A WORD TO PARENTS 7 



to her health such violent exercise as 

 riding. From the side position she is 

 forced to assume, there is danger of an 

 injured spine, either from the unequal 

 strain on it or from the constant con- 

 cussion, or both. 



If a mother can close her eyes to 

 these dangers, insisting that her child 

 shall ride, a reversible side-saddle is the 

 best safeguard that I know of against a 

 curved spine ; but it only lessens the 

 chances of injury, and is by no means 

 a sure preventive, although it has the 

 advantage of developing both sides 

 equally. 



Another evil result of beginning too 

 young is that if she escapes misadvent- 

 ures and does well, a girl is sure to be 

 praised to such an extent that she 

 forms a most exaggerated idea of her 

 prowess in the saddle. By the time 

 she is sixteen she is convinced that 



