THE LEAPING LESSON.
I come now to a section of our courses of instruction, which, if not as
some suppose the most difficult to impart or acquire, is nevertheless of
great importance. The principles, however, upon which a horse "does a
fence" neatly and safely, and those upon which depend the secure riding
of the lady, once properly understood, the rest is a question of
practice, the thorough training of the horse and his complete fitness
for his task being assumed. The two latter points are, however, of such
vital consequence that I will endeavour to direct attention to several
matters connected with them, which I trust may be useful.
In the first place, then, it should be borne in mind that whereas every
horse of every breed in the world can be taught to jump, jumping comes
so aptly to some as to be perfectly natural, and no more trouble to them
with a fair weight than walking or galloping. Such horses are easily
taught to be _clever_; that is to say, to do "doubles," "in and out,"
and crooked places, with almost the surefootedness of a goat, as well as
to jump clean timber or fly sixteen or eighteen feet of water. The sort
of animal I speak of is fond of jumping, and consequently when carefully
broken learns to _balance himself_ with the greatest nicety; and,
provided the ground is sound, you cannot get him down, while he does not
know what refusing means, except in the case of utterly impracticable
places.
It is upon such horses, or those which approach the nearest to them in
their qualifications, that a lady should be mounted, not only for the
hunting field itself, but in her initiation in the riding school into
the art of riding her horse over a fence. Horses that rush at their
jump, are hot-headed, or intemperate in any way, are utterly unfit for a
lady to attempt leaping with, either indoors or out. There should be
blood and quality undoubtedly, as well as substance and power, but these
must be joined to the best of temper. Possibly the very perfection of a
horse exists in that wonderful little animal the Lamb, who has just
exhibited at Liverpool the most extraordinary feats of _cleverness_ and
endurance, coupled with splendid action, speed, and temper, ever yet
shown by any horse. The form in which, galloping at top speed, he jumped
over two horses lying _hors de combat_ right in his way, and cleared
both and their riders without further injury to any, will live always in
the memory of those who witnessed it; while his unflinching and
determined effort to win under a weight that scarcely admitted of hope
stamp the Lamb as a horse without equal in our day. In my opinion no
price in reason could be too much to ask or give for such animal.
A short time ago I had the great honour and privilege accorded me by his
noble owner of a close inspection at his private training quarters of
this unrivalled little equine gem; and I am bound to say that, although
I never quite believed in perfection of a horse until I saw the action,
manner, and general form of the Lamb, as far as my judgment or
experience goes, I freely accord to him the palm over every horse I have
seen in a lifetime spent among horseflesh in one quarter or another of
the world; but, although it is not possible in my humble opinion to find
his equal as a cross-country horse, our endeavours should be directed to
obtain for a lady hunter that which approximates most closely to the
Lamb. Let me briefly point out what are the qualities that render such
horses the fittest for carrying a lady to hounds.
In the first place, the connecting points of such an animal are so true
in their relative adjustment, that while in galloping he does not
_clamber_ or fight the air, he goes with action so safe as always to
clear any of those apparently insignificant obstacles, which too often
bring to grief a gallant-looking steed and his fair rider. When "ridge
and furrow" (as must sometimes occur) run the wrong way, he can go safe
from land to land; and this is of greater consequence to a lady's
riding than many suppose. The stamp of horse I speak of, too, will
gallop with his hind legs well under him, while he maintains a proper
balance of his fore hand without getting his head too low. He will do
his fences without rush or passion, and measure his distance to
perfection.
Secondly, his breeding gives him the power to endure through long runs,
while his temper prevents that feverish excitement so detrimental in its
reaction on a hot horse after a long day's hunting.
To return to the detail of the leaping lesson. This should always be
commenced either in a riding school or in a space so inclosed as to do
away as nearly as possible with any chance of the horse refusing. It is
not possible always to procure one that is quite a "Lamb;" and, however
well trained the animal on which the fair pupil is put, no possible
temptation to do wrong should ever be allowed to remain in his way. A
gorse-bound bar, a wattled hurdle or common sheep hurdle are all equally
good for the first attempt, care being taken not to make the leap too
high. But I do not, from experience, believe in putting the bar or other
obstacle on the ground, because the effort a well-broken horse makes to
clear it is so slight, that it puts the rider off her guard; and when
afterwards he rises higher in his jump, he is very apt to shift her in
the saddle. There is a very natural inclination on the part of a tyro in
riding, lady or gentleman (having seen a horse jump under another
person), to suppose that some effort of the hand is necessary _to lift_
the horse over the obstacle.
It should be the duty of the instructor carefully to warn his pupil
against any such effort, and in the first attempt to attend only to her
true equilibrium, while she presses the horse well up to his bridle,
keeping her hands perfectly steady, well back, and well down. She should
take a firm hold of the upper crutch of the saddle with her right knee;
sit well _into_ the saddle, and not on the back of it, because the
further back she sits, the greater the concussion when the horse
alights. She should put her left foot well home in the stirrup, and
press her leg firmly against the third crutch, while she keeps the left
knee quite flexible, and the left foot well forward. She should draw her
figure well up from the waist, which should be bent slightly forward;
and she should avoid _stiffening_ the waist, because it is from that
point that she is able to throw the upper part of the figure backwards
at the proper moment, and at the true angle, to preserve her balance.
She should direct her glance straight between the horse's ears, and well
in front of him to the end of the school, because if she looks down at
her hands or the bar, she relaxes her upright position. The horse should
be led up to the bar by the instructor, who should be able to jump
lightly over the obstacle with the horse; and another assistant should
follow with a whip, the presence of which the horse will recognise in an
instant, without any noise being made with it, and he will go at once
into his bridle, and "take hold" of the rider's hand. A groom should
hold the end of the bar or hurdle so lightly, that if the horse touches
it, it will fall; while another groom should stand in such a position,
about a horse's length to half a one outside the instructor, as to do
away with all chance of the horse swerving from any nervous action of
the rider's hand.
In jumping, at first the pupil should ride entirely upon the snaffle
rein. In fact, for early leaping lessons, it is best to put a good broad
reined snaffle in the horse's mouth, instead of a double bridle, because
it prevents any confusion about the reins, and consequent derangement of
nerve in the pupil. On approaching the bar, the latter should incline
the body back from the waist upwards, at such an angle, that a line from
the back point of the shoulder would fall about a couple of inches
behind the cantle of the saddle. This is not according to the strict
formula laid down by high-class professors of equitation; on the
contrary. "The Aid Book" tells us that "the body should be inclined
forward as the horse rises, and backwards as he alights." But I have
found in teaching _ladies_ to jump their horses that, particularly with
a quick jumping one, any such attempt would result in the horse hitting
the lady in the face with his head, and thereby thoroughly disgusting
her with leaping lessons, to say nothing of possible disfigurement or
injury. The instructor cannot be too quiet, simply keeping well hold of
his horse, making him walk close to the boards, and cautioning his pupil
to sit back--_not away from the crutches_ of the saddle, but to throw
the upper part of her figure back _the instant the horse drops his
head_. Any more instruction will only confuse her. The master should
jump with the horse, _but not hold the habit_, as is customary with some
preceptors of riding, because no man is so clever on his legs but that
some inequality in the tan or turf might cause him to stumble, in which
case assuredly he would pull the lady off her horse.
After the first jump the master is better away from both horse and
pupil. In nine cases out of ten I have found that the above simple
directions to the latter result in her landing all right, except a
little derangement of equilibrium to the front; but the easy spring of a
well-bred and well-broken horse, and the hold he takes of her hands,
reassure her. She has made her _premiere pas_ in jumping, and finds that
it is by no means so difficult a matter as she anticipated. In her
second attempt, if she exhibits good nerve, as most young ladies of the
present day do, the instructor need only walk up the side of the school
with her, close to the horse's shoulder, quietly correcting her if she
allows her reins to become slack, because in that case she loses the
_appui_ on the horse's mouth, which in her early attempts at leaping is
of vital importance to her. In fact, it is necessary, in order to give
the pupil confidence, that the horse should jump with a firm hold upon
her hand.
Many authorities on riding tell us that a horse's jump is simply a
higher stride of his gallop; from this notion I beg entirely to dissent.
In leaping, a horse first raises his forehand upwards with a half rear,
both feet quitting the ground at the same instant, the height he rises
corresponding to the angle at which he takes off. Secondly, from his
hind legs he propels himself forwards, both hind legs moving together,
and, if he is a good jumper, well under him. If leaping, therefore, is
to be compared to any other action of a horse, it must resemble a plunge
gaining ground to the front. There is no possible gain in teaching,
however, by comparing a horse's leap to his any other movement. Instinct
tells him what to do in order to clear his legs of the obstacle, and,
like walking or galloping, the action is by no means artificial,
inasmuch as a thoroughly unbroken young horse loose in a paddock will
jump through a gap on an ill-kept farm (if his dam makes the running)
with precisely the same action as a finished hunter; and, therefore, in
one sense I endorse the dictum once expressed to me by an Irish farmer
when I asked his opinion as to the natural paces of a horse. His reply
was, "Sure some of 'em goes no way natural, but just the way you don't
want thim to go; and there's some of thim that nothing's so natural to
as to ate a lot of good oats a man never sees the price of again. Thim's
bad ones. But if you're spaking of a good maning, rale Irish horse, the
most natural pace he has is to jump well." I quite agree, bar the word
pace, that jumping to a horse is as natural as any other instinctive
action. The weight, however, to be carried, and the mode in which that
weight is distributed at the critical moment, makes a material
difference to both horse and rider. Therefore, the early leaping lessons
should be confined to causing the pupil to do as little as possible to
impede the action of the horse, while she preserves her due balance.
Like the breaking of a young colt in the case of a pupil learning to
ride over a fence, if you ask too much at once or confuse the learner,
you obtain nothing but discomfiture.
As regards this portion of the course of equitation, it is specially
necessary to bear in mind the old French maxim, _C'est ne pas le
premiere pas qui coute_. At the same time it is quite possible, if the
first step is injudiciously taken, to spoil the whole of your previous
work. Special care should be taken that the horse does not take off too
soon; and if, from any unevenness of the rider's hands or legs, he
attempts this, the instructor should be quickly at his head again, and
compel him to do his work coolly and collectedly. "The standing leap,"
as this is technically called, is considerably more difficult as regards
catching the precise moment at which to throw the weight of the body
back than the "flying leap," because in the standing leap the horse,
being nearer to the obstacle, pitches himself forward with a much
rougher action, and does not land so far on the other side of the fence;
whereas when he canters freely at it, the difference in the shock to the
rider is as great as that experienced in the pitch of a boat in a short
chopping sea, and the boat's rise and fall in a long swell, the pace
also causing the horse to take more freely hold of the rider's hand.
Complete confidence, however, must be established before a lady should
be asked to ride her horse at a fence out of a walk; and nearly as much
time should be expended over this new step in the series of lessons as
were occupied in trotting.
I have not, however, to define the principle upon which, in either
standing or flying leap, security of seat must be sought. Some say that
in leaping it is by muscular grasp only that a lady can retain her true
equilibrium in the saddle; others adhere to the notion that it is all
done by balance. Now the truth lies midway between these two theories.
It is quite possible for a man to ride over a fence by balance only.
Witness what one sees frequently in a circus, where some talented
equestrian maintains his footing on a bare-backed steed, while the
latter jumps a succession of bars. Here there is nothing to keep the
rider on the horse but sheer balance; and, of course, if this can be
done by one man standing up, it can be much more easily done by another
sitting down in the saddle, although very few men ride across country in
such form, nor indeed is it either safe or desirable to do so. The
thing, nevertheless, is quite easy. It is not so easy with a lady,
because her position on the saddle is altogether an artificial one; and,
moreover, the weight of the skirt is sufficient to render riding by
balance alone most difficult. It is by a combination of firm grasp on
the crutches, _seized_ just before the horse arrives at his fence, and a
true balancing of the body from the waist upwards, that security of seat
in jumping is obtained. A most necessary adjunct to the above, however,
is firmness of the arms, because, if the latter are allowed to fly out
from the sides, the whole figure becomes, as it were, disconnected, and
the proper _aplomb_ is lost. By taking a firm hold of the upper crutch
of the saddle with the right leg, the rider is enabled to balance her
body as the horse rises, while the pressure of the left leg against the
third crutch prevents the concussion of his landing from throwing her
forward, provided always she throws back her weight at precisely the
right moment. This requires practice, and well-timed assistance from the
instructor, thus:
As soon as the pupil acquires sufficient confidence to ride her horse
fairly up to the fence, and keep his head straight to it, the master
should stand far enough from her to obtain a good view of the whole
contour of figure of horse and rider. He should place the hands of the
latter _well_ apart, cause her to shut her fingers firmly on the reins,
which give firmness to the body; keep her hands well down and her figure
well drawn up, ready on the instant to throw the weight back. He should
then caution her to execute the last-named movement on his giving the
_single sharp word_ "Now." The pupil should then press her horse well up
against her hand, and keep his head steady and straight to the bar. The
instant he rises the instructor should give his word sharply, and the
rider will then catch the true time at which to act upon it. This
requires only close attention and watching by instructor and pupil, both
being "vif" and thoroughly on the alert. After a few efforts the lady is
then sure to find out the time without any word. I have taught a great
many very young ladies as well as gentlemen to ride over a fence by the
aid of the word given in the above form, and have found it always of the
greatest assistance both to myself and pupils. Special attention is
necessary to keeping the hands well down and well apart, and the
shoulders quite square, because there is a natural tendency on the part
of most ladies in the first leaping lessons to throw the right shoulder
forward, which not only destroys her balance but causes her to pull the
horse's head to the near side. The hands cannot be kept too quiet at
first, for any effort to give and take to the action of the horse is
nearly certain to result in the pupil checking him at the very moment he
springs forward, and pulling him upon his fence.
A well-broken horse, when put up to his bridle, will take a good hold of
the rider's hand, and if sufficient length of rein is given him will
clear the bar without the necessity of the rider moving her hands a
hair's breadth. Subsequently, when she has had sufficient practice to
feel quite at home, she can be taught how to assist him when he does a
long striding leap over water or a strong double fence with ditches on
both sides.
After the standing leap is executed neatly, and in good form by rider
and horse, the flying leap should at once be practised.
The pupil should put her horse into a steady canter, going to the left
round the school; and for this purpose the hurdle or bar should for the
time be removed, so as to enable the lady to get her horse into a good
free stride. When the instructor sees that she has her horse in proper
form, the hurdle should be put up again and well sloped, because, even
so, the horse will jump considerably higher in all probability than the
rider expects.
This is the moment at which the master requires to be thoroughly on the
alert. He should caution the lady not to let her horse _hurry_ when he
turns the corner and sees the hurdle, which many horses are very apt to
do. "Hands down," "Sit back," "Press him against your hand," and the
"Now!" at the right moment should be the concise words, given in a tone
at once lively and encouraging. The result will be a clean, clever jump,
well done by horse and rider, when the former should be "made much of."
A couple or three leaps so executed are quite enough in a school,
because nothing so worries most horses as to keep them continually
jumping at the same place, and if the leap is too often repeated, they
are apt to sulk or blunder at it.
Within the walls of a good riding house almost every kind of obstacle
can be represented which can be met with out of doors. The double, the
artificial brook or painted wall, all give the pupil sufficient insight
into the form in which a well-taught horse will negotiate any of the
fences to be met with in the hunting field; and the lady should be
carefully taught how to _stop_ and _steady_ her horse at a crooked or
cramped place.
When once the leaping lessons are commenced, one should be given every
day, either before or after the riding out. If the ride is intended to
be a long one, the jumping should be done while the horse is fresh, and
has all his powers in hand.
When the pupil can do the standing and flying leap, the in and out or
double in good form, riding on the snaffle, she should again return to
her double bridle, which should be fitted with a curb chain with broad
links; and the whole of it should be well padded and covered with soft
leather, to prevent any jar upon the horse's mouth in jumping. The reins
should be separated and placed as for galloping, the greatest care being
taken by the instructor that the curb is no tighter than just to keep
it in place, for which a good lip strap should be used, and the curb
chain fitted so as to admit the play of quite two fingers between it and
the horse's jaw. In placing the reins, the master should see that the
greater _appui_ is on the snaffle, and that after the pupil closes her
hands upon the reins she does not shift her hold of them in the
slightest degree. Having now four reins instead of two as formerly,
there will be a tendency to "fidget" with them, or obtain a better hold.
This must instantly be corrected if it occurs, otherwise ten to one but
the lady gets the curb rein too short, and pulls her horse on his fence.
At the same time there should be no slack curb rein hanging down, but it
should be of such length that, on landing, the horse can just feel the
action of the curb, and the reason for this is obvious. In school all
leaping may be accomplished on the snaffle; but in the hunting field it
is far otherwise. In deep ground a horse requires holding together, and
no lady could do this with a snaffle bridle. And, again, in a long run,
when a horse has been severely called on, he may make a blunder on
landing from a drop in a bit of boggy ground, in which case the curb
rein is necessary in aid of the snaffle. As, therefore, it is in the
school that the pupil should be prepared for every outdoor eventuality,
riding over her fences with both curb and snaffle must be practised;
and, finally, over a small jump she must be taught to ride with the curb
alone.