The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-03-10
HORSES FOR WOMAN.

A few years ago anything in the
shape of a horse was considered suit
able for a woman to ride. Whispers
were heard of the way a woman ruined
any horse with her side-dragging
weight, due to the side-saddle: the
hard mouth resulting from her riding
on the bit;'' the way she insisted on
treating it like a pet child, making it
do everything at most inopportune
times; anything for momentary dis
play, urging and curbing in 20 yards;
while, as to gaits, there was utter
Generalization. In fact, an added pun
ishment to the Inferno catalogue was
supposed to be the eternal riding of a
ladies horse
This has all changed. Woman has
to a certain extent taken the reins into
her own hands. Always great on mere
appearances and the eternal fitness of
things-which at times are an odd fit
she now wants horse with a good APP
pearance. Either country life and clos
err association with horses has given
the more or less correct idea she now
holds, or she has picked it up at horse
shows, and in that general channel of
intuition, which, after all, is the sheet
anchor of a smart woman'S, opinion in
most things. She does not know why,
but she gets pretty near the correct
line in most things in which she is vi
tally interested. Thus today she throws
aside the old-time, no-account steed,
and insists on horse that is good look
ing, which means that the horse must
have that definite harmony of parts
and proportion which gives the capac-
ity for the work desired, and, Also to
some extent, preSageS the even temper
and good disposition natural to the
well-bred. well-cared-for equine. 1t is
sound, common sense One would not
choose a club-footed man to win a
sprint race.
An average woman of today either
wants an out and out hunter. or she
leans to a distinct hunter type, even
for park work. Such a horse should be
temperate that is to say easily handled
and not easily excited, strong, safe,
clever at fences, and fast enough lor
whatever the country may be- With
the Meadow Brook he will need greater
speed than in a rather cramped south
ern section. 1t is a vital feature that
he be up to his weight, more than in
the case of a mans horse, simply be-
cause a man rides Ito his weight, put
a woman on a side-saddle inevitably
rides "over, nearly twenty POUNDS
over it.
The animal should to some extent
conform to the height of the rider; a
tall woman should have a horse about
sixteen hands, and SO down in proper
ton: but it must be remembered that
the larger horses take more holding to-
gether than do the smaller ones. Wit
ness the full-sized hunter and the polo
He SlOulQ De lOuSSI III Inc bdCiA
than is a mans horse, this because the
side-saddle covers more area; the seat
of a woman with habit spreads over
greater space, and with a short back or
with a short-coupled horse everything
looks cramped and squeezed up, which
is to be avoided for several reasons, the
chief one being that the long back
gives greater elasticity of motion
He should above all things be able to
walk fast an Accomplishment only too
rare these days He should trot freely,
with an even and level movement. and
he broken to canter, right foot first, at
the touch of the heel. He should have
good, fiat, oblique shoulders, and fair
" high forehead, as Siderable is a
great deal of trouble on a high-crouped
horse-it will slip. He should be easy
to control and patient, by reason of long
waits at a gate, a gap, or other in
convenience, and II not temperate IN
this respect, he is likely to become very
FESTIVE at control and then rear, which
is the objectionable vice of woman's
mount.
Any horse that rears with a woman
should be at once relegated to other
divisions of the riding family. This is
beyond appeal, Neither should wo-
man ever ride a roarer or kicker. al
though a fairly large experience IN sew
eral countries shows that more k1ckers
are ridden by woman than by man,
and several high authorities have just
ly included woman and her horse as
one of the three evils to avoid contact
with when riding. This. however, was
more applicable to past days, and the
great number of woman's horses TODAY
are very good specimens and well be-
haved.
He should have much greater jump
ing capacity than he will ever be called
upon to use in the hunting field. be-
cause one never knows what may hap
pen. and the woman on sidesaddle
cannot help herself and take care OF
herself to the same extent as a man,
although. even with the best, In tight
place It is more often the high intel
Iigence of the aninal-coupled with the
riders full appreciation of that Won
derful instiEct-whch safely and sue
cessfulIy solves the problem AS
Whyte Melville said concerning the IN
fellirence of a horse: HE has to take
care of the biggest fool Of the two, and
think for himself If this was only
more generally recognized. what a