Riding for Women and Children 139 



instrument — that is, the horse's mouth, a most 

 dehcate bundle of nerves and highly sensitive mem- 

 branes. 



Of course, much depends upon what will satisfy 

 the individual. Many clerks spend their days and 

 years in writing, and display a shockingly bad hand ; 

 people ride regularly all their lives, and never pass 

 the "duffer" stage; not a few deride anything 

 beyond the '* pulley-hauley " methods, and have no 

 desire to explore the intricacies of the art ; the merest 

 rudiments being enough, and the roughest systems 

 accepted as suitable. With such people, riding is 

 only a means to the end of exercise, and they care 

 not at all how they look or what they do, so long 

 as the liver receives its daily jolting, and a certain 

 time is devoted to this form of exercise. 



A lady's horse must be well proportioned and 

 good-looking ; up-headed, well-necked, and good- 

 shouldered; rather longer of back than the man's 

 hack, that the extra length of the woman's saddle 

 may be accommodated, and also because the extra 

 length gives just so much more liberty and elasticity ; 



