1 6 RIDING FOR LADIES. 



in, not into, her saddle. She should approach the horse 

 from the front, and not from behind. 



After a kind word or two and a httle "gentling," she, 

 with her whip, hmiting crop, or riding cane in her right hand, 

 picks up the bridoon rein with her left, draws it through the 

 right smoothly and evenly, feeling the horse's mouth very 

 lightly, until it reaches the crutch, which she takes hold of. 

 In passing the rein through the hand, care must be taken 

 that it is not allowed to slacken so that touch of the 

 mouth is lost. Attention to this will keep the horse in his 

 position whilst being mounted \ for should he move back- 

 ward or forward or away as the lady is in the act of spring- 

 ing into the saddle, he not only makes the vaulting exceed- 

 ingly awkward, but dangerous. Many horses sidle away as 

 the lady is balanced on one foot and holding on to the 

 pommel with the right hand, in which case she must at once 

 quit her hold or a fall will follow. 



Having adjusted the rein of the bridoon to an equal 

 length, the whip point down with the end of the rein on the 

 off side, she stands looking in the direction the horse is 

 standing — i.e., to her proper front, her right shoulder and arm 

 in contact with the flap of the saddle near side. The mounter 

 advances facing her, and, close to the horse's shoulder, can 

 perform his oftice in three different ways. Stooping down, he 

 places his right hand, knuckles downwards, on his right knee, 

 and of it the lady makes a sort of mounting block, whence, 

 springing from the left foot, she reaches her saddle. When 

 she springs she has the aid of her grip on the crutch, sup- 

 plemented by the raising power of her left hand resting on 

 the man's shoulder. Or the groom aids the spring by the 

 uplifting of both the hand and the knee. The third method 

 is, for the mounter — his left arm, as before, touching the 

 horse's shoulder — to stoop down till his left shoulder comes 



