The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-16

duties, but in order to make both ends
meet financially.
The advantage of the cross saddle for
women, says the New York Sun. is be-
ing much discussed in England: but.
so far opinion does not seem to be in
favor of the innovation
English women and Irish women are
the best horsewomen of the world, and
the number seen in the hunting field
increases every year. Even fifty years
ago few English women rode to hounds,
and at the beginning of the century
the woman who did follow the hunt
was regarded askance by conventional
society. To-day at many a meet, the
women equal the men in number, and
it is almost as much matter of course
that a woman should ride to hounds as
that she should dance.
More and more, too, English girls are
being trained Sto cross country riding
at an early age, Girls of IA and Is are
no uncommon sight on the hunting
field, and many of them ride as straight
and as pluckily as any of their older
sisters.
Miss Bette Benton, though only IA,
has followed the Tiverton hounds and
the Devon hounds regularly for three
years, and will take many a fence or
ditch that will give hard riding man
a pause. She has several fine hunters
of her own, and understands horsef1esh
almost as well as her father. She is
only one of a host of young girls from
England's best families who are making
records ON the hunting field.
The theory is that if. as was formerly
the CUSTOM, girl does not ride to
hounds, until after she comes out, she
is hampered during her first few sea-
Hw~I IL.
Vulnerable good times, in addition to
lacking one of the accomplishments
most admired by English men. On the
other hand, some doctors deplore hard
riding by children and insist that it
is injurious to the growing school girls
health
1t is in connection with these youth
full riders that the arguments for and
against the cross saddle are raging.
The older English women do not take
to the cross saddle, as have done so
many American women. Occasionally
with the Devon and Somerset stag
hounds several women may be seen
riding astride, but that is almost the
only instance of the custom in all Eng
land.
The opposition comes, not from any
conventional prejudice or fear of Of
Tending proprieties, but from a preva-
lent conviction that a cross saddle will
be a drawback rather than an aid to
woman's success in the hunting field.
Experts point out the fact that the
percentage of women thrown is far less
than that of men--that a stumble on
landing which would throw nine out of
ten men from the saddle, will seldom
unseat a woman; that even when a
horse. falls, unless he rolls over, a Wo-
man who is cool and does not lose her
nerve can often keep her seat while
the horse scrambles to his feet.
All these things are accounted for by
the splendid grip upon the saddle given
women by her side pommel. 1t is ad-
mitted that, in case of a really bad fall,
a woman stands less chance of coming
off uninju than a man. because she
is hampered by skirts and the pommei;
but such accidents are, fortunately,
very rare. -
In the>case of the young and growing
girl, matters are rather different Many
doctors contend that much riding on
the side saddle induces tendency to
spine curvature and hinders symmet tri-
cal development of the body.
Other authorities declare the cross
saddle is more inimical to the young
girls health than the side saddle, a
third class. not so much concerned
about the girls health as about her fu-
ture social success, insist that the girl
trained to a cross saddle is as awkward
and helpless when in her first season,
she changes to a side saddle, as she
would be if she had never ridden at
ALL
The controversy RACES fiercely. Mean
while some souls. bent on compromise,
suggest that all difficulties may be
solved by having the young girl ride
alternately ON left and right side. This
is feasible and would, at least. dispose
of the unsymmetrical development OBJ
lection. Reversible saddles are easily
procured, and safety riding skirt for
girls has been patented which allows
it's wearer to ride on either side OF the
saddle.