TEACHING CHILDREN TO RIDE. 5 



is no uncommon sight in hunting districts to see ladies 

 walking by the side of their tiny daughters who are 

 mounted on ponies, and giving them instruction in 

 riding. In cub-hunting time we may often see the 

 good results of such lessons, when parent and daughter 

 appear together, and the little girl on her pony follows 

 the lead over small fences w^hich " mother " knows 

 can be negotiated by both with safety. 



Twenty years ago, infants were often carried in 

 panniers or baskets, one on each side of a led pony 

 or donkey, with the supposed object of initiating 

 them to horse exercise. The pannier training was 

 followed by the little girls being placed on a pilch, 

 and conducted about by a mounted groom with a 

 leading-rein. This leading-rein system is absolutely 

 worthless as a means for teaching horse-control to 

 children, and should be used only as a safeguard w^ith 

 an animal which the young rider may be unable to 

 hold. 



At whatever age a child is taught to ride, we should 

 bear in mind that the exercise always entails a certain 

 amount of fatigue, and should be taken in moderation. 

 The many lamentable accidents which have occurred 

 to young girls from being ''dragged," show the vital 

 necessity of supplying the small horsewoman with the 

 most reliable safety appliances in saddlery and dress. 

 The parent or guardian often overlooks this all- 

 important point, and devotes his or her entire atten- 

 tion to securing a quiet animal. 



Girls who do not possess any aptitude or desire to 



