Los Angeles herald., 1892-09-06
SHE RIDES LIKE MEN.

a Young Western Woman Gallops Man
Fashion in the Streets of Boston.
me lady who may be seen riding
astr;de a horse in Washington street has
such a penchant for horseback riding
that nothing short of an average Of
twenty miles day will satisfy her.
She comes from the west, and, owning
four western horses who are not accus-
toned to the style Of horseback riding
most eastern ladies adopt, she has to use
the style of western ladies or have her
horses eat their heads off in their stalls.
Her name is Miss Nettie Littell. and
just now she is living in Roxbury. This
is not the first time she has visited Bos-
ton, for she has ridden all over the east
ern as well as the western states. She
is likely to become quite familiar sight
on the country roads, because she is pas
sionately fond of horseback riding. She
is an apostle of the divided skirt on
horseback, and nothing could induce
her to ever ride any other way. She has
seen too many accidents caused by the
''mock modest" riding habit, as she
calls it, to ever wear one. She says rid
ing on q side saddle gives horse the
saddle gall and then "setfast," some
thing which affects the horses back like
frightful corns or bunions on a mans
feet. Women get curvature of the spine
by it, too, and ten mile ride will use
them up 30 that they cannot ride again
for q week.
Miss Littell, on the contrary, rides
from 10 to 100 miles every day of her
life, and is so confident of her ability as
q rider that she is willing to challenge
any man but one in the country, or any
two women, to ride horseback across the
continent, $3.50 miles, for any reason
able purse. One of the women can ride
half way and the other the rest. Miss
Littell can saddle and ride all but the
most vicious horses. She rode in Man
chester, N. H., in November, 1890, the
vicious running horse Billy H, which
had just thrown his jockey owner, Billy
Harrington, three times, the latter there
by losing the race. In this same run
ming meeting she won first prize in one
race for women, in another such race
being passed only because the horse in
front of her threw his rider, who had
side saddle, dragging the woman for
half mile on her back and nearly kill
ing her.
Concerning the relative modesty of
the two dresses Miss Littell says:
"No lady can go riding on side saddle
without showing every line Of her fig
ure, whether it is good or bad, while my
heavily killed divided skirts hide every
part of mine. All the ladies in Colorado
ride like this. You could not tell if you
saw me walking in my riding dress on
the street that I had not an ordinary
skirt on, so heavy is it. 1t is a matter
of health too. have scores of letters
from doctors commencing my good sense
and judgment.
"About my horses. have four now,
mustang which I bought because he
was being i'll used, but do not ride, and
three others which 1 do ride-Creole
Kitty, Buckskin and Black Jim. ride
Buckskin mostly. He is very ugly. /
defy any man to go into the stall with
him and come out unhurt. Buckskin
kicks at every one but me when in his
stall. I cannot ride Black Jim around
here, because often stop and children
touch my horse. Black Jim kicks at
any one who touches him. Twill give
Black Jim to any one who is not
western person who can take and saddle
and ride him. can do it. Creole Kitty
10 vary kind and gentle
81 use western saddle, and ride in
the sensible western style, not jumping
up and down like monkey with the
horse because it's English ! can lay q
silver dollar on saddle, sit on it and
start at walk, go into trot and then
into lope, or gallop, as you call it, and
not drop the dollar. That shows how
closely sit on my horse. It is by far
the easiest way to ride.
"My dress is as follows: A velvet cap
or broad brim felt hat, with black os-
trich feather; a black jacket, cutaway,
with braid a la militaire; waist Of
white flannel and tie to match, heavy
double killed, bifurcated skirt, walking
length, knickerbockers and high top
boots. Nothing is ever revealed by this
costume, no matter how fast 1 ride or
how strong the wind is blowing."-Bos-
ton News.