FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN. 19 



down the stirrup-leather — taking it up, of course, to the 

 required length, or rather shortness, when seated securely 

 on the saddle. She should likewise practice dismounting 

 without assistance. No active child should ever think of 

 requiring a helping hand. To lift the right leg deftly over 

 the up-crutch, take the left foot from the stirrup, gather 

 the skirt well together with the right hand — making certain 

 that no portion of it is in any way caught upon the pommels 

 —and then to jump lightly down, is the proper method of 

 dismounting. To be lifted — except for very young pupils 

 — is extremely babyish. 



How long a child should be permitted to ride at a 

 stretch is a question very often asked me, and one to 

 which I find some difficulty in giving a satisfactory reply. 

 Some children are strong, and can both endure and enjoy 

 an amount of exercise that would knock a delicate child 

 completely up. Again, some are passionately fond of the 

 art, while others care but little about it, and (as is well 

 known) the things that one likes are seldom liable to 

 cause fatigue, except when carried beyond the ordinary 

 limits of moderation. 



The counsel I would give is this : Watch carefully for 

 any sign of lassitude, or display of weariness on the part of 

 the pupil, and stop the riding as soon as such appears. 

 What I mean to convey is, that if a child complains of 

 feeling tired during her lesson, she should at once be 

 permitted to dismount ; or if after, say, an hour's ride on 

 the road she is conscious of fatigue, the time should on the 

 fiext occasion be shortened to three-quarters, or even to 



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