16 UNASKED ADVICE. 



are not given to all ladies, thougli the majority certainly 

 do possess this most desirable qualification. I say 

 nothing of gags, segundos, Bucephalus nosebands, and the 

 like, because a horse requiring them is not a lady^s horse. 

 Having, then, considered with some care all the bridles with 

 which I am acquainted,! see nothing that I can recommend 

 for hunting except, as I have said, the Pelham, shifting 

 Pelham, and double bridle (Dwyer pattern preferred), for 

 the degrees of very light mouth, medium, and pleasant 

 ditto. The latter is marked "pleasant,^^ as being the 

 least likely to pull its owner into a ditch — supposing the 

 rider's seat, and, as a consequence, hands, to be for the 

 time astray. The Hanoverian Pelham, for road work, has 

 been glanced at, and I really think a horse who will go in 

 none of these is unfit for a gentleman, much more a lady. 

 The lady's saddle has been much improved of late. 

 The addition of the third pummel is worth anything, as 

 it gives a firmer seat than a man's. The latest fashion 

 also does away with the ofi" side-crutch — another ad- 

 vantage, as not only is there one protuberance the less 

 to run into anyone over whom the horse may roll, but its 

 absence allows the right hand to be got down lower than 

 was the case with the old fashion. A strap, too, now goes 

 all round the horse, being a continuance of the stirrup 

 leather, which can thus be lengthened or taken up by the 

 rider herself. (See engraving.) As regards stirrups, the 

 old slipper is exploded, and the iron is the shape 

 of a man's, with stuffing inside to protect the instep. 

 Many theoretical plans have been made patent for safety 

 stirrups which are not to drag their unlucky proprietor, 

 when he or she is down and '^ parts company ;" but they 

 do not seem much used, nor are they even advertised for 

 very long. Messrs. Davis, of Aldershot, have invented 



