The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-02-12
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LADIES, RIDE WELL.

LADIES RIDE WELL.
In the hunting field you will seq
ladies who ride well and ladies who
ride fairly WE'LL But you will rare.
w see instances of utter incompet-
ence. Why is this? For three rea
sons: women are almost invariably
tas they should always bel mounted
on made horses of the right con.
formation; they are usually gifted
with hands, and their innate good
taste and sensitive feeling forbid
them to court adverse criticism and
|ridicule
SO much for the finished article
Now for the novice, who wohld at.
tain proficiency. As with the boy, so
with the girl preliminary instruction
and practice cannot we'll begin at too
early an age; though, as egards both
sexes, in extreme youth the lessons
should be brief, and comparatively In.
frequent, in order to guard against
possible and probable contortions and
malformations Of the human frame.
Following the method which has been
pursued in the case of royal prin
cesses the young pupil would be pro
vlded with two saddles, the one with
the flap on the near" and the other
with the flap on the off, side, so
! that she may ride on the left and
sometimes on the right of her horse,
though inclining in both cases to the
front. OF course, she ought to sit
square and straight That is the
correct theory But in practice she
often sits crooked
Ahere are several ways of sitting
awry on side saddle. One in par
ticuiar is commonly to be seen. 1t
is not, however, generally adopted
by beginners, but there are more
than average equestriennes who take
to it after they have been riding
properly for years The fault allud.
ed to is that the woman leans to the
left up to her waist, but above 1t she
twists to the right. so that her head
, forms an undesirable angle Be
sides sitting crooked, there is sitting
false. To avoid the physical conse
quences of these faults, let the be.
ginner practise alternately upon two
diverse saddles.
If a girl be possessed of good nerve
and reasonable physique. teach her
to ride by all means. 1t may safely
be averred that at least one-half OF
/ the accidents to ladies occur in con-
sequence of nervousness, lack of
presence of mind, want of nerve,
or aplomb to act with decision, de,
termination, promptitude, at the sud
den incidents of an unlocked for dam
ger. In the case of riding on horse.
back, this is what often happens: A
scream, the reins are loosened or
droeped, the leg goes back Ga grave
error, the horses catches the con-
tagion of fear, and fatal casualty,
which might have been averted by
little confidence on the part Of the
victim, is the possible result.
Confidence in her tutor, confidence
in her horses and confidence in herr
self, the budding horsewoman must
be endowed. with or must acquire. It
| is desirable that cool courage could
be ever at the command of the rider,
not bllssful ignorance. Few qualities
are more dangerous than a flashy
kind of bravery, unaccompanied by
nerve and discretion. Pluck ofttimes
prompts a man or woman to rush in
to difficulties and dangers and to
lead others into them when they
should have been avoided; and when
once in them, even a plucky individ-
ual has not always the nerve to get
out of them.-Ladies' Pictorial Maya
zine.