LADY'S SEAT. 27 



walk, and consequently when all the weight is on the saddle, 

 the position of the lady is bad and particularly ungraceful. 

 When rising at the trot, her seat is still worse ; because the 

 left shoulder is jerked forward when she rises, and goes back 

 when she comes down on the saddle. This is the well-known 

 ungraceful cork-screw movement. 



When the lady sits evenly on both sides of the saddle and 

 has a good position at the walk, her hips and shoulders will 

 easily remain well placed at the trot. 



She should keep her body well under her when rising at 

 the trot. The upper part of the body makes no effort, but 

 allows itself to be raised by the movement of the horse. The 

 foot rests in the stirrup iron without stiffness, and the ankle 

 and knees act only as hinges. The slightest muscular con- 

 traction, or the least effort made by the ankle, knees or loins 

 will give the rider a stiff and ungraceful appearance, and will 

 cause fatigue. If the lady will carry out these rules, she will 

 ride in two-time, namely, one on the saddle and one in the 

 air. Otherwise she will come down too quickly, and will 

 mark two-times on the saddle, which will give her a useless 

 and fatiguing shock. I will refer to this fact at greater 

 length when discussing the position of a horseman at the trot 

 (p. 146). 



A horsewoman should have great pliability of body, which 

 she will acquire by practice in riding and other preliminary 

 exercises, of which dancing is the best. It also depends on 

 certain small details of dress, about which I may give the 

 following advice. 



A lady on horseback is apt to cut herself The slightest 

 crease in her clothes may cause an abrasion. For a long ride, 

 and still more for hunting, she should wear a short chemisette, 

 made of very fine material, and fitting close to the body. 

 The collar and cuffs ought to be strongly connected to this 

 chemisette, and not fixed to it merely by pins, which arc liable 



