When a lady has taken sufficient practice in the menage or elsewhere, so
as to be able to steer and guide her horse, and particularly can stop
him firm and well upon his haunches, and also knows by practice how to
unite herself to the horse, provided he should stop suddenly by his own
will, an instance which frequently happens, therefore it is essential
that the rider should become sensible of every action of the horse by
that kind of sympathy of feeling which should subsist between them, so
as to know his intentions as quick as thought, in this and all other
actions he may be inclined to, which are likely to offend and endanger
the rider, or himself; I would earnestly recommend the lady to make
herself acquainted with every help so as to gaurd[+] and defend herself
on all occasions, such as her horse stumbling, shying, starting, running
away, running back, rearing, kicking, and plunging; yet horses addicted
to any of those vices are by no means fit, or should have ladies set
upon knowingly, but as a lady cannot always be so fortunate as to get
the possession of one of those hackneys we call a nonpareil, tho' every
dealer you enquire of for one will say he can sell it you, therefore
place not too much confidence in him you purchase your horse from, or
the horse himself, even after you have rode him some time, for you
scarce ever can be certain but he may play you some of those tricks,
especially if his keep is above his work, as I have always found the
best lady's hackneys require constant practice to keep them in tune.
It is necessary the lady should have a sharp eye upon the road she is
travelling, taking care by the gentle assistance of the bridle hand to
steer and guide her horse into the best, to avoid all stones and uneven
places, and never to ride near the edge of any deep ditch or sudden
precipice, for altho, heaven be praised, accidents very seldom happen,
yet if for the want of a little care and due management one should
happen in one hundred years, that one would be one too many: the lady
should pay great attention to the horse when going down a steep hill,
and endeavour to put him together and upon his haunches, and to perform
this, she must feel his mouth lightly and firmly with the bridle hand,
at the same time making use of some of the helps used to force him to go
forward, such as clicking with your voice, a gentle touch with the whip,
or the heel, so she stays him a little by the bridle hand at the same
time he is forced forwards by the other helps or aids and if properly
timed, by doing enough without over doing, he will be put together, and
of course kept on a light proper action which must be in the real action
of a trot, that is with his two corner legs in the air at one time and
two on the ground, by such means the horse will always be kept on a sure
ballance and never be in danger of falling, on the other hand if the
horse is sufferd to go loose and unasisted[+] by the bridle hand, and
the other aids as before described, when going down a steep hill he will
most commonly go into that unnatural pace called the amble which is
moving his side legs together instead of his corner legs, this pace is
very unsafe notwithstanding the ancients used arts in breaking the horse
to the amble, on account of its being so much easier than the trot, but
as it is a known maxim in physic that giving ease and performing a cure
are two different things, so here an easy pace and a safe one are as
diametrically opposite, and that the amble is an unsafe pace is easy to
be conceived by the horse losing so large a portion of his ballance, to
prove which only try these simple experiments. Take a wooden horse[+]
let his two corner legs be taken away and he will stand, but take away
his two sides leg and he falls, again one often sees at a farrier's shop
when a horse is wanted to be shod in haste, two smiths can work at the
same time, by taking each of them a corner leg, therefore how careful
should we be to keep our hackneys on a safe action, and awake under us
on all occasions.
The lady should endeavour to make herself acquainted with those objects
which horses are most subject to be alarmed at, and first of all is a
windmill in full sail, next some can never be brought to go comfortably
by a tilted waggon, especially if meeting it, others dislike asses very
much, some dislike to face a man wheeling a barrow or an umbrella
extended, an arch drain which is frequently seen to carry the water away
thro the banks in a turnpike road, its laying low and of course presents
itself very suddenly, will sadly alarm some, and any object suddenly
presenting itself is almost sure to affright and alarm any horse in
spirits,[+] I once saw a lady get a fall, by a cow suddenly presenting
its head over a hedge, yet a more steady animal never was, as I used her
four years and never knew her start either before or after; let it be
remembered that horses are more apt to be shy or start in the dusk of
the evening than in broad day light, horses with bad eyes are almost
sure to start, yet starting is not a sure sign of bad eyes, as many
imagine it, I mention these few observations in regard to starting
because horses which are most free from those faults, it may happen to
some times; as horses like men are not alway in the same temper: never
ride on a fast pace by any lane's end, or in turning any sudden or short
turn, for two reasons; first, that it is unsafe as the horse might be
subject to fall for want of being supported, and put together by
shortening his pace, and secondly by your not being able to discern the
objects which might present themselves to you so as to disturb and alarm
your horse: these little hints kept well in mind may be the means of
preventing many accidents.