THE BARB AND THE BRIDLE. Vd 



herself in the exercises of the horizontal bars or trapeze ropes. If any 

 Idnd of gymnastic exercises are allowed for a young lady, the best, 

 in my opinion, are those practised with the " Ranelagh," because no 

 hurtful strain can possibly be tlirown upon the pupil ; and for boys I 

 beheve the Ranelagh to be a first-rate invention, as is also the 

 " Parlour Gymnasium," and several others on similar principles, 

 which ignore the practice of the bars. 



The full practice of the gymnasium, however, for young men whose 

 frames have attained a certain amount of maturity, is no doubt good 

 if not carried to excess. I speak, however, only of young ladies of 

 tender age. 



Assuming then, that our pupil has been prepared for riding as 

 above described, let us proceed to consider the style of dress most 

 suitable for her early attempts in the saddle. For very young ladies, 

 say under twelve years of age, I beheve in hair cut short in preference 

 to flowing locks, because the latter are very apt to blow into the eyes 

 and seriously interfere with riding. For the very juvenile equestrian 

 tyro, the hat should be one that fastens under the chin with ribbon or 

 something that is not elastic. Notliing is more important in beginning 

 with young people on horseback than to give them confidence, and 

 nothing so completely puts them out as anything loose about the 

 head. For young ladies over fifteen or sixteen, hats which are 

 fastened to the hair may be worn. But, having regard to the progress 

 of the pupil rather than to appearance, I reconmiend every beginner, 

 no matter what her age, to leave no doubt about the security of her 

 headdress. As regards riding habits, to begin with, while they should 

 fit sufficiently to indicate the outline of the lady's figure, all tightness 

 should be avoided. Tight habits are very sightly to the eye ; but, in 

 common with tight corsets, steel or whalebone anywhere about the 

 dress is fatal to that perfect hberty of movement so essential to 

 success in a beginner. 



Loose jackets of course should not be worn, because the instructor 

 would be unable to see in what form his pupil was sitting. Nothing 

 is better, in the first place, than a jacket, of any coarse material 

 the rider chooses, made in the ordinary form, with plenty of room, 

 especially about the waist and shoulders. The skirt should not be 



