72 PINK AND SCARLET 



If following a man opening a gate, be careful to 

 keep on the falling (or shutting) post side of him, 

 i. e. keep him between you and the hinges. 



With a left-handed gate, the process is exactly 

 the same, except that the crop is changed to the 

 left hand. Plate XIII. shows the procedure with a 

 left-handed gate opening fi^oju you. The fastening 

 is first unlatched, the gate is then pushed open as 

 shown in Fig. i, and if necessary, caught and 

 stopped as shown in Fig. 2. 



Plate XIV. shows a left-handed gate, opening to 

 you, being opened with the kmid instead of the 

 crop. It is often best, with a heavy or awkwardly- 

 placed gate — especially a left-handed one — to use 

 the hand, and some horses will open gates much 

 better when it is used than they will with the crop. 

 The procedure is exactly the same, but it is neces- 

 sary to stoop over more from the saddle, and, as 

 the horse is necessarily closer to the gate, he has to 

 be backed further to open it. 



It seems scarcely necessary to point out the 

 awkward look and feeling a man has who uses the 

 right hand to a left-handed gate, and vice versa ; 

 and yet so many people who hunt do so, that it may 

 be well to consider what it means. The first thing 

 is, that the horse may be upset by the crop being 

 swung across his neck; the next is, that the man has 

 only about half the length of reach ; and the third 

 is, that the crossed-over hand is bound to interfere 

 with the bridle one ; lastly, the position is analogous 

 to that of a trussed chicken. 



