140 HOW WOMEN SHOULD RIDE 



whether he is expected to jump or not; 

 or, feeling his rider waver, he imagines 

 there must be unknown dangers con- 

 nected with the place, and so hesitates 

 to encounter them. One of a woman's 

 frequent failings is shifting the reins as 

 she nears a jump. This form of ner- 

 vousness is very disconcerting to a 

 horse, and takes his mind from the 

 work in front of him. 



Lack of skill makes one lug at a 

 horse's mouth just as he is getting ready 

 to jump, thus throwing him out of his 

 stride and frustrating his effort. After 

 one or two refusals, a woman often puts 

 her horse at the place in a mechanical 

 way, fully expecting the animal to stop, 

 and doing nothing to guard against 

 such an occurrence. If she would in- 

 stead then summon all her courage, 

 and determine to go either over or 

 through the fence, and ride at it with 



