Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1896-02-13

1
where everybody rides and the women
know how to ride as well as the men.
That is something they never learned
to do till they let the old riding habit
60 and got into the new habit Of riding
az they ought to.
1t is Saturday afternoon in Hot
Springs, and the principal street is
thronged with town folks and country
folks. Some walk, and some drive, but
most of them ride. Here comes a couple
of the best riders in the world, in from
the stock range swinging along at an
easy hand gallop, man and horse one.
They personify the poetry of motion, in
ease, grace, speed, strength and safety.
A moment more and they are out of
sight. Here come two more of them
but, nol As these sweep by like breeze
/ perceive they are two girls, riding
astride like the men, and, like the men,
riding with ease, grace, speed, strength
and safety. This is the first time | have
seen anything Of the sort, and watch
them till they are out of sight. But that
| is because l am an old fashioned tender
\ foot. Nobody else notices them nobody
turns the head to look at them; nobody
says anything. And why? Because it is
I fashionable in Hot Springs, and in a
I good many other parts of the west, for
women to ride sensibly and dress sensi-
bly, for that purpose.
Fancy the sensation Of such specta-
/ Gle in New York-if some woman should
come cantering along Fifth avenue on
both sides of a horse But why not so
on horse as we'll as on bicycle? The
only reason is that women can ride a
! horse sidewise, but cannot possibly cy-
Gle in such an awkward and ridiculous
manner. That is simply thanks to the
/ horse. which can stand up under what
the machine cannot bear, but it is no
credit to the rider
\ Who turns the head now to take a
look at the flying wheels and heels Of
the woman cyclist? Nobody. And Just
as soon as the new equestrienne appears
in the east she will find she has the
right Of way. The wheel, by mechan-
| ical paradox, has proved to be the enter
ing wedge, with power to split conven-
tional prejudice. If few sensible city
women will mount horses as they now
do bicycles, they Will soon find them
selves fashionable leaders Of a much
needed reform. The period Of probation
would be too brief to try their nerves
much, and the triumph would be com
plete The men would tumble to it aft
er brief stare, because women look so
we'll riding astride. The women would
take to it naturally if for no other rea-
son, and those who now ride the wheel
would not even have to buy new dress,
because the cycling costume would an
swer just the purpose.
The new equestrienne makes the
strongest possible plea for woman's right
to use her lower limbs and clothe them
to suit her purposes. Why she should
swathe them together for walking, and
for riding swaddle them in something
like her original baby slip ON a large
scale, are things no fellow can find out
or woman either. There is no reason
why woman should sit askew and
aslant on horse except that some wom-
en- have been forced to do SO for some
time in some countries, of which ours is
one There is every reason why a wom-
an should sit squarely on horses back
and hold on with her knees, the way
men do. In many or most countries they
have always done so and do so still 1t
is the natural way to ride. There is
nothing whatever in the difference be-
tween man s and woman s figure to
account for the awkward, uncomforta-
BILE, ungraceful, unsafe and even peril
ous fashion in which our women are
now forced to ride They must be good
natural riders not to come to grief often
or than they do. If there be any differ
ence between men and women in con-
formity with horse back, it is decid-
edly in favor of the female figure.
She can take if anything better seat
than a man and get a better grip on
the horses sides. She seems better built
for that than a man, whose shoulders
are broader and hips narrower in proper
tion His seat is naturally less secure ;
ne is top heavy, and his equilibrium is
less stable. What fine riders astride wo-
men naturally are is shown in some
countries where men ride races for their
prospective brides, who need not be
caught unless they want to be.
\ / lately rode with a lady who rode as
/ did. She was good horsewoman IN
the old way, and tried the new way for
the first time on this occasion. She said
she never knew what riding was before,
for comfort and security, and she GER
tainly looked well.
If the horse could have his say in this
matter, fancy bis enthusiasm OH the
subject would be great. A horse hates a
sidesaddle because it hurts him, and Is
naturally afraid Of long skirts because
he does not underst& d them. Women
are said to be harder ON horses than
men. It is true: ask any liveryman.
But that is mainly because they ride
askew and aslant, with their legs twist
ed awkwarily to one side, and nothing
in their position that fits horses back
and ribs. The saddle pulls and drags
and gals the horse. II is likely to turn
If it be not cinched 50 tight that the
poor animal cannot breathe comfortably.
It is as bad for the horse as Corsets for tht