224 RIDING ACROSS COUNTRY. 



luctant " in such cases. Hence, if the lady has ridden 

 over the fences nicely, from left to right and from 

 right to left, and taken her artificial brook at a good 

 pace, she should not be required to do any more 

 jumping on that occasion. The ground near the 

 fences should be laid down with tan, stable litter, or 

 anything else which will make the falling soft, in the 

 event of the pupil having a tumble. It would be 

 better for a lady not to be given a lead in riding over 

 these "made" obstacles, because it is necessary for her 

 to have as much practice as possible, at first, in 

 controlling her mount without assistance. 



PRACTICE OVER NATURAL FENCES. 



A lady who has gone through the hard drudgery of 

 learning to sit well, will be repaid for her efforts on 

 finding herself able to ride with ease over natural 

 fences. Her companion should select the obstacles, 

 and give a lead, but the pupil should not send her 

 horse at a fence until she has seen her pilot 

 safely landed and going away from it. She should 

 occasionally assume the lead, in order that she may 

 not always rely on the guidance of others. Unless 

 there is a paucity of obstacles, no fence should be 

 jumped twice, and the companion or attendant should 

 be a man who knows the country, so that he may 

 direct his pupil to obstacles without going out of the 

 way to meet them. The more these fences are treated 

 as adventitious circumstances, and not the main object 

 of the ride, the steadier and more safely will a horse 



