250 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



position is equally grateful to a horse when 

 galloping. 



Q. Should ladies ride with long stirrups or 

 short ones ? 



A. The stirrup should be a medium length. 

 If a lady rides with a very long stirrup there is 

 an advantage to the horse from her necessarily 

 using the upper leg more in the trot, and 

 consequently the stirrup, having less strain upon 

 it, does not pull so much at the saddle, and there 

 is less drag on the off-side of the withers. Her 

 seat, however, is not so secure as with a shorter 

 stirrup ; she must ride more by balance, through 

 the left knee being straighter, and less aid is 

 therefore obtained from the third crutch. It 

 must be borne in mind that the more a lady 

 throws her weight on the stirrup, the more likely 

 she is to pull the saddle out of its place. With 

 a very short stirrup also it is very difficult for 

 a lady to sit squarely in the saddle, and she is 

 almost obliged to ride in a twisted position, 

 which is very ungainly. 



Q. How should the reins be held ? 



A. The reins must be separated, and one held 

 in each hand, for it is childish to attempt to ride 

 over a country with both reins in one hand. 

 Each arm must be free and unhampered in its 

 movements, or a considerable amount of power 

 is lost. The elbows should always be kept close 

 to the sides, for if they stick out at right angles 

 to the body it is not only ungraceful, but power 

 is also again diminished. A man sawing wood 

 could not go on doing it unless his arm worked 

 close to his body, backwards and forwards, and 



