2 BEGINNING TO RIDE. 



saddle would not be so marked as it is, if this article 

 of gear were of a uniform pattern of the best possible 

 kind. Unfortunately it is generally built according to 

 the fantastic ideas of fashionable makers who have no 

 practical experience of side-saddle riding. Unaided 

 learners have such difficulty in acquiring security 

 and grace of seat and good hands, that many ladies 

 who have ridden all their lives, and have lots of 

 pluck, are poor performers, particularly in the hunting- 

 field. A beginner who is put on a properly made 

 ' saddle and suitable horse, and is taught the right 

 principles of riding, will make more progress in a 

 month than she would otherwise do in, say, five 

 years. The artificiality of side-saddle riding extends 

 even to the horse, which must be free from certain 

 faults, such as unsteadiness in mounting, that would 

 not render him unsuitable to carry a male rider. 



Competency in the instructor is of the first import- 

 ance. Nothing is more absurd than for a man who 

 cannot ride well in a side-saddle, to try to unfold to 

 a lady the mysteries of seat. Such men, instead of 

 getting into a side-saddle and showing their pupils 

 '• how to do it," generally attempt to conceal their 

 ignorance by the use of stock phrases. If asked 

 '•Why?" they invariably reply, ''Because it's the 

 rio'ht thing to do," or words to that effect. I have 

 never heard of women venturing to teach men how 



to ride. 



Davis, a young groom we had, was a rare instance 

 of a man who was thoroughly competent to teach 



