200 THE AMERICAN HORSEWOMAN. 



step. This is called the " English trot/' and is 

 the favorite gait of the European and the Amer- 

 ican civilian horsemen. It is only during the 

 last few years that this trot has been gradually 

 coming into favor with American horsewomen, 

 although the ladies of England, and of nearly 

 all continental Europe, have for a long time 

 ridden this gait as well as the canter and hand 

 gallop, having found that by alternating the 

 latter gaits with the trot they could ride greater 

 distances upon hard roads, and with much less 

 fatigue to themselves and their steeds. The 

 English trot does not wear out the horse so 

 quickly as the gallop and canter ; indeed, it has 

 been generally found that the horse's trot im- 

 proves as he grows older, many horses having 

 become better trotters at their tenth or twelfth 

 year than at an earlier age. The trot in which 

 the hoof-beats are in time of only one, two, is 

 very difficult to ride. 



In America, many persons condemn the Eng- 

 lish trot for lady riders, which is hardly to be 

 wondered at when one observes the various 

 awkward and grotesque attitudes that are as- 

 sumed, even by many gentlemen, when at- 

 tempting to rise in the saddle. As for the 

 ladies who have undertaken this innovation, 

 their appearance on horseback, from want of 



