LEARNING TO RIDE 



in constitution and strength, it is well-nigh impossible 

 to lay down any hard and fast rule for the age at which 

 they should commence ; but I take it that as a rule they 

 may be taken in hand when they are seven or eight 

 years old, and I venture to assert that if the advice 

 and instruction I give are followed out, children so 

 instructed will learn to ride well and quickly, 



A suitable pony must of course be obtained, one 

 with good shoulders, and not too rotund. A well-bred 

 pony is the best for the purpose, but it must be quiet 

 and reliable. It is a great mistake to put children on 

 to ponies which are too wide for them. The saddle 

 should be soft and padded. At the first lessons the 

 child should be held on by two assistants, one on 

 either side, each grasping a knee and pressing the 

 legs to the saddle. If the animal is not too round, 

 the child will be able to obtain a firmer grip, which 

 will by degrees become instinctive ; but I maintain 

 that a good seat is better acquired without the aid of 

 either stirrup leathers or irons. I cannot too strongly 

 condemn the use of these in teaching children to ride. 

 They learn to trust too much to them for support, and 

 an unreliable seat is acquired, and habits which are 

 most difficult to eradicate in after-life. The style of 

 seat so induced is the very reverse of what it should 

 be, and subversive of that perfect command which 

 should exist, and which alone enables a rider to escape 

 the consequences of many a serious fall. I lay great 

 stress on the necessity for a child's pony being 

 thoroughly quiet and free from tricks, for nothing 

 can be more injurious to the nerves of a child than 

 a fright or a fall, and I have known cases in which, 

 through carelessness, children have been so frightened 



