—900 — 



is that the weight to be carried is generally light, and therefort 

 a horse calculated to carry them is seldom fit to mount a man, 

 because the weight of the male sex is generally bo much above 

 that of an equestrian lady. Few of this sex who ride are above 

 one hundred and thirty pounds, and most are below that weight. 

 But in point of soundness, actioB> mcuth and temper, the lady's 

 horse should be unimpeachable. A gentleman's horse may be 

 good yet wholly unable to canter and so formed that he cannot 

 be taught ; he, therefore, is unsuited to a lady ; but, on the 

 other hand, every lady's horse should do all his paces well. 

 Many ladies, it is true, never trot ; but they should not be fur< 

 nish'^d with the excuse that they cannot because their horses 

 will not. In size, the lady's horse should be about fifteen hands 

 or from fourteen and a half to fifteen and a half ; less than this 

 allows the habit to trail in the dirt, and more, makes the horse 

 too lofty and unwieldy for a lady's use. In breaking a lady's 

 horse, if he is of good temper and fine mouth, little need be 

 done to make him canter easily, and with the right leg foremost. 

 This is necessary, because the other leg is uncomfortable to the 

 rider from her side position on the saddle. The breaker, there- 

 fore, should adopt the means elsewhere described, and persevere 

 until the horse is quite accustomed to the pace, and habitually 

 starts off with the right leg. He should also bend him thor« 

 onghly, so as to make him canter well on his hind legs and not 

 with the disturbed action which one so often sees. The curb 

 must be used for this purpose, but without bearing too strongly 

 upon it. The horse must be brought to his pace by fine hand- 

 ling rather than by force, and by occasional pressure, which he 

 will yield to and play with if allowed, rather than by a dead pulU 

 In this way, by taking advantage of every inch yielded, and yet 

 not going too far, the head is gradually brought in and the hind 

 legs as gradually are thrust forward, so as instinctively to steady 

 the mouth and prevent the pressure which is feared. When 

 this "sattinj on the haunches" is accomplished, a horse cloth 

 may bo strapped on the near side of the saddle to accustom him 

 to the flapping of the habit ; but I have always found in an ordi- 

 nary good tempered horse, that, if the paces and mouth were all 

 perfect, the habit is sure to be borne. 



It is a kind of excuse which gentlemen are too apt to mak« 

 that their horses have nevei carried a lady : bat if they carrj a 



