New-York tribune., 1891-05-24
RIDING FOR WOMEN.
A CHAPTER OF VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS

A CHAPTER OF VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS.
Gentleness and care These are the two words that
say IL all in horsewomauship Not that horse Is never
to be punished. "Spare the rod and spoil the child
applies to equnes whether 1t does TO infants or not and
when great care as to the riding and driving Is adv0-
Gated keeping animal in luxurious idleness is not
meant Not by any means. While gentleness and
persuasion with little 1rmness, will often conquer
bad habits horse that does wrong wilfuly must be
punished punished quickly and sharply and 1t would
require far more carc to keep animal healthy ana
strong in idencss than under moderate usage Ana
then these notes In regard to horseback rluIhB ior
women were never intended to be full and explicit
Volumes on the subject couldn't convey traction Oh
the intelligence In regard to riding and h0rscwomar
ship that little OF the right kind OF experience anu
practice will give At the most only hints can be gwen
here But II is wise woman who knows Just what she
wants 1t shall be the effort Of this article 10 impart
some slight idea OF few of the things lady desiring
N have pleasure and comfort In the saddle ought 10
know.
In the very first place whether woman can s"ouio
and bride her steed or not-and there are very
few that cam 1t takes much strength-she wants y
know when her horse is properly accoutred In t'iis
column last Sunday reference made TO the curD'
Tho crb is perhaps the first thing woman about 10
mount her horse should look to. Nlnetenuis OIL I"o
road house stabemen in New iork-to say hoVhhh VI
country hostcrs-are stupendously ignorant of inc
proper adjustment Of the curbbt in riding lii Dro'
Now there is nothing an average horse Is more par
cuIar about than this graceful and necessary pu' Nv
times barbarous mouth appliance. You see the curp
s NOT broken bit like the snafle; indeed IL ahoS'
alwoys has a protuberance in It's centre, someumes
amounting TO what is called SPOON ana Wheh ue .
chain is not properly twisted or hooAeu 'i.o -
bIt too tight slight twitch on the onrD ieii'
will cause your poor pet insufcrabe agony A'ON'
thcn first to the bridlng when your horse Is DrouS'
round Tho snaflc or broken bit-the ordinary shKie
eoir with which the most docile animals are a"aSs
driven-should lie first in the mouth see uhdV '0'
check straps arc right, that the snafe Is not 10" V
or too loosely placed. II ii Is too ti@ht the hoiSo WIN
show il by constantly stretching his head ana heoA
II s too loose he will be rattling 1t back ana iorth III w
mouth all the time Tic curb Should DC Iust Ooio"
the snafe and the curb-chan comes between t'e TUNE
~ the curb and snaie bits, being twisted before IL Is
Fastened so that IL lies 0at and smoothly on the Doe
of the lower Jaw This curbchain must hot oe ''N"V
No horse can stand It that way. The wrller o''e SOW
A lady helped into the saddle from the mouiunH o'oO
Of an uptown road house, her horses bride having DCe
Improperly adjusted by OF the SLED i'ch' '"e
hardly got her rcns in hand before the ani'a e''o
in fine agony caused by the wrerchng curb anc cao
over backward with her. Luckily this occurred IN
snot where the ground was sandy and covereu VIII"
deep. soft snow, so she got of, or rather up o"''
pretty we'll scared Bat she might Just as "en II''0
been killed. =. - 40
This leads the to DISSERTATIONS W"
when horse rears, and how to get OIL " "'i-
n-oro-,v II also reminds any one attempting 10
teach horscmanshp in the columns OF newspaper
Of the utter impossbility Of conveying much ihoio
than good strong idea OF what one must lc@ii.
through the mediums OF good teachers ana lo.s VI
practice 1t Is all very we'll to direct you what 10 uo
when volr horse rears and punges, but 1t Is quIte
rotbor thing to do IT, And. it is more astonishing
still that when you get to be Thoroughly
nroOcient all you will have TO do when your
horse goes straight up in the air. VIII uo
20 sIt stil and look sweet The riding school drec
ton to ride a rearing horse Is "When ne rses e'
him have the re!ns and lean forward, putting your
hands on his withers taking twist IN Ills lano
when II isn't roached-perhaps giving him n cut
with the whip behind a dig with your spur" b"'
q man "who knows how" wouldn't deign to more IMAM
lean forward slightly giving the horse his head ana per
hans touching his nanks lightly with the heeis' no
matter how high his steed rears
poforo dismssIng the brldng IT should be said that
the curb bit generally needs lip strap, ana nearly
&C ,nnortont thing to look to the proper adjust
ent OF the curb chain is the throat latch The throat
ottb ehouId he buckled so that ii hangs very loosely
and the check straps Of the curb bit should be so ad
tustcd that vour horse Will not champ and fret
A Arst-rate saddle has three sometimes four, grths
a ono mr. two safety or balance straps, well as the
st,rrun strap OF course you need practical demon
stroton Of the proper adjustment Of these suffice III
to cav that the back girh and the fore grth should
o ocsed over each other ana over the mddie Birt,
~, locking like one girth, at the bottom and that
,hor sbord not be so tight that your hand cannot
-. shovod in between them and the horses body.
- a. alvavs we'll for sdesaddle 10 be girthcd a
socond time say FIVE or ten minutes after the saddle
ho a ret heen nut on because horse, perhaps uncon
ciorstv or involnntarily almost always swells HIM
o,t wben heinc eirthed. II you do not wish your
borsa IN have sore withers always see to 1t that
,o, can nlace vour hand between the top OF the
,ont ~ the saddle and his back Most Of the present
,oobionable r1n of saddles what are called "cut
h,crs n en- that this part does not need so much
Hooking after II is matter Of individual practice
1,he,her Won ride with saddle pads or cloth or not
70 vour horses back begins to get sore 1t Is good
ovdcnce either that your saddle is not properly
stnfed for that horses back or that you need pads
~ Won are out on the road for any length OF time IL
g., moro than likely that your saddle will need grthing
again. ,or II you make a stop anywhere. II only Tor
,en or afteen minutes, You will find 1t very wiso
ocoromv 10 sauander tip some stableman 10
,ooson vonr straps and egirth your horse. 1t is
we'll too. when you are making stop to have his
boofs looked TO- Ninety nine times ont Of 100 they
will he free and all right but the other time your
favortc may have picked up cobblestone or nail,
nhaps have laid the foundation for incurable foot
| trouble.
snpposng your horse correctly brdled and properly
saddled II is well 70 learn TO mount without assist
ance With the present style OF ladies' riding habits
| only a very tall woman and very short horse can
manage this without block Of some kind, improvsed
or otherwise But before you go out riding much learn
all you can about this trick Of mounting ~ may