Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-04
written for THE EVENING star

frightened, the hat must be ironed or blocked.
And what sort of horse will she ride?
The iady's saddle horse 10 An animal that
canAot be chosen with too much care. A man
may ride runaway horse or . shyins horse
or q stumbling horse-a fall more or less is
comparatively . small matter with him--bat to
q woman . fall from . horse IL often q very
serious affair. The hrst thing, therefore, to be
avoided il the horselthat stumbles. The veak-
kneei brute that 10 uncertain on his pins 10 not
fit for anyone to ride, but especially is he peril
Gus to the lady who is trussed up in her straps
and pummels, with her foot probably thrust
up to the instep in the stirrup; and the lazy
horse that can't lift his feet up and is liable to
trip and go down when he trots over q stony
road is just as bad a. the knee-sprung nag
indeed, he is often worse, for while some knee
sprung horses are high steppers and may not
stumble at all, the lazy horse is pretty sure to
90 down. sooner or later.
THE HABIT OF roDAY
Another question Of importance is whether
the horse SHES, and this involves considsra-
ton of the modern riding habit
Occasionally one sees the old-fashisnsd habit
on the road even at this late day, but IL is fast
becoming extinct Who does not remember it,
on an ordinary sized horse its lower folds were
always covered with dust or mud2 A generous
supply of slugs in the bottom seams kept it
from flying up in the cir, but whenever the
horse went into trot or canter it filed out like
the balloon canvas Of yacht. It was an abom-
ination from every point OF view. It fright
ened the horse that carried IL and the horses
that passed it, 1t was SO ample in its folds that
it caught in the pommel in case of fall. and
was so long that jumping was . most hazard
Gus experiment The habit Of today IL safer
and more graceful. 1t should ft like the
IA ho
a crease in II, and in place Of the yards Of
futtering cloth that our grandmothsrs wore
the modern girl wears q skirt so scanty that
the point of the little boot, reposing securely
in the nckel-plated stirrup, is visible. There
is comparatively little danger OF such a skirt
catching in any portion of the saddle in case of
an accident, and q woman can take hurdle
with almost as much safety as il she were
man. In addition to these advantages the
same horse that will accept with equanimity
the modern habit would 60 into fits of terror
at the sight of the old-fashoned dress. All
spirited horses, it must be admitted, shy to a
certain extent, but it 10 important that tho
lady's horse should shy a. little as possible and
it is on this account that small horse Is, gen.
orally speaking, to be avoided. He Ia apt to
be quicker and, consequently, more danger
Gus shyer.
woman's dress on horseback is important
for more reasons than one. Did any body ever
notice how often it is introduced upon the
stage9 The reason il simple enough. Not all
the art Of Worth exhibited in the ball dress
nor all tho superb execution OF Redfern exhib-
tied in the street costume, can make q pretty
girl look half so fascinating as she is when she
wears the snug fitting riding habit: Every line
OF her figure is brought out in all its simple
beauty, and, while it may be no inducemsnt to
many of the ladies who read this, new or thelsss
it is as well to whisper the fact that there is
sport on earth half 30 conducive to matrimony
az horseback riding. Some men are cold
bloodod creatures. They may sit tete-a-tete
with pretty girl and talk about the weather,
they may even walk with her when she ~sars
the most stunning of hats and pursue this
same thermometrical conversation, but put her
in a well-made riding dress on top Of hand
some, well-groomed nag and the heart Of a
masculine iceberg would melt. How many
men have popped the question on horseback
William Black, the novelist would have girl
make voyage on peninsular or oriental
steamship to find husband, but there is really
no necessity fer sending her SO far away for
that purpose. Just let her taks up horseback
riding, and if she ever intends to accept any
body she will be sure to have chance Of do
ing SO.
A woMAN's SEAT.
Returning from these heavenly bride paths,
where the angels wear glove-ftting garments
and corduroys and boots and silver spurs to
more mundane matters it may be remarked
that womans seat on horseback il not an in :
secure one. 1t is true she cannot cling with
her knees as man can, but she mas a safe
guard in her two pommels, and il her balanc q
is good she can often keep the saddle under
circumstances that would cause most men TO
''take a cropper," but il she ever does take the
cropper the consequences are alarming, to say
the least
THE MOUTH.
Having got horse that doesn't stumble and
that SHES but rarely the next question is his
mouth, and here a difficulty is met with, for
while many women can sit horse we'll enough
very few can manage his mouth correctly. I'm
fortunately, few OF tho gentler sex are gentle
In handling their mouths. The soft, flexible,
tender mouth OF young horse, 30 sensitive to
the pressure Of the bit that mere twist Of the
wrist guides his motions, is often ruined by the
heavy jerking and pulling that woman in
f1icts. She who can take young horse, full of
mettle. and ride him year in and year out with.
out hardening his mouth is the one who has q
right to be called an accomplished horse
woman. Women are not apt to be muscular,
and it is necessary that their mounts should
not be hard pullers and if by ill-usage--for
horses mouths are seldom hard, except
through iil-usage-a horse begins to pull he
should be disposed of or a runaway may occur.
THE GAIT.
Now let US consider the subject Of the gait
The ambling palfrey was the ladys horse oil
the olden time, and more recently the racking
nag was much sought after. At the presen,
time he is still popular with many, but fashion
has decreed that the city saddle horse for park
riding should trot and canter. This IL English,
don't you know, but it is sensible. While there
are some good horses that rack or execute the
'single foot" cleverly it Is nevertheless o fac,
well known to horsemen that when You teach a
horse the gaits that nature did not give him
you generally sacrifice some Of his ether good
qualities. gated horse that jumps we'll OF
| runs swiftly is rarity The breed of American
horses that are naturally gated are exceptions,
but they are becoming fewer every year. Any
one who can sit in chair can ride one Of these
artificially gated horses, and it is not unusual
to find the woman who is accustomed to them
a most atrocious rider of the trotter.
Fashion DEGREES that woman must rise in
the stirrups when she trots Unfortunately, II
is one OF the most difficult feats for her to per
| form well. She has only one stirrup. The
| greater part of her exertion IL thus thrown
| upon the left leg. and to rise evenly with the
horses motion and to sit squarely in the saddle
require patient practice. It ia, consequently
quite essential that the horse should have
| good trot-not the short, uneven trot that Il
| generally the characteristic Of the pony, mol
| the ponderous thud Of tho cart horse, coming
down heavily upon the surfuce Of the earth
but the regular swinging gait OF the trainst
| saddle horse.
SHAPE OF HIS BACK.
Chief among the minor points to be consid.
cred in choosing mag for the side saddle il
the shape Of his back. The side saddle 10 a
ponderous affair, the woman's weight 10 no
balanced evenly, the girths must be tight OF