4 BEGINNING TO RIDE. 



form it. After the pupil has acquired a good seat at 

 the various paces and over small fences, her further 

 education in the guidance and control of her mount 

 might be entrusted to a competent horseman, prefer- 

 ably to a good cross-country rider, and not, as is 

 frequently the case, to an ex-military riding-master, 

 who, having been taught that a cavalryman's right 

 hand has to be occupied with a sword or lance, con- 

 siders that ladies should also adopt the one-handed 

 system of riding ! As a rule, the services of a good 

 horseman are desirable when the pupil is fit to ride 

 in the open, because he is more helpful than a lady 

 rider in rendering prompt assistance on an emergency. 

 Besides, riding men usually know more about the 

 bitting and handling of horses than w^omen, and are 

 therefore better able to impart instruction in this 

 branch of equitation. 



It is as impossible to lay down a hard-and-fast rule 

 as to the age at which a girl may be allowed to mount 

 a pony or donkey, as it is to control the spirits and 

 daring of a foxhound puppy. Those who possess the 

 sporting instinct and the desire to emulate the example 

 of their hunting parents or friends, should certainly 

 be encouraged and taught to ride as soon as they 

 manifest their wish to do so. Many hunting women 

 allow their children to occasionally attend meets in a 

 governess car or other suitable conveyance, and the 

 budding sportsmen and sportswomen in the vehicle 

 keenly follow the hounds, as far as they can do so, by 

 the roads. On non-hunting days during the season, it 



