A LESSON IN LEAPING, 147 



saddle. An unprepared or untaught rider is always thrown 

 forward by a horse's leap, and the object to be gained by 

 teaching is to be able to offer suitable resistance to this — 

 and to do so, no matter how sudden or unexpected the 

 movement may be. 



Some excellent authorities assert that a lady's first 

 leaping lessons ought always to be in a school. I object 

 to the word " always " in this instance, and should like to 

 substitute " generally." Without in the very least depre- 

 ciating the excellence of school teaching — for it sometimes 

 IS excellent, though oftener the reverse — I have nevertheless 

 undertaken to teach " riding without a master," and with 

 this object in view I shall offer a few hints upon the subject 

 in a simple, common-sense fashion, which I hope may prove 

 profitable to those who wish to learn. 



I think it an excellent plan, if in the country, to begin 

 by practising over fallen trees — or if a place can be found 

 where two or three of these have been felled together and 

 are lying at short distances from one another, so much 

 the better. Such a spot affords capital schooling-ground. 

 Small ditches too, and cuttings, are very nice — and so are 

 little streams that don't call for much exertion on the part 

 of the rider to enable her to get over them. If, however, 

 your surroundings are not such as will admit of your 

 practising over natural obstacles of an easy nature, have 

 one or two artificial ones erected, in the shape of small 

 hurdles, interwoven with gorse or some such matter, but 

 strive to avoid taking your first leaps over a bar — a thing at 

 which many horses are apt to go " slovenly," owing to the 



L 2 



