ENGLISH SPORTSWOMEN 235 



nothing odd about this. Cannot you tell viva- 

 cious or phlegmatic girls from the way they 

 dance ? The same idea may be applied to riding. 

 In addition to those ladies already mentioned, 

 there are go-betweens, who, on rare occasions, 

 can perform very creditably on any horse they 

 have grown accustomed to. It is somewhat diffi- 

 cult to class such people, if want of nerve alone 

 prevents them from distinguishing themselves on 

 strange mounts. 



Quite a piteous sight to witness is when a 

 timid rider puts her horse at a fence, which 

 neither has the smallest intention of jumping. 

 The animal makes a rush at the obstacle, but, 

 instead of taking off, whisks round : the lady 

 having unconsciously pulled him round. Finally, 

 she hits the horse, and terms him obstinate or 

 stupid. Yet, had she been mounted on her 

 favourite hunter, this sort of thing might never 

 have taken place. She might even have got a 

 reputation for being a hard rider to hounds, and, 

 after a good run, might have been presented with 

 the brush, though she would not have earned it. 

 Evidently much depends upon whether a rider 

 with a medium nerve is mounted on a horse that 

 she knows. Other ladies worth drawing attention 

 to are those blessed with any quantity of pluck, 

 who "go like smoke," although the less said 

 about their hands and seats the better. 



Without possessing something akin to animal 

 magnetism, it is impossible to excel in riding, 

 even granted a large stud of hunters is placed at 

 the equestrian's disposal. It is perfectly true 



