HOLDING THE REINS. i6i 



used, except, perhaps, a little saddle dressing once a 

 month. The steel work should of course be kept 

 bright. 



Holding the Reins and Whip. — I strongly advise 

 ladies to hold their reins " crossed " in the manner 

 adopted by all jockeys and good cross-country riders. 

 This plan gives them an amount of power over their horse 

 which is unattainable by any other method. I venture 

 to propose the following modification of the " crossed " 

 rein style, which may be found very convenient for 

 riders with small hands, whose fingers bien ga?ites would 

 be incommoded by the reins passing through them. 

 If the lady wishes to ride on one rein only, she may 

 hold it in her left hand crossed as in the accompanying 

 sketch ; while she may hook up the other rein on her 

 middle finger, and let it loose or draw it up. If she 

 wishes to ride equally on both reins, she may treat 

 the two as one. If she wants to ride on one only, she 

 may loop the other up by a slipknot (see Fig. 8, page lo), 

 and hold her reins in the manner shown on page i. 

 The method of holding the reins with both hands is 

 shown on pages 3 and 5- 



I would advise all beginners to make a practice of 

 riding with both hands on the reins. It helps them to 



M 



