3i6 The Book of the Horse. 



with all the grooms and horse-jockeys of the neighbourhood; in fact, he "may range the 

 roads, the farms, the fields." Without being guilty of eccentricity, he can risk his bones on 

 any horse that others have ridden, and be his own groom if no assistance is to be had. 



If the raw man-rider piakcs himself particularly ridiculous, he is sure to receive candid 

 criticism from passing strangers ; whilst those of his friends and acquaintances who are versed 

 in the art he is acquiring, either out of good-fellowship or to display their superior knowledge, 

 are only too glad to give him the benefit of serious advice or sarcastic chaff. 



With women, commencing to ride is a serious business, requiring a competent teacher, a 

 special dress, a special saddle, and, for safety and symmetry, a horse specially trained for the 

 purpose. 



The time and fuss required to set a riding party in motion when only two or three ladies 

 have to be fitted to strange horses and strange saddles, even if they are all practised horse- 

 women, is terribly exhaustive of the patience of those who are past the age of indiscriminate 

 admiration ; and when any of the fair equestrians are only half taught and timid, each will 

 require, if particularly pretty and coquettish, the assistance of two grooms and at least two 

 gentlemen during the operation of mounting. 



Few riding-masters who have their bread to earn, and still fewer gentlemen, care to 

 ruffle the plumes of a charming novice, unaccustomed to contradiction of any kind, by once, 

 twice, or thrice telling her that she does not understand or does not follow the rules requisite 

 to form a real horse-woman. A severely trutliful tutor runs the risk of being considered 

 impertinent if a paid teacher, and a "tiresome bore" if an admirer. 



The consequence is that you see amongst the fair would-be amazoiics, who have the power 

 of acquiring every accomplishment money can buy, frightful examples of some one of every 

 kind of inelegant or dangerous habit. A maker of side-saddles, whose high reputation 

 enables In'm to speak the truth, informs me that he has offended many fair heavy-weight 

 customers by saying plainly, " Your horse's sore back has nothing to do with the fit of my 

 saddle ; he will always have a sore back as long as you sit on one side and hang on the 

 pommels." 



Some ladies never take the trouble to learn how to guide a horse. For years they ride 

 daily, but they ride placid steeds, accompanied by some mounted man, who looks after them 

 just as a nurse looks after a child when it begins to run alone. Rotten Row in the season 

 is full of horsewomen who would not ride a strange horse alone over a strange road for any 

 consideration. 



Others acquire a really strong seat, ride hard to hounds, handle the reins with more or 

 less skill, but present an appearance painful to contemplate. Amongst such may be counted 

 the daughters of hard-riding hunter-breeding farmers, as well as ladies of fortune who never 

 hear the jokes of their flatterers or see the caricatures that are handed round when they have 

 left the room. 



Every one flatters the latter, and the former too if they are good-looking ; so they 

 continue to ride at and over everything, until a severe fall or serious domestic duties put an 

 end to exhibitions equally absurd and alarming to those who really know how, when, and 

 where women ought to ride. 



The best horsewomen arc found amongst professional amazones, who have gone through 

 a regular course of instruction under teachers who as likely as not enforced their precepts 

 with an occasional flick of a riding-whip ; and amongst ladies of high position, in whose 

 families saddle-horses of every kind in the stable are as much a matter of course as silver 



