -methods might prove a great success in the hands of a skilful -dealer. Nevertheless, as soon as spring opens, all over the United -States, ladies are "shopping" for horses, but by no means in their -usual jaunty and self-confident way, for their eyes, which do them -such good service at the silk or lace counter, take on a timid and -hesitating expression in the presence of this unwonted problem. The -acquisition of a saddle-horse by a young girl is usually a long -and complicated operation, in the course of which her hopes are -alternately raised and depressed day by day, to be at last very likely -disappointed altogether. It often begins at breakfast-time, somewhat -in the following fashion: "Dear papa, don't you think I might have a -saddle-horse this season? Eleanor B----'s uncle has given her a beauty, -and we could ride together; and you know that is just the sort of -exercise the doctor said would be good for me." The father hesitates, -and few fathers there are who do not in their hearts long to grant the -request; but he is a very busy man, and does not feel as if he could -take any more cares upon his shoulders; and very likely he knows little -about horses, and really has not the slightest idea how to set about -such a purchase; and his mind misgives him as he remembers what he has -heard of the tricks of dealers. So he says, "Oh, my dear, I don't see -how we can manage it. We should be cheated, to begin with, and pay -twice as much as he is worth, and he would run away and throw you off; -and then he would be always sick, and finally fall lame, and would have -to be given away before the season is over." This is the critical point -of this part of the little family transaction, and if the daughter has -nothing more convincing to offer in reply than some vague statement -that she is sure she sees plenty of good horses in the street, and that -she does not see why her horse should be sick any more than any one -else's, and that there must be plenty of good men to take care of him -to be had at low wages, then probably her case is lost. But suppose -that she replies: "Oh yes, papa, I _know_ a horse that will do _nicely_ -and can't be sickly for he has worked all summer and not lost _a day_ -and he is eight years old and so has eaten all his wild oats by this -time and he isn't a very pretty color but then we can buy him cheaper -for that reason and I don't care so much for color as I do for _shape_ -and he is _very_ well formed indeed his legs and feet are excellent and -he has a broad shoulder and a pretty neck and head and we gave him -a long drive the other day and he never missed _a step_ and he isn't -afraid of anything and I drove him fast up a steep hill and jumped out -at the top to give him a bunch of clover and took the opportunity to -listen to his breathing and to feel his pulse and there is nothing the -matter with _his_ heart or wind I assure you and I will promise to go -to the stable once a day to see him." Then the chances are that, after -laughing at the long sentence without a stop, and telling her she is a -runaway filly herself, papa will say, "Well, suppose we take a look at -this wonderful animal; we are not obliged to buy him, you know, unless -we please, and I don't say what I may decide finally," and her case is -won. To be able, however, to make the reply above supposed, simple as -it sounds, indicates a very unusual amount of observation for a young -girl. - -There are many ladies who can at a glance tell real point lace from -artificial, be the imitation never so good; but there are comparatively -few who know the points of a horse, or can detect any but the most -glaring defects or blemishes. The reason is simply want of practice, -for the difference between the well-made and the ill-made horse, or -between the sound animal and the spavined or foundered one, is far -greater than that between the two pieces of lace above mentioned, which -to most masculine eyes would appear exactly alike. With her superior -delicacy of observation and quickness of perception, a woman ought to -be, other things supposed equal, a better judge of horses than a man, -and there must surely be a great many who, if they really believed -this, would think it worth their while to master the small vocabulary -of technical terms in which the information they require is always -couched, and such would speedily find their reward in the opening -of a new and interesting field of research. To begin with, how few -ladies so much as know the names of the different parts of the animal! -Head, legs, and body, eyes, ears, and tail, are about all the words -in the feminine dictionary of horse lore, and whether the pasterns -are not a disease of colts, the coronet a part of a bridle, and the -frog a swelling in the throat, my lady knoweth not. A half-hour, -however, given to the illustration on the following page, will remove -once for all this preliminary difficulty, and will open the way to a -consideration of the proper form and motion of the parts of which the -names are here given: - - -PARTS AND "POINTS" OF THE HORSE, ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED. - -_Arm, or True Arm_ (8, 8).--Extends from the point of the shoulder (29) -to the elbow (10). It should be long. - -_Back._--This is one of the four parts which, according to Arab saying, -should be short. - -_Back Sinew._--The powerful muscle back of the cannon-bone. It should -be free from contact with the bone. - -_Barrel, or Chest._--Should be roomy, as not only the lungs, but all -the organs of digestion, are contained in it. - -_Belly._--This is one of the four parts which the Arab proverb says -must be long. - -_Breast, or Bosom._--Should be deep, but not too broad, or speed will -be diminished. - -_Cannon-bone_ (11).--The strong oval bone stretching between the -knee and fetlock-joint in the fore-leg, and between the hock and -fetlock-joint in the hind-leg. - -_Chin Groove._--The place just above the swell of the lower lip, in -which the curb-chain should lie. - -_Coronet_ (14).--A cartilaginous band encircling the top of the hoof. - -_Crest._--The upper part of the back of the neck. - -_Croup_ (18).--Strictly speaking, the upper part of hind-quarters -between hip and tail, but in a general way taken for that part of the -body back of the saddle. - -_Curb-place_ (29).--A part of the hind-leg, six or eight inches below -the point of the hock, where "curbs," or enlargement of the back sinew -resulting from strain, are to be looked for. - -_Ear._--Neither too long nor very short. - -_Elbow_ (10).--Should not be nearly under the point of the shoulder, -but considerably back of it, and should neither be turned out nor -pressed against the ribs. - -_Eye._--Should be clear and full, and of a gentle expression. - -_Fetlock._--The tuft of hair at the back of the pastern-joint. When -thick and coarse it indicates common blood. - -_Fetlock-joint_ (12).--Is between the shank and the pastern, and is the -same as pastern-joint. - -_Flank_ (22). - -_Forearm_ (9).--Should be long and muscular. - -_Forehead._--The broader, the more sense and courage. The average of -six thorough-bred English horses was nine and a half inches. - -_Frog._--The triangular piece in centre of bottom of hoof. - -_Gaskin, or Lower Thigh_ (23).--Should be strong and long, reaching -well down. Measured from the stifle-joint to the point of hock should -be twenty-eight inches in a well-bred horse of fifteen hands and -three-quarters. - -_Girth_ (30, 30).--Gives approximately the capacity of the lungs. - -_Heel._--Should not to be too high or contracted, that is, drawn -together. - -_Hip._--Should be broad, with powerful muscles. - -_Hip-joint_ (20).--Is not always easily discovered by an amateur. - -_Hock_ (25).--One of the most important of the points of the horse; -should be large, clean--that is, without any rough protuberances on the -bone--flat, and "with a good clean point standing clear of the rest of -the joint." - -_Hoof._--Deep, like a cup; not flat, like a saucer. - -_Jaw._--Should be wide up toward the socket, to give room for windpipe, -and permit of a graceful carriage of head. - -_Knee._--Can hardly be too large. Looked at from in front, should -appear much wider than the leg, and should stretch out backward into a -sharp edge, called the pisiform-bone. - -_Loins_ (17).--Broad, muscular, and arched slightly upward. - -_Lower Thigh._--See "Gaskin" (23). - -_Mane._--When thick and coarse, indicates inferior blood. - -_Muzzle_ (4).--Should be small, but with large nostril. A coarse muzzle -indicates low breeding. - -_Nostril._--Open and prominent. - -_Pastern_ (13).--The short oblique bone between the fetlock and hoof. -Should not be straighter than sixty, nor lower than forty-five degrees -to the ground. - -_Pastern-joint_ (12).--Same as fetlock-joint. - -_Pisiform-bone_ (16).--At the back of the knee. - -_Point of the Hock_ (26). - -_Point of the Shoulder_ (29).--The lower end of the shoulder-blade, to -which is jointed the true arm. - -_Poll._--The top of the head. - -_Quarters_ (21).--Should be muscular. - -_Ribs._--Should be well arched, and come up close to the hip. - -_Shoulder_ (7, 7).--Should be long and oblique. - -_Spavin Place_ (27).--Should be free from bony enlargement. - -_Stifle-joint_ (24).--Corresponds to the human knee. - -_Tail._--Not set on too high, but yet carried gracefully. - -_Thigh, or True Thigh._--Reaches from hip-joint to stifle. Should be -long to give speed. - -_Thrapple, or Throttle_ (5).--Upper part of throat. - -_True Arm_ (8, 8).--See "Arm." To a careless observer it appears to -form part of the shoulder. - -_Withers_ (6).--It is the height of the withers which gives the height -of the horse. - -[Illustration: PARTS AND "POINTS."] - -To be a "good judge of a horse" is indeed an accomplishment as rare as -it is desirable; but while it cannot be taught by word of mouth or pen, -yet a few principles may be acquired which will be of great assistance -in cultivating the eye. Even if the judgment be never so thoroughly -formed as to be a safe guide unaided in purchasing, yet a great deal -of pleasure may be derived from noting the comparative excellences -of the really fine horses constantly to be seen in this country; and -there is no reason in the world why a lady's opinion on this subject -should continue to weigh as little as it has generally done hitherto. A -graceful neck and an air of spirit usually win the feminine suffrages, -yet often co-exist with a long back, spindle-shanks, and a chest both -shallow and narrow. Nevertheless, a good neck is an excellent thing, -and so is a small head, especially if it have a wide forehead; but next -look to see if there is also (to use a horsey expression), "a short -back and a long belly," a deep chest, a sloping shoulder, and legs -broad and long above the knee and hock, but broad and short below. - -The Arabs have a proverb that "there should be four points of a -horse long, four short, and four broad." The long are the neck, the -forearm, the thigh, and the belly; the short are the back, the pastern, -the tail, and the ear; the broad are the forehead, the chest, the -croup, and the limbs. The head should be small and bony; that of an -English thorough-bred of fifteen and three-quarter hands will measure -twenty-two to twenty-four inches in length, with the forehead eight to -ten inches broad, the face dishing below the eyes. The withers should -be high, the shoulder as broad as possible--not fleshy, but bony--and -lying at an angle of about forty-five degrees. The chest should be -broad and deep, to give room for lungs and heart. The knees should be -broad, the hoofs large, and not flat, but deep. - -The reasons for some of the above recommendations may be made clearer -by a rough comparison between the frame of the horse and that of -man. For instance, the shoulder of the former, from the withers to -its forward point at the joint, is equivalent to the shoulder-blade -and collar-bone of the latter, and a broad shoulder is as sure an -indication of strength in the one as in the other. If the horse is -"short above and long below," it gives him a carriage similar to that -of a man with a full, broad chest, who holds his head high and his -shoulders back. - -The knee of the horse corresponds to the human wrist, and his _hock_, -or "back knee," as the children call it, to our heel. The shank of the -fore-leg, then, or the part between the knee and fetlock, corresponds -to the hand, and the hoof and pastern to the fingers; while the shank -of the hind-leg, or the part between hock and fetlock, corresponds -to our foot, the hoof and pastern being the toes. The horse may thus -be said to walk upon the tips of his fingers and toes, and it will -readily be seen why the leg weakens in proportion as the pastern and -shank lengthen. The arm proper of the horse is very short and almost -concealed from view, reaching from the forward point of the shoulder to -the elbow, which is close against the side. - -The more oblique the shoulder, the greater the power of this arm to -throw the forearm forward, so as to support the body in the gallop, -and in coming down from a leap. A straight shoulder is adapted for -pulling loads, but is not fit for the saddle, except upon level roads, -becoming positively dangerous in broken ground. The two upper members -of the hind-leg, reaching from the hip to the hock, are together -commonly called the thigh, as the thigh proper, which stretches from -the hip to the stifle-joint, is very short and almost concealed -from observation. The stifle-joint, which corresponds to our knee, -lies close against the flank. Read the description, to some extent -traditional, of the wonderful mare Swallow, in Kingsley's "Hereward -the Wake." She was evidently not from Arab stock, with her big ugly -head; but horses--like men and women--of extraordinary strength, and -beauty too, are sometimes happened upon in the most unlikely places. -Indeed, in many an ungraceful form there is stored up an amount of -vital energy which explains the saying that one can find "good horses -of all shapes." Nevertheless, the presumption is always in favor of the -well-shaped animal, and the acknowledged type of equine beauty is the -English thorough-bred. This is of pure Arab blood, but so improved by -many generations of careful breeding and training that it now excels -not only all other European and Oriental races but the modern Arab -himself, that is considered to be, weight for weight, twenty-five per -cent. stronger than other breeds. One invariable mark of Arab blood, -by-the-bye, is a high and graceful carriage of the tail. The eye should -be kind and quiet, that of an Arab very gentle, even sleepy, when at -rest, but full of fire and animation when in motion. - -"The relative proportions of and exact shape desirable in each of the -points described varies considerably in the several breeds. Thus, when -speed and activity are essential, an oblique shoulder-blade is a _sine -qua non_, while for heavy harness it can hardly be too upright. _There -are some elements, however, which are wanted in any horse, such as big -hocks and knees, flat legs with large sinews, open jaws_ (that is, with -the lower jaw-bones wide apart), _and full nostrils_." - -It is well, after taking a general look at a horse and getting an -impression of him as a whole, to divide him up mentally into sections, -and examine these in detail one after the other. Taking first the head, -which should be bony, not fleshy, remember that the more brain the more -"horse sense." Next look at the neck, which should be neither too thick -nor too long, but connecting head and shoulders by a graceful sweep. -Then the forequarters, observing that the shoulder-blade and true arm -are both long, well supplied though not loaded with muscle, and join -each other at the point of the shoulder at a rather sharp angle. Then -the "middle-piece," which should be rounded in the barrel, arched -slightly in the loin, "short above and long below," and well ribbed -up towards the hip. Next the hind-quarters, then the legs, knees, -hocks, and feet, observing that the knees are firm, the cannon-bones -and pastern are flat and strong, and that the back sinew is strong and -stands free from the bone. - -Now have the horse set in motion, and observe him first from one -side, then from the other, and then from behind, noting the carriage -and movements of the different parts in the order above given. This -examination is practically the more important of the two. - -Let no one suppose that mere verbal instruction, however judicious and -elaborate, will, without practice, make a good judge of horse-flesh any -more than it will of Brussels point-lace. All it is here intended to do -is to aid in training the eye, which must be constantly exercised upon -whatever specimens may come before it, comparing them mentally with -one another, and noting their defects and qualities whether of form or -of motion. It will soon be found that such observations, particularly -when relating to the motions of the horse, have a fascination -peculiarly their own, and open a new and wide field of amusement. - -In examining a horse a lady cannot of course usually make the thorough -inspection personally which would be necessary to warrant his limbs -and wind perfectly sound, but she can, by taking a little time to it, -form an opinion which will be very nearly correct. She should first -master the vocabulary at the end of this chapter, which will give her -an idea what defects to be on the lookout for, and just where to seek -for them; and she should cultivate her eye at every opportunity by -scanning critically every horse she sees--or, to be more moderate, say -one or two a day--endeavoring to detect a "spavin" or "curb," or what -not, which the owner does not suspect or perhaps shuts his eyes to. -Then, when a horse is brought up for her approval, let her take her own -time, refuse to be hurried or humbugged, but, as already suggested, -look him over from all sides, at rest and in motion, and finally _get -him on trial for a week_. This last precaution is the most valuable -of all, and worth, as "Stonehenge" says, ten per cent. on the price -of the animal, and it can very often be obtained by the simple offer -of paying for his services in case he is not purchased; indeed, some -of the most successful New York City dealers grant this privilege -to any responsible customer as a matter of course. To return to our -inspection: First take a side view from a little distance, observing -that he stands perpendicularly on all four legs, bearing equal weight -on each; any "pointing," or putting forward of a fore-foot to relieve -it of its share of weight, being indicative of tenderness if not -lameness. Notice the size, shape, and relative proportion of the -different parts, and scrutinize them carefully for swellings, or for -weakened or deformed joints. Then do the same from before, then from -behind. Now have him led past you, first at a walk, then at a slow -trot, insisting that the groom shall not take him by the headstall, but -by the end of the halter, so as to leave him free to nod his head if -he pleases. Now have him saddled and bridled, and all his paces shown, -finishing with a smart gallop long enough to sweat him well, after -which listen carefully to his breathing, which should be noiseless; -observe that the heaving of the flanks is regular and not spasmodic, -and that the beating of the heart is not violent or irregular. During -your week of trial take some disinterested person with you to serve -as witness in case of accident or misconduct, and work the horse hard -every day, so as to be sure that he does not lose his appetite when -fatigued, but being careful not to injure his feet by galloping on -hard roads, or to let him slip or strain himself in any way. Remember -the oft-quoted words of the English stable-man: "It ain't the speed -that 'urts the 'orse; it's the 'ammer, 'ammer, 'ammer on the 'ard -'igh-road." After your first ride, leave the saddle on for twenty -minutes with the girths slackened, and next morning, before putting it -on again, examine the back carefully for any soreness or puffy spot, -and if such exist, abstain from riding until it has quite disappeared, -for a day of patience now is better than a week after a saddle-gall -has become fairly established. The saddle, of course, should fit the -horse well, and there should always be a free space along above the -backbone and withers. - -[Illustration: THE SORT OF HORSE TO BUY.] - -The cut on the preceding page shows a saddle-horse of the very best -form for a lady's use. - -The color of a horse is an important factor in the price, except in -the case of animals of extraordinary qualities; and although different -persons have their special preferences, yet probably the order of the -following list will give the average taste of the horse-buying public: - - 1. Blood bay with black points; that is, with mane, tail, and legs - from the knee downward black. - - 2. Rich chestnut. - - 3. Rich brown. - - 4. Common bay with black points. - - 5. Common chestnut. - - 6. Dark dapple gray. - - 7. Full black. - - 8. Light bay with brown legs. - - 9. White. - - 10. Common gray. - - 11. Brownish-black. - - 12. Sorrel. - -When your decision is finally made, obtain (from the person selling) a -warranty, which had better be written upon the bill itself, giving the -height, age, and color of the horse, and stating that he is sound, -kind, goes well under the saddle and in single or double harness, and -is afraid of nothing. - -The vices which in the eye of the law make a horse returnable are -Biting, Cribbing, Kicking, Rearing when dangerous, and Shying when -dangerous. - -In estimating the height of a horse it is convenient to remember that -fifteen hands make exactly five feet--a "hand" being four inches, or a -third of a foot. - -To aid the inexperienced we give a cut showing a horse, originally of -high spirit but faulty organization, broken down by ill usage, and -also append a list of the various defects and ailments which every -horse-owner ought to know something about. - - -LIST OF DISEASES AND DEFECTS. - -[Those printed in small capitals constitute UNSOUNDNESS in the eye of -the law.] - -_Acclimation._--Horses removed from one part of the country to another -have usually a period of indisposition, often of severe illness, and -always for some time require more than ordinary care. It is well, -therefore, not to buy a Western horse in the Atlantic States until he -has been at least a month in his new surroundings. - -_Apoplexy._--Sometimes called "sleepy staggers." Begins with -drowsiness, passing into insensibility, with snoring respiration, and -ending in death. - -BLINDNESS.--Often comes on gradually. Eyes of a bluish-black are -thought suspicious, as is inflammation of ball or lid, or cloudiness of -pupil. - -BLIND STAGGERS.--See "Megrims" and "Staggers." - -BOG-SPAVIN.--A soft swelling on the inner side of the hock-joint -towards the front. It is caused by the formation of a sac containing -synovial fluid which has oozed out of the joint. The result usually of -brutality. Incurable. - -BLOOD-SPAVIN.--A swelling in nearly the same place caused by an -aneurism or sac of arterial blood. Incurable. Very rare. - -BONE-SPAVIN.--A swelling caused by a bony growth on the inside of the -hock-joint towards the front. It produces lameness, which sometimes -passes off temporarily after a few minutes' work. Sometimes curable. -This is what is usually meant by spavin. - -_Bots._--Caused by the larvae of the bot-fly, which cling to the lining -of the stomach by their two hooks till after several months they reach -maturity and pass out with the droppings. They seem to do little harm, -and should be left alone, as they cannot be destroyed by any medicine -safe for a horse to take. - -BREAKING DOWN.--A rupture of the tendons of the leg causing the -fetlock-joint to give way downward. Incurable. - -_Broken Knee._--Indicated by white or bare spots, showing that the -horse has been down, and is presumably a stumbler. - -BROKEN WIND.--Accompanied by a husky cough, and indicated by heaving -flanks and forcible double respiration after exercise. Incurable. - -_Capped Hock._--A soft movable swelling on point of hock, caused by a -bruise, usually got in kicking. - -CATARACT.--Opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye. - -_Chapped Heels._--Always the result of neglect. Often accompanied by -fever and constitutional disturbance. - -_Cold._--Shown by dulness, rough coat, loss of appetite, tears and -running at the nose. Give soft food and nurse well without exercise. - -_Colic._--Distinguished from inflammation of the bowels by intervals of -quiet between the spasms, and by the fact that the horse will strike -his belly violently in the hope of relief. Give first a warm injection, -to remove any obstruction in lower bowel, and then administer -stimulants. - -_Contracted Heels._--Often caused by improper shoeing, but often -natural, and in this case producing no ill result. - -CORNS.--Do not at all resemble human corns. A corn is a reddish and -very sensitive spot in the sole of the foot under the shoe, caused by a -rupture of the delicate blood-vessels, resulting in an abnormal fungoid -growth. - -_Costiveness._--May bring on "blind staggers" in a horse inclined to -this disease. No horse should be hurried when first taken out till his -bowels have been moved. - -COUGH.--Constitutes unsoundness while it lasts. Caused by foul air, -dusty food, irregular work. Crush the oats, damp the hay, and give -linseed tea for drink. - -CRIBBING, _or_ CRIB-BITING.--Is sometimes considered a vice, but is -doubtless a result of indigestion. The horse lays hold of the manger -with his teeth, straightens his neck, sucks wind into his stomach, and -ejects gas. Probably some alkali, say lime-water or baking soda, would -be beneficial. - -CURB.--A soft, painful swelling on the back of the hind-leg six or -eight inches below the hock. See illustration. - -_Cutting._--See "Interfering" and "Speedy Cut." - -_Discharge from Nostril._--Is usually caused by a simple cold, but may -be a symptom of the contagious and incurable disease GLANDERS, and -proximity to it should therefore be carefully avoided. - -_Distemper._--A disease of young horses, occurring once only. See -"Strangles." - -_Ewe Neck._--Carries the head high and nearly in a horizontal position, -so that the bit has not a proper bearing on the "bars," but is inclined -to slip back towards the grinders. - -FARCY.--An incurable and contagious disease, caused by blood-poisoning, -and indicated by sores usually on inside of thigh, or on neck and hips. -As it is communicable to human beings, every farcied horse should be -immediately killed. It is well to avoid all approach to horses having -sores of any kind. See "Glanders." - -_Filled Legs._--A swelled condition of the lower parts, usually caused -by want of exercise, and relieved by bandaging and rubbing. - -_Fistula of the Withers._--An abscess among the muscles over the -shoulder-blades, usually caused by pressure of saddle upon the bony -ridge of back. Requires surgical operation. - -_Forging._--See "Overreaching." - -FOUNDER, OR FEVER IN THE FEET.--An inflammation of the parts between -the crust of the foot and the pedal-bone, including the _laminae_, -which cease to secrete horn. It is caused sometimes by hard roads, -and sometimes by eating or drinking or standing in a draught of air -when heated. This name is commonly applied to any rheumatic lameness -of the fore-feet or legs brought on as above, whether its seat be the -feet, the tendons of the legs, or the muscles of the breast, in which -last case it is called "chest-founder." The treatment, which is only -palliative, is hot bathing and friction with liniments. - -_Gadfly Bites._--Often very annoying. May be prevented by washing legs -and flanks with a strong tea of green elder bark. - -_Galls_--from saddle.--Best prevented by leaving the saddle in place -for twenty minutes after loosening the girths. When occurring, however, -should receive prompt attention, as they are very tedious if neglected. -Examine the back carefully after the first ride on a new horse, and -also before putting on the saddle the next day. - -GLANDERS.--A disgusting, contagious, and incurable disease, the chief -symptom of which is a discharge from one nostril, at first transparent, -then slightly sticky, then thick and yellow. As it is highly contagious -to human beings, in whom it is equally dreadful and always fatal, _a -glandered horse should be instantly killed, as the law requires_. It is -well to avoid all horses having any discharge, however slight, from the -nose. Glanders may be caught from "farcy," and _vice versa_. - -GRAPES.--A filthy and incurable disease of heels and pastern, caused by -gross neglect. It is the last stage of "grease." - -GREASE.--An aggravated form of "chapped heels," accompanied by -swelling, fever and a serous discharge. Wash clean frequently, and -anoint with Dalley's salve. - -_Gripes._--See "Colic." - -HEART DISEASE.--May be detected by auscultation. Incurable. Ends in -sudden death. - -HEAVES.--See "Broken Wind." - -_Hide-bound._--The skin appears too tight, and as if fast to the ribs. -It is caused by a disordered stomach, and requires nourishing food. - -_Inflammation of Bowels._--The pain is continuous, and the horse is -careful not actually to strike his belly with his feet. Requires, of -course, very different treatment from colic, but an injection should be -the first thing done. - -_Interfering._--Striking the fetlock-joint with the foot. Caused -sometimes by weakness and fatigue, but usually by bad shoeing, and a -good blacksmith is the best adviser. - -_Lampas._--A swelling of the gums, relieved by lancing. - -KNEE-SPRUNG.--Incurable. Result of overwork. - -KNUCKLED.--Same as "set over." A condition of the fetlock-joint -corresponding to that of the "sprung" knee. - -LAMINITIS.--The scientific name of "founder." - -MAD STAGGERS.--Violent insanity, caused by inflammation of the brain. -The last stage sometimes of sleepy staggers. Incurable. - -_Mallenders._--A scurvy patch at the back of the knee, caused by -neglect, and not obstinate. - -_Mange._--An itch produced by a parasitic insect. - -MEGRIMS.--A falling-sickness like epilepsy. It begins with a -laying back of the ears and shaking of the head; is accompanied by -convulsions; and passes off of itself in two or three minutes, the -horse appearing to be none the worse. Often called "Blind Staggers." - -NAVICULAR DISEASE.--An ulceration of the navicular-joint in the foot, -causing lameness; incurable, except by extirpation of the nerve. - -NERVED.--A nerved horse has had one of the nerves of the foot cut to -remove the pain and lameness caused by the "navicular disease." - -OPHTHALMIA.--A purulent inflammation of the eye. Epidemic. - -ORGANIC DISEASE of the bony system anywhere constitutes unsoundness. - -_Overreaching._--Striking the toe of the front-foot with the toe of the -hind-foot; sometimes called "clicking." Often remedied by shoeing. - -_Poll-evil._--An abscess in the top of the neck, near the head, caused -by a blow. - -PUMICE FOOT.--Bulging sole, weak crust, the result of "laminitis." -Incurable. - -_Quarter Crack._--Occurs usually on the inside of fore-foot. A bad -sign, as well as very slow and troublesome to cure. - -QUIDDING.--Dropping the food half chewed from the mouth. Indicative of -sore throat. - -QUITTOR.--Burrowing abscess in the foot. - -_Rheumatism._--Cause, effect, and treatment the same as for human -beings. - -RING-BONE.--An enlargement of the bone by growth, a little above the -coronet. - -ROARING.--Caused by a contraction of windpipe. Incurable. - -RUPTURES of all kinds constitute unsoundness. - -_Saddle-gall._--Swelling caused by chafing of saddle. If the skin is -broken it is called a "sitfast;" if not, a "warble." - -_Sallenders._--Scurvy patch in front of hock-joint. - -_Sand Crack._--Occurs on the inside of fore-foot and on the toe of the -hind-foot. - -_Scratches._--See "Chapped Heels." - -_Scouring._--Looseness of the bowels. - -SEEDY TOE.--A separation of the crust of the hoof from the laminae, the -result of laminitis. Scarcely curable. - -SIDE-BONE.--A bony growth just above the coronet, causing lameness. -Incurable. - -SPAVIN.--See "Bone, Blood, and Bog Spavin." - -_Speedy Cut._--A cut of the knee from the foot of opposite leg. -Dangerous, because the pain often causes the horse to fall. - -STAGGERS.--See "Apoplexy." "Sleepy," "Trotting," and "Mad" Staggers -are different forms and stages of the same disease, caused usually by -overfeeding. - -_Strangles, or Colt Distemper._--A severe swelling of the glands of the -throat, which gathers and breaks. - -STRING-HALT _or_ SPRING-HALT.--A peculiar snatching up of the hind-leg, -caused by some nervous disorder. Incurable. - -_Surfeit._--An eruption of round, blunt spots, caused by heating food. - -THICK WIND.--Defective respiration without noise. Incurable. - -THICKENING OF BACK SINEWS.--Result of strain. - -THRUSH.--An offensive discharge from the frog, the result of -inflammation, caused by want of cleanliness or overwork, etc. - -THOROUGH-PIN.--A sac of synovial fluid formed between the bones of the -hock from side to side. - -_Warble._--A saddle-gall when simply swollen but not broken. - -_Warts._--Should be removed, as they tend to spread. - -WHIRLBONE LAMENESS.--Lameness of hip-joint. - -_Windgalls, or Puffs._--Little oval swellings just above the -fetlock-joint between the back sinew and the bone. - -_Worms._--Sometimes troublesome, but less so than often supposed. - -WHISTLING.--Caused by a contraction of windpipe. Incurable. - -[Illustration: THE SORT OF HORSE NOT TO BUY.] - - - - -INDEX. - - -Acclimation, 148. - -Advancing at Touch of Heel, 41, 44. - -Amateur Horse-training, 1. - -Amble, 28. - -Apoplexy, 148. - -Appel, 28. - -Approaching a Fence, 119. - -Arm, 135. - -Arriere-main, 28. - -Avant-main, 28. - - -Back, 135. - -Back Sinew, 135. - -Backing, 75, 76. - -Barrel, or Chest, 135. - -Bars, 15. - -Belly, 137. - -Bending the Neck to Right and Left, 32, 35, 48, 49. - -Biting, 148. - -Blind Staggers, 148. - -Blindness, 148. - -Blood-spavin, 150. - -Bone-spavin, 150. - -Boring, 150. - -Bots, 150. - -Breaking Down, 150. - -Breast, or Bosom, 137. - -Bridles, 12. - -Bridle-tooth, 15, 18. - -Broken Knee, 150. - -Buying a Saddle-horse, 132. - - -Cannon-bone, 137. - -Cantering, 64. - -Capped Hock, 150. - -Cataract, 150. - -Cavesson, 46. - -Changing the Leading Foot, 66, 79. - -Chapped Heels, 150. - -Chin Groove, 15, 29, 137. - -Cold, 150. - -Colic, 150. - -Color, 147. - -Contracted Heels, 150. - -Corns, 150. - -Coronet, 137. - -Costiveness, 151. - -Cough, 151. - -Crest, 137. - -Cribbing, 148, 151. - -Croup, 38, 137. - -Curb-place, 137. - -Curbs, 151. - -Cutting, 151. - - -Deux Pistes, 29, 71. - -Discharge from Nostrils, 12, 15. - -Diseases and Defects, 148. - -Distemper, 151. - -Dress, 88. - -Duke of Wellington, 110. - -Dumb-jockey, 46. - - -Ear, 137. - -Elbow, 29, 137. - -Etiquette in the Saddle, 87. - -Ewe Neck, 151. - -Eye, 137. - - -"Falling Through," 16. - -Farcy, 151. - -Fetlock, 29, 137. - -Filled Legs, 151. - -Fistula of the Withers, 151. - -Flank, 137. - -Flexion of the Jaw, 32. - -_Flexions de la Machoire_, 21. - -_Flexions de l'Encolure_, 32. - -Flying Trot, 58. - -Forearm, 29, 137. - -Forehand, 38. - -Forehead, 137. - -Forge, 29. - -Forging, 152. - -Founder, or Fever in the Feet, 152. - -Frog, 29, 137. - - -Gadfly Bites, 152. - -Galloping, 64. - -Galls, 152. - -Gaskin, or Lower Thigh, 137. - -"Getting a Horse accustomed to Skirts," 42. - -Girths, 138. - -Glanders, 152. - -Going on _Deux Pistes_, 72. - -Grapes, 152. - -Grease, 152. - -Grinders, 29. - -Gripes, 152. - -Groom, 116. - -Guiding Bridlewise, 55. - - -Hand, 29, 104. - -Hand-gallop, 29, 64. - -Heart Disease, 152. - -Heaves, 153. - -Heel, 138. - -Hide-bound, 153. - -Hip, 138. - -Hock, 29, 138. - -Holding the Bit lightly, 21, 24. - -Hoof, 138. - -Horse-training is not Horse-breaking, 9. - - -Interfering, 28, 153. - - -Jaw, 138. - -Jog-trot, 58. - - -Kicking, 69. - -Knee, 138. - -Knee-sprung, 153. - -Knuckled, 153. - - -Laminitis, 153. - -Lampas, 153. - -Leading with Left Fore-foot, 88. - -Leading with Right Fore-foot, 80. - -Leaping, 118. - -Loins, 138. - -Lower Thigh, 138. - -Lowering the Head, 25, 28. - -Lunging-cord, 46. - - -Mad Staggers, 153. - -Mallenders, 153. - -Mane, 138. - -Manege, 29. - -Mange, 153. - -Megrims, 153. - -Method of holding Reins in both Hands, 111. - -_Methode d'Equitation_, Baucher, 4. - -Mount, 91. - -Mounting, 92. - -Moving the Croup to Right and Left, 38, 52. - -Muzzle, 138. - - -Navicular Disease, 153. - -Nerved, 153. - -Nippers, 30. - -Nostrils, 138. - - -On the Road, 107. - -On which Side to Ride, 100. - -"One, Two, Three," 95. - -Ophthalmia, 153. - -Ordinary Pirouette, 71. - -Organic Disease, 153. - -Overreaching, 153. - - -Pace, 30. - -Pacing, 192. - -Parts and Points of a Horse, 138. - -Passage, 30, 71, 73, 138. - -Pastern, 30. - -Pastern-joint, 138. - -Piaffer, 30. - -Pirouettes, 30, 71. - -Pisiform-bone, 138. - -Piste, 30, 74. - -Placing the Foot in the Stirrup, 96. - -Poll, 30, 138. - -Poll-evil, 154. - -Position in Saddle, 97. - -"Pulling the Hands steadily Apart," 33. - -Pulling the Right Rein, 36. - -Pumice Foot, 154. - -Punishment in Case of Resistance, 27. - - -Quarter Crack, 154. - -Quarters, 138. - -Quidding, 154. - -Quittor, 154. - - -Rack, 30. - -Ramener, 30. - -Rassembler, 30. - -Ready to Mount, 94. - -Rearing, 66, 148. - -Reins, Act of Changing, 77. - -Reins in Hand, 43, 77. - -Rheumatism, 154. - -Riding in Circles, 79. - -Ring-bone, 154. - -Rising to the Leap, 127. - -Roaring, 154. - -Running Away, 69. - -Ruptures, 154. - - -Saddle-gall, 154. - -Saddles, 12, 13. - -Sand Crack, 154. - -Scouring, 154. - -Scratches, 154. - -Seat, 102, 103. - -Seedy Toe, 154. - -Shank, 30. - -Shoulder, 138. - -Shying, 68. - -Side-bone, 154. - -Sidney, Mr., 130. - -Single-foot, 30. - -Snaffle, 30. - -Spavins and Splints, 30, 138, 154. - -Speedy Cut, 154. - -Staggers, 154. - -Starting, 99. - -Stifle-joint, 31, 138. - -Stopping at Touch of Whip on Back, 45. - -Strangles, 154. - -String-halt, 154. - -Style, 50. - -Surcingle, 31. - -Surfeit, 155. - - -Tail, 134. - -Thick Wind, 155. - -Thickening of Back Sinews, 155. - -Thigh, 31, 139. - -Thorough-pin, 155. - -Thrapple, or Throttle, 139. - -Throat-latches, 15, 31. - -Thrush, 155. - -Trotting, 58. - -True Arm, 139. - -Turning, 112. - - -Vices, 148. - -"Vieille Moustache," 130. - - -Walking, 46, 51. - -Warble, 155. - -Warts, 155. - -Water Jump, 121. - -Whips, 13. - -Whirlbone Lameness, 155. - -Whistling, 155. - -Windgalls, 155. - 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