10 HORSES FOR LADIES. 



en masse In a cramped space at the covert side, and 

 a horse who displays temper on such occasions is 

 naturally regarded as a nuisance and danger by the 

 rest of the held. Besides, it must be remembered that 

 nothing tends to spoil the nerves of any rider, man or 

 woman, more than attempting to hunt in a big country 

 like Leicestershire on a bad-tempered horse, and 

 especially on a refuser which has a tendency to rear. 

 On no account should a lady ride a roarer, although 

 the artful dealer may assure her that the "whistle" 

 which the animal makes, will be a secret unknown to 

 any one except herself and the horse. In the large 

 majority of cases, roaring is a disease which increases 

 with time, and the accompanying noise is distressing to 

 all lovers of horses who hear it. Kickers, even with 

 red bows on their tails, should on no account be 

 ridden ; for they are a danger to man, woman, horse, 

 and hound, and are the cause of many accidents every 

 hunting season. It w^ould appear that ladies — not 

 those of the present day, let us hope — were not 

 sufficiently careful in insisting on this last-mentioned 

 requirement in their hunters ; for Captain Elmhirst, 

 writing in 1883, says, " Horse dealers, farmers, and — 

 we are sorry to add — ladies must especially be avoided ; 

 for who ever saw a vicious kicker that was not ridden 

 by one of these three ? " 



Apart from the danger to others, it is obvious that 

 no sane woman would ride a horse which would be 

 likely to kick her in the event of a fall. When I was 

 in India, I had to get rid of a horse because of his 



