96 RIDING FOR LADIES, 



should then Hft yourself slightly, and smooth the seat of 

 the skirt from right to left with your left hand, first trans- 

 ferring the reins and whip to your right, in order to enable 

 you to do so. 



You should be extremely careful, if wearing a spur, to 

 keep your left heel well away from the horse's side when 

 mounting : otherwise, the consequences may be very 

 disastrous. I once saw a lady thrown heavily upon her 

 face by a sudden start of her horse, through her spur 

 having struck him in the flank just as she reached the 

 saddle, before she had time to secure the support of the 

 pommels. 



Be cautious, also, not to touch your horse, when mount- 

 ing, with your whip. If you do so he will assuredly start, 

 and may give you an ugly fall. It is for this reason that I 

 advocate the custom of ladies when mounting retaining 

 the whip in their right hand and placing it, together with 

 the reins, on the up-pommel of the saddle, in place of, as 

 many do, handing it to their assistant cavalier. A man, when 

 he gets a lady's whip to hold, naturally tucks it away under 

 his arm, where a nervous horse keeps looking askance at it, 

 and is often rendered fidgetty by seeing it, even when it 

 does not actually touch him — although it very often does. 

 I append two sketches, one showing the correct position 

 of the hand with whip and reins upon the pommel 

 when just about to mount, the other demonstrating the 

 precise attitude in which a lady ought to seat herself upon 

 the saddle. 



If properly placed, and sitting erect and even, your seat 



