Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-05-08
WOMAN ON HORSEBACK
Young Ladies Should Learn to Ride in
Their Early Years.
Harper's Bazaar

Th5re are very few accidents in riding
for which the objectionable ignorance Of
the rider Is not directly responsible Sew
cnty-dye per cent. Of all the women ride
abominabIy, and poor form III their case
shows much more plainly than in a man.
Their shoulders are twisted, their hands
unsteady, their toes seem continually kick
lng their skirt, and they rise to the side.
Here IN New York we find much improve
ment in the public form, due to better in
structioD and the dread of scrutinizing
spectators; but the actual knowledge Of
the horse is quite as deficient. There are
women, Of course, who go il for riding
with precisely the same idea as they do
for bathing at rragansett--because the
rest do so, and the opportunity of exhibit
/ Il fetching costume Is not to be lost.
These will ride about as they swim; a
groom and the saving rope will be always
at hand, and it Is quite necessary that they
5h0ud.
To the young women that have raised
the age when they are susceptible to in
struCtIOn we have nothing to say. When
they become mothers, however, we tell
them, with all the emphasis at our COM
mand, that if they allow their daughters
to grow up with as little knowledge of the
! horse as they have, nay the future result
! Je upon the ir heads. FIRST of all. It i a
mistake to allow a girl to begin riding
lessons too Young. In the last year or 50
caiIdren s, 10 and II years Of age have
( been seen at the riding cloOls, making a
very pretty ensemble i'll an evening $ en-
| tertainment. but much too tender to 60 on
the road 1t Is well enough to u low
| them TO become bit familiar with the
10. yfrt1. h,t1
| quite young enough for them to begin
| riding No child has sufficient physical
strength or Judgment for the management
| OF pony earlier.
Wnen your daughter begin h les on,
see for yourself, or get some one who does
know, that her instructor is competent.
Not one call, d riding master in IA dozen
knows little else than 10 SIT TN his animal
and make it pIr0u,te for the benefit of the
spectators that gaz in Mortified wonder at
Ills otf-,hoot OF the circus rlng-master in
his tights ana grea boots 1t is Just as
easy to learn to ride properly as not, but
difficult to correct bad form IN the saddle
when once acquired. See that her shout
ders are Squarely to the front; that her
left knee Is close to the horn, so she may
press hard against 1t IN case of necessity
and close to the saddle flap as we'll (this
Viii Stop the unSIghtly and incorrect pen
dulum motion OF the stirrup foot and
strengthen the sea); that she rises from
the right knee, and not from the stlrrnp
as Is the case with 80 women out of 100;
that her hands remain steady, and that in
rising her stomach and back do not fall
into the absolutely objectionable and I'M
graceful see-saw movement. The correct
seat is very difficult to acquire, especially
to tho average young woman whose sides
are inca,ed in tightly laced corsets, and
whose muscles are entirely deficient. 1t
would be well to use light dumb bells and
so through a series of body movements to
make those muscles elastic