Graceful Riding Part 3

Much depends upon the manner of bringing a horse up to the leap; he should be taken up straight and steady to it, with the reins held in each hand--they must be kept low, with the _curb_-rein held loosely. The rider's body should be kept erect, pliant, and easy in its movements. As the animal is in the act of rising in his leap and coming again to the ground, the rider's body must be well thrown back.

The sitting of a leap, _well_, is entirely dependent upon the proper balance of the body; thereby the weight is thrown correctly into the saddle, and thus _meets_ the horse's movements.

THE STANDING LEAP.

Let the rider take up his horse at an animated pace, halt him with a light hand upon his haunches; when rising at the leap, the rider should only just feel the reins, so as to prevent them becoming slack, when he springs forward, yielding them without reserve; as, at the time, the horse must be left quite at liberty. As the horse's hind feet come to the ground, the rider must again collect him, resume his usual position, and move on at the same pace. His body must be inclined forward as the horse rises, and backwards as he alights.

FLYING LEAP.

The horse must not be hurried, but taken up at a brisk pace, with a light and steady hand, keeping his head perfectly steady and straight to the bar or fence. This position is the same as in the standing leap; and the aids required are the same as for making a horse canter.

If held too tight in the act of leaping, the horse is likely to overstrain himself, and fall. If hurried at a leap, it may cause him to miss his distance, and spring too soon, or too late; therefore his pace must be regulated, so that he may take his spring distant enough, and proportionate to its height, so that he may clear it.

When nearing the leap the rider must sit perfectly square, erect, pliant, and easy in the act of leaping; on arriving at the opposite side of the leap, throw the body well back, and again have the horse well in hand.

SWIMMING A HORSE.

The rider must take up and cross his stirrups, which will prevent the horse from entangling himself or his rider; should he commence plunging and struggling in the water, _then quite_ loosen the _curb_-reins, and scarcely feel the bridoon; any attempt to guide the horse must be made by the slightest touch of the rein possible.

The rider also must have his chest as much over the horse's withers as he can, and throw his weight forward, holding on by the mane, to prevent the rush of water from carrying him backwards.

Should a horse appear distressed, a person unable to swim may, with great safety, hold firmly by the mane, and throw himself out flat on the water; by those means he relieves the animal from his weight, and the horse coming once more into his depth, the rider may again recover his position in the saddle.

BOLTING, OR RUNNING AWAY.

This dangerous habit is to be found very generally in nervous and young horses, who at the least noise, become alarmed, and try to escape; quickening their pace, they break from a trot to a gallop, until terrified with the impotent struggles of their riders to stop them, or the sound of wheels behind them, they become maddened, and dash on in their perilous career.

Once a horse finds he has succeeded in these efforts, on any recurrence of noise or cause of affright, he will pursue the same course, to the imminent peril of life, limb,--not only of the rider or driver,--but of whoever or whatever he may chance to meet in his impetuous flight. The habit at length becomes confirmed, and it is alone by the utmost nerve and coolness, tempered with firmness and kindness, that we may hope eventually to overcome the disease.

When a horse is known to have a disposition for running away, a firm, steady hold should be kept over him, at the same time speaking soothingly and encouragingly; but, at the least symptom, checking sharply and scolding him, and never allowing him to increase his pace of his own accord, as fear will oftentimes cause him at length to break into a gallop.

Either in riding or driving, the reins should be held firmly, and the horse had well in hand; but not by a constant pull to deaden the sensitiveness of his mouth; taking care occasionally to ease the reins and keep the mouth alive by a gentle motion of the bit, only just loosening them, so that on any symptom of running away or bolting, they may be caught up quickly, and the horse be well placed under command, without frightening him.

By a little judicious management in this way, with patience, kindness tempered with firmness, a cure in most cases will be completed in a short time.

In riding and driving horses addicted to running away, be _very particular_ that all portions of the horse furniture be sound and strong, more _especially the reins_ and BITS.

PART IV.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

ADVICE TO LADIES.

Preparatory to a lady mounting her horse, she should carefully approach to the shoulder. The quietest animal will sometimes kick on a person coming suddenly to him from behind; but if neared in the manner described, he cannot possibly contrive to bite or kick.

It is also correct to allow the horse to see his rider as much as possible, as it obviates the fright occasioned by a person getting suddenly on his back, that he has not previously seen coming to him.

THE HABIT.

Both the habit and _under_ garments should be full, as upon this so much depends the requisite ease and graceful appearance. The habit should not, however, be too long, as it is liable to become entangled in the horse's legs. Sometimes serious and even fatal falls have occurred from this cause, particularly if the horse falls to the ground, as the habit cannot be speedily extricated from under him.

The author here strongly advises a lady _never_ to tuck her skirts tight over the crutch of her saddle, but take pains to have them so easy, as to be enabled on the instant to disengage _both_ skirts and knee. A facility, _in this_, can only be acquired by _constant_ practice; and it is of far greater importance to the lady equestrian to attain, than may appear at the first glance. Had this _apparently slight_ attainment been made a matter of _moderate_ consideration, many a parent need not have had to deplore the _death or disfigurement_ of a beloved child.

When a lady has her habit drawn over the crutch of her saddle, and tucked tightly in under her leg (for the purpose of keeping the skirt in its proper position), she denies herself the full liberty of her knee, and in case of accident, to be off the horse.

On the slightest warning, though _foreseen_, whatever the danger, the _tightness_ of the lady's dress will not allow her to get her leg out of its place, in time to make any effectual effort to save herself; also, it is probable that the habit might get entangled in the pummel, and she, frightened of course, would become unable to disengage her foot from the stirrup (or shoe), in which case she inevitably experiences the most appalling of all accidents,--_being dragged powerless, by a terrified horse, a considerable distance along the road_.

Before closing this portion of his subject, the author is rejoiced that the extremely dangerous and most unnecessary fas.h.i.+on of wearing "Habit Brooches" is now no longer adopted,--things solely invented for "trade purposes,"--and to any, and especially to a graceful horsewoman, a truly ridiculous article to wear: never to be patronized by a lady, anxious for her own safety and the feelings of her family and friends.

To ill.u.s.trate this:--The position of a lady on horseback is greatly limited, when compared to that of a gentleman; necessarily then, when her skirt is confined by a "Habit Brooch," _all power_ must be taken away, and _all chance_ of escape, when an accident occurs. A _very_ slight fall to the lady may be fatal, where, had she had the full liberty of her skirt, it would have been very trivial. The _proper_ arrangement of the skirt of the riding-dress, to prevent its flying about, entirely depends on the lady herself.

MOUNTING.

Two persons are absolutely necessary to a.s.sist a lady to mount; one to keep the horse quiet, by standing in front of him, and holding the reins close to the bit, _one rein in each hand_; the other is for a.s.sisting her to mount. The lady, having regulated her habit, must stand perfectly erect; her right hand; having the bridoon-rein hanging loosely on the thumb, being placed upon the upright horn of the saddle (her whip held between the thumb and forefinger), her right side towards and close to it.

The second person, who is to a.s.sist the lady to mount, must now place himself near to, and almost fronting her; having united his hands by putting his fingers between each other, and stooping down near to the ground, receives the lady's left foot, which should be placed firmly in them, care being previously taken that no part of her skirt is under it.

The left knee should be kept as straight as possible, in order to give additional purchase, while lifting her perpendicularly and gracefully into the saddle. The lady must then place her left hand on his right shoulder, and as he lifts her, _she must spring from the instep_, at the same time guiding herself into the saddle with her right hand.

Having gained her saddle, the lady should take hold of her habit with her right hand, close to the knee, and raise it sufficiently to allow of the right knee dropping _well home_ into the crutch, and keeping it there, as far as she possibly can, immovable.

RULES FOR GAINING THE CORRECT POSITION IN THE SADDLE.

Before a lady mounts she must endeavour to carry in her mind's eye the _centre_ of her saddle. On _this centre_ she must, as nearly as possible, place herself; and to a.s.sist her memory, she should take it for a rule, to keep her eyes in a straight line between the horse's ears when lifted into it. By these means, after a little practice, she will not fail to drop almost insensibly into the correct position; the weight of her body being thrown full into the centre of the saddle, rendering her seat firm and easy to her horse and herself. For example:--should we place a weight on one side of a table, the other side having nothing on it as a balance, if it does not actually fall, it will become extremely insecure and unsteady; but, on the contrary, if the weight be placed in the centre, the table will be safe and steady, even if ricketty before; therefore, if the lady does not sit "square" (that is, quite in the centre) on her horse, she must inevitably throw all her weight to one side, and thereby destroy her power over the horse, and instead of giving him his correct action, render him unsafe, and shambling in his gait.

THE POSITION IN THE SADDLE.

To obtain a correct position in the saddle, the lady must keep her head erect, and her shoulders well thrown back, which will have the effect of expanding the chest, and giving the requisite hollowness to the small of the back. It is also most important that the rider should keep her body from the waist to the bust very easy, in no way to be constrained, more especially across the loins. By observing these directions, the lady will be enabled to accommodate herself, without uneasiness, to the motions of her horse.

When the upper portion of the body regulates itself by its _elasticity_ to the paces of the horse, there is this additional advantage,--let the animal plunge or struggle as it may, if the rider keeps her knee immovable in its place, her left foot in the stirrup (with the toe turned in, which eminently a.s.sists her seat and balance), and preserves her presence of mind, and overcomes any approach to nervousness, she cannot be unseated.

THE ARMS.