THE LADY'S SEAT. 117 



daughter to walk, trot, canter, gallop, and leap, without 

 the steadying assistance of the reins. 



A second point is, that every pupil in horsemanship 

 should begin by holding the rein or reins (one is enough 

 to begin with) in both hands, pulling to the right when 

 they want to go to the right, and to the left when they 

 wish to go to the left, that is the proper way of riding 

 every strange horse, every colt, and every hunter, that 

 does not perfectly know his business, for it is the only 

 way in which you have any real command over your 

 horse. But almost all our riding-school rules are mili- 

 tary. Soldiers are obliged to carry a sword in one 

 hand, and to rely, to a great extent, on the training of 

 their horses for turning right or left. Ladies and 

 gentlemen have no swords to carry, and neither pos- 

 sess, nor can desire to possess, such machines as troop- 

 horses. Besides other more important advantages which 

 will presently be described by commencing with two- 

 handed riding, a lady is more likely to continue to sit 

 squarely, than when holding the reins with one hand, 

 and pretending to guide a horse who really guides him- 

 self. A man has the power of turning a horse, to a 

 certain extent, with his legs and spurs ; a woman must 

 depend on her reins, whip, and left leg. As only one 

 rein and the whip can be well held in one hand, double 

 reins, except for hunting, are to a lady merely a per- 

 plexing puzzle. The best way for a lady is to knot up 

 the snaffle, and hang it over the pommel, and ride with 

 a light hand on the curb. 



In order to give those ladies who may not have in- 

 struction at hand an idea of a safe, firm, and elegant 

 seat, I have placed at the head of this chapter a wood- 

 cut, which shows how the legs should be placed. The 

 third or hunting-horn pommel must be fitted to the 



