RIDING FOR BEGINNERS 



to get up yourself from the ground, not off a 

 chair or fence. Your stirrup girth should go 

 round the horse and buckle to a strap affixed to 

 the cantle (the back) upon the off side, so that 

 you can, when mounted, reach it with your right 

 hand, and lengthen or shorten it at pleasure. Let 

 it down now six or eight holes so that you can, 

 when standing, put your left foot in the stirrup. 

 Grasp the pommel in the left hand, the cantle 

 in right; swing up, and, as you stand in the 

 stirrup, shift right hand to pommel, twist your 

 body to face the horse's ears, and sit down ; put 

 your right knee over pommel, take up your 

 stirrup strap to proper place, put the elastic over 

 your right heel, etc., to keep skirt down, and 

 pull that nicely straight, and you are ready to 

 proceed. Practise this until you can do it with 

 celerity ; when dismounting, clear elastics from 

 heels and skirt from pommel, swing to the left 

 face, take pommel in right hand, and slide off. 



Remember that nature gave you two hands, 

 and be quite sure that, if you ride much, you 

 will at times need them both and probably wish 

 for a few more. Don't hold your reins in one 

 hand you are neither military, nor paralyzed 

 in the right ; reins held in each hand insure the 



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