HANDS. 161 



had on a young horse which had been carefully broken 

 by a competent horseman. No young horse will pull 

 until he is taught to do so by bad handling, and a lady 

 who wishes to improve her hands might ride a young 

 animal, in the company of an old steady horse, and 

 ascertain in this way what the natural condition of a 

 horse's mouth really is and how easily it may be con- 

 trolled. I do not think that many ladies have heavy 

 hands with horses their chief fault lies in their want 

 of control over their mounts. Many ride with the 

 reins so loose that their horses get out of hand and 

 go in an uncollected manner, and accidents not unfre- 

 quently occur from this cause. As horses which are not 

 well in hand in the hunting field will, sooner or later, 

 bring their riders either to grief or to disgrace, 

 this slipshod method of handling should be avoided. 

 Although the grip which a lady obtains in a side-saddle 

 should render her entirely independent of the reins as 

 a means of support, she is handicapped by being 

 unable to lower her hands to the same extent as a 

 man. I have found that with horses which carry their 

 heads too high, and throw them up if the rider tries 

 to lower them, a standing martingale attached to the 

 rings of the snaffle affords considerable help in obtain- 

 ing perfect control, especially with young horses. But 

 I would not recommend a lady to use a standing mar- 

 tingale with a horse which has not previously been 

 accustomed to it, nor indeed at all, unless she rides 

 chiefly on the snaffle ; for although it is perfectly safe 

 to use the curb with a standing martingale in steadying 



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