LEABNING. 9 



iiO her horse. An animars keen instinct tells 

 him at once whether his master or his servant 

 is upon his back. The moment your hands 

 touch the reins the horse knows what your 

 courage is, and usually acts accordingly. 



No girl should be taught to ride who has 

 not a taste, and a most Jdecided one, for the 

 art. Yet I preach this doctrine in vain ; for, 

 all over the world, young persons are forced 

 by injudicious guardians to acquire various 

 accomplishments for which they have no 

 calling, and at which they can never excel. 

 It is just as unwise to compel a girl to mount 

 and manage a horse against her inclination, 

 as it is to force young persons who have no 

 taste for music to sit for hours daily at a 

 piano, or thrust pencils and brushes into 

 hands unwilling to use them. A love for 

 horses, and an earnest desire to acquire the 

 art of riding, are alike necessary to success. 

 An unwilling learner will have a bad seat, a 

 bad method, and clumsy hands upon the reins ; 

 whereas an enthusiast will seem to have an 

 innate facility and power to conquer difficulties, 

 and will possess that magic sense of touch, and 



