THE BAEB AND THE BRIDLE. 105 



to a lady's riding than many suppose. The stamp of horse I speak 

 of, too, will gallop with his hind legs well under him, while he 

 maintains a proper balance of his fore hand without getting his head 

 too low. He will do his fences without rush or passion, and measure 

 his distance to perfection. 



Secondly, his breeding gives him the power to endure through 

 long runs, while his temper prevents that feverish excitement so 

 detrimental in its reaction on a hot horse after a long day's hunting. 



To return to the detail of the leaping lesson. This should always 

 be commenced either in a riding school or in a space so inclosed as 

 to do away as nearly as possible with any chance of the horse 

 refusing. It is not possible always to procure one that is quite a 

 "Lamb;" and, however well trained the animal on which the fair 

 pupil is put, no possible temptation to do wrong should ever be 

 allowed to remain in his way, A gorse-bound bar, a wattled hurdle 

 or common sheep hurdle are all equally good for the first attempt, 

 care being taken not to make the leap too high. But I do not, from 

 experience, believe in putting the bar or other obstacle on the 

 ground, because the effort a well-broken horse makes to clear it is so 

 slight, that it puts the rider off her guard ; and when afterwards 

 he rises higher in his jump, he is very apt to shift her in the saddle. 

 There is a very natural inclination on the part of a tyro in riding, 

 lady or gentleman (having seen a horse jump under another person), 

 to suppose that some effort of the hand is necessary to lift the horse 

 over the obstacle. 



It should be the duty of the instructor carefully to warn his pupil 

 against any such effort, and in the first attempt to attend only to 

 her true equilibrium, while she presses the horse well up to his 

 bridle, keeping her hands perfectly steady, well back, and well 

 down. She should take a firm hold of the upper crutch of the saddle 

 with her right knee ; sit well into the saddle, and not on the back of 

 it, because the further back she sits, the greater the concussion 

 when the horse alights. She should put her left foot well home in 

 the stirrup, and press her leg firmly against the third crutch, while 

 she keeps the left knee quite flexible, and the left foot well forward. 

 She should draw her figure well up from the waist, which should be bent 



