222 LADIES ON HORSEBACK. 



O'Donoghue that a spur forms part of her 

 hunting equipment ; but I strongly advise 

 ladies to wear a spur with a rowel having only 

 five points, which should be long and sharp. 

 The spur with one point and a spring sheath 

 is commonly sold by saddlers for ladies' use, 

 but is liable to break or get out of order, and 

 is always discarded in favour of the one with 

 a five-pointed rowel by ladies who have tried 

 the latter. Mrs. Power O'Donoghue is doing 

 good service to ladies by protesting against 

 the stirrups facetiously so-called ^* safety." 

 I always advise a lady to use a perfectly 

 plain steel stirrup, but a tolerably heavy one. 

 Why cannot the stirrup be attached to a lady's 

 saddle in the same manner as to a gentle- 

 man's ? Then, in case of accident, the stirrup 

 and leather would come away together. An 

 excellent bit for a lady's horse is a curb-bit, 

 suspended in the horse's mouth by two large 

 rings, to which the snaffle-reins are also 

 attached. This bit is very hght or very 

 severe, at the rider's wish. 



I am, &c. 

 October 26, 1880. Southeen Cross. 



