96 THE FAMILY HORSE. 



come down to the tops of the high boots. If the weather is such as 

 to demand more protection, a divided skirt of quilted silk is worn. 

 Close fitting sacks of sealskin or similar fur are allowable. Gaunt- 

 lets are worn of fine buckskin or dogskin. The hat is a matter of 

 taste and choice. The hair should be dressed in a firm, plain style. 

 Chains, bracelets and any conspicuous display of jewelry are 

 vulgar and out of place on horseback. 



Some one must hold the horse by the head, while another assists 

 the lady to mount. With her right hand holding the whip and reins 

 on the pommel, she lifts her skirt from the ground with her left. 

 The gentleman stoops and takes the lady's left foot in his right hand, 

 while he holds the horse's mane with his left. The lady, releasing 

 the skirt, places her left hand on the gentleman's shoulder, springs 

 upward to straighten the left knee, and the gentleman lifts her 

 high enough to enable her to settle easily into the saddle. She then 

 adjusts her skirt, places her right knee over the pommel, and the 

 gentleman places her left foot in the stirrup. " The lady," says 

 Anderson, "should sit upon the horse so that her weight will fall 

 perpendicularly to the back of the horse ; her face directly to the 

 front, her shoulders drawn back, and her elbows held to her sides. 

 She will permit her body, from the hips upward, to bend with the 

 motions of the horse, in order that she may preserve her balance. 

 The reins are to be held in the manner prescribed for men, the hand 

 in front of the body, and in a line with the elbow. The whip is to 

 be carried in the right hand, with the point toward the ground. 

 The horse should never be struck with the whip upon the head, 

 neck, or shoulder. To apply it upon those parts will teach him to 

 swerve, and render him nervous at the motions of the rider. In a 

 lady's hand the whip simply takes the place of a spur for the right 

 side. The horns of the saddle, the superfluous one at the right being 

 dispensed with, should be of such lengths and curvatures as will 

 suit the rider. The right leg will hold the upright horn close in the 

 bend in the knee, by such a pressure as the action of the horse or 

 other circumstances will dictate. The left foot will be thrust into 

 the stirrup to the ball of the foot, and the heel will, as a rule, be 

 carried down ; but when the heel is elevated the upper part of the 

 left knee should find support in the side-horn, and for that end the 

 stirrup-leather will ba given such a length as will permit this. By 

 the grasp given by the elevation of the left knee from the stirrup 

 and the embrace upon the upright horn by the right leg, the rider 

 will have as strong a seat as her strength can afford ; and with a 

 proper balance she will not be likely to find a horse that will 

 imseat her," 



