CORRESPONDENCE. 193 



neglect. I must admit that I have seen a lady 

 hung up in a safety- stirrup ; but surely it is 

 possible to see that the stirrup will work before 

 setting out for a ride or a day's hunting, and 

 if the iron is large enough, so that '^the 

 padding over the instep " will not *^ cause the 

 foot to become firmly embedded," are we to 

 understand that the safety-stirrup is objection- 

 able? Mrs. Power O'Donoghue has a poor 

 opinion of " John the coachman, and Jem the 

 groom,*' but I am lucky in having trustworthy 

 people in my stable. What stirrup would 

 your contributor have instead of the one with 

 which so large a proportion of ladies ride? 

 Another thing that I should like to know 

 more about is the saddle recommended in 

 the article. " Accustom yourself from the 

 beginning to the use of a properly constructed 

 saddle, made as straight as a board, no dip 

 whatever," this writer says. Now I have never, 

 so far as my recollection goes,^ even seen such a 

 saddle, and may I ask what are the advantages 

 of a thoroughly straight saddle, and what are 

 the disadvantages of the inevitable slope or 

 dip ? I ask purely for information, for I am 



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