38 LADIES ON HORSEBACK. 



keep your hands quite down upon your horse's 

 withers, and never interfere with his mouth. 

 Sit well back, leave him his head, and he will 

 not make a mistake. Of course, I am again 

 surmising that he has been properly trained, 

 and that you alone are the novice. To put a 

 learner upon an untrained animal would be a 

 piece of folly, not to say of wickedness, of 

 which we hope nobody in this age of enlighten- 

 ment would dream of being guilty. In jump- 

 ing a fence or hurdle do not leave your reins 

 quite slack ; hold them lightly but firmly, as 

 your horse should jump against his bridle, 

 but do not pull him. A gentle support is 

 alone necessary. 



That absurd and vulgar theory about "lift- 

 ing a horse at his fences," so freely affected 

 by the ignorant youth of the present day, 

 cannot be too strongly deprecated. That same 

 ** lifting " has broken more horses' shoulders and 

 more asses' necks than anything else on record. 

 A good hunter with a bad rider upon his back 

 will actually shake his head free on coming up 

 to a fence. He knows that he cannot do what 

 is expected of him if his mouth is to be 



