6o SIDE-SADDLES. 



London, made two sketches of her little friends which, 

 by the kind permission of the Editor of the Qtieen, 

 in which paper they appeared, I am able to reproduce. 

 We may see that the small horsewoman is sitting well 

 over her hurdle and is riding with comfort in a saddle 

 that is far too large for her. The lady friend of the 

 two little girls wrote about our work in the Queen of 

 June 17, 1893, as follows: "I made the acquaint- 

 ance of the authoress of The Horsewoman one 

 morning in Ward's Manege, where I went to see two 

 little friends taking their riding lesson from her. It 

 was a novel and pretty sight. Mrs. Hayes has 

 inaugurated a method of instruction hitherto unprac- 

 tised, and which must recommend itself to any one who 

 sees the extraordinary progress which accompanies it. 

 The children are dressed in gymnastic costume (Fig. 

 29) and it was the third time only that they had been 

 put on a horse — a large horse it was too, and as patient 

 and kindly as it is possible to be. The first thing Mrs. 

 Hayes teaches is how to sit. By the pupils wearing no 

 skirt she can see at a glance whether the position ot 

 the legs is right, and this is all-important. 



" By the time I saw the children they were galloping 

 gaily round and round, with radiant faces and flying 

 hair, sittino- better into the saddle, even at this early 

 stage, than many a woman who considers herself a 

 complete rider. They are not allowed to hold the 

 reins ; the hands lie in the lap, holding the whip across 

 the knees, which accustoms them from the first to 

 keep their hands low, besides teaching them to keep 



