238 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



tinue Riding when the muscles are exhausted.'* 

 This is a truth which cannot be too strongly im- 

 pressed upon beginners, who are generally rather 

 prone to over-estimate their strength when 

 taking part in an unaccustomed exercise. A long 

 ride should never be undertaken till the muscles 

 have become accustomed to riding, and for this 

 reason it is desirable that all the early riding 

 lessons should be taken in the Riding school. 



May I ask my lady friends not to stick their 

 elbows out when they are riding. It is a fault 

 many of them have. About this Col. Meysey 

 Thompson tells an amusing anecdote. He was 

 riding in company with a lady friend in the 

 hunting field when the latter said to him '' Look 



at , sticking out her elbows to draw attention 



to her waist." Surely Col. Meysey Thompson's 

 friend was libelling her sex ; at any rate we will 

 hope so. 



I have seen ladies out hunting with a Riding 

 master — I mean a number of them. May I ask 

 my lady friends never to make one of such a 

 number. In the first place it is impossible for 

 the Riding master to look properly after them, so 

 that educationally their ride is of little benefit. 

 And I have seen a Riding master take his ' class ' 

 to a nice clipped fence between two clover fields, 

 to lark over it backwards and forwards at their 

 discretion ! 



Ladies who hunt should be attended by a 

 member of their own family or a servant. Al- 

 though of course any gentleman would help a 



