THE SADDLE HORSE. 139 



ference. If such an animal be rather ' woodeny ' in his paces, no fault 

 should be found with him on that account. 



"The style of horse should, if possible, be in thorough keeping with 

 that of the rider. A young lady with a slight, pretty figure will look best on 

 a horse which is all blood and quality ; though a portly and dignified matron 

 will be best suited with one of the weight-carrying hunter stamp, or with a 

 clever cob. Fifteen hands is a nice height for a horse to carry a lady five 

 feet high. We might add an inch in height for the horse for every two 

 inches by which the rider exceeds five feet. I hardly think that a woman 

 will be comfortable and look well on a pony that is less than 1 3 hands 3 

 inches high. 



" The horse or pony should be quite twenty-one pounds, taken from a 

 man's point of view, above the weight he has to carry ; as extra fatigue is 

 entailed on him by the side position of the rider. Besides this, a woman 

 cannot ease her mount by altering her seat, or getting off for a short time, 

 as a man may do during a long ride. Taking for granted that every saddle 

 horse should be practically sound, we should especially look in the lady's 

 horse for good shoulders (long, flat and oblique) and a well put-on head 

 and neck. If his shoulders are faultless, his action, as a rule, will be safe and 

 pleasant. If his head and neck are right, he will readily bend to the rein, 

 to do which, owing to the high position of the hands, might be a difficulty 

 to animals whose heads and necks are not well placed. I have seen so 

 many cases of sore back arise from the fact of the horse having thin withers, 

 that I would warn ladies against riding animals which have this kind of con- 

 formation. 



" Horses that are lower in front than over the croup are seldom com- 

 fortable to ride. Besides, a horse with this shape will have a difficulty in 

 retaining the sidesaddle in its place. We must remember that a man's 

 saddle has not nearly as great a tendency to shift its position as a side- 

 saddle. First, because the tree is made to lie closer to the back ; secondly, 

 there is not the disturbing side play; and thirdly, the grip of the knees 

 (which is absent with the sidesaddle) helps to keep it in its place. For 

 these reasons, a comparatively high forehand is a more desirable point in a 

 lady's horse than in one intended for a man. It is also well for a lady's nag 

 to be fairly broad in the back ; for the saddle will then have less tendency 

 to shift than if he were narrow. As a sidesaddle goes farther back than a 



