204 THE AMERICAN HORSEWOMAN. 



ing it as firm and steady as possible during the 

 roughness of this gait while the reins should 

 be held a little firmer than for the walk. This 

 trot should never be ridden by ladies after their 

 first lessons in riding, unless the horse moves so 

 easily in it that his rider is not jolted in the 

 least. To trot so softly that no shock will be 

 experienced by the rider as the horse's feet 

 touch the ground will require a thorough-bred 

 of rare formation. 



Before the invention of the three-pommeled 

 saddle the French trot was always employed in 

 the best riding-schools, a beginner being required 

 to practice it for a long time, in order to ac- 

 quire the proper firmness in the saddle ; but 

 since the invention of the third pommel the 

 cavalry trot has been almost entirely dispensed 

 with, as this pommel at once gives a firmness of 

 seat that could be obtained on an old-fashioned 

 two-pommeled saddle only after taking many 

 fatiguing lessons in the French trot. It was 

 this fatigue that caused so many persons to con- 

 demn horseback riding for ladies, and it also 

 proved a cause of discouragement to the pupils 

 in the riding-school, frequently giving rise to 

 a decided dislike for horseback exercise. But 

 since the employment of the third pommel, it 

 is only necessary for the pupil to take two or 



