CHAPTER XIX_Riding and Driving for Women

GYMKHANA GAMES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR PRIVATE SHOWS

Gymkhana games may be held either independently or in connection with

private or country club shows, and I would suggest as a programme for

such a combination the following events:

CLASSES

1. Ladies’ Single Harness Class.

Appointments (town or country) 40 per cent

Horse 60 per cent

2. Ladies’ Harness Pairs.

Appointments and counting the same.

3. Ladies’ Hunters.

(Ladies to ride.)

4. Sporting Tandems.

(Ladies to drive.)

5. Pairs of Hunters.

(Pairs made up of a gentleman and a lady,

riding their own horses.)

6. Ladies’ Driving Competition.

Driving to count 100 per cent

7. Ladies’ Saddle Horses.

Horses to count 40 per cent

Riding 40 per cent

Appointments 20 per cent

GYMKHANA EVENTS

8. Egg and Spoon Race for Ladies.

9. Music Stall Ride.

10. Affinity Race.

11. Potato Race.

12. Drag Hunt Contest.

NOTES

_Classes 3 and 5_: Hunters to be shown over jumps, which may be merely

post and rail, brush, in and out, or any combination of these,

performance over jumps only to count.

_Event No. 8_: Starters will be handed a large wooden spoon and an egg.

The spoon must be carried in one hand, with the egg in the bowl, twice

around the course. Any one dropping the egg must return to the starting

point for another, and whoever first completes the two rounds of the

course with an unbroken egg held throughout in the spoon wins the race.

_Event No. 9_: There must be a fence or wall down the middle of the

course. The stalls are made with poles, which are attached at one end to

the fence and at the other end to stakes driven in the ground. At the

start there should be one less stall than there are contestants, and

the length of the fence should be such that at the start there will be

no fence lapping over. The stalls should be between three and four feet

wide and all stalls on the same side of the fence.

The contestants start mounted; when the music plays they ride in single

file around the fence in a ring until the music stops; the riders then

dash for the stalls and the rider who is left over is out of the

contest. Before the music starts again one stall is removed, and the

performance is repeated until there are only two contestants left for

one stall, and then whoever of these gets it wins the event. The horses

may be ridden into the stalls backward, forward, or any way in which

they can get in. In other words, it is the old game of “Going to

Jerusalem.”

_Event No. 10_: The contestants are in pairs, a man and a woman, each

with his pony. All the contestants start dismounted. At the starting

signal the man first puts the woman up, then mounts himself; they join

hands and dash madly down the field and race twice around the course,

holding hands. The pair to reach the finish first win the race. If

desired, jumps may be introduced.

_Event No. 11_: The contestants may be all men, all women, or both. The

contestants start mounted at one end of the course, each of them having

a spear; at the other end of the course are six or eight potatoes for

each contestant, those of each contestant being placed together in a row

and opposite his place in line at the start. The contestants must pick

up the potatoes, one at a time, with the spear, ride back to the

starting point, and drop each potato in a basket. The one who first

picks up all his potatoes, carries them on his spear, and drops them all

in the basket, wins the race. If a contestant drops a potato on the way

back to the starting point he must pick up that potato with his spear

without dismounting.

[Illustration: (NEWSBOY) A PRIZE-WINNING RUNABOUT ENTRY]

_Event No. 12_: This event, if my memory serves me right, was originated

by Mr. F. M. Lowry, M.F.H., of the Harkaway Hunt, McDonald,

Pennsylvania, and it can take place only in a hunting country or where

one or more packs of hounds are available; it can, of course, only be

tried where the grounds are large. A drag is laid over the country,

taking as many fences as may be desired, but without flags or other

indications of the course. The finish should be at the grand stand. Each

hound wears a ribbon of a distinctive color and each rider draws by lot

a card with the corresponding color of that worn by a hound. The riders

all follow the hounds, and the holder of the color of the hound which

first arrives at the finish is awarded the cup, provided that the hound

has followed the full course. There need be no contest between the

riders as to who shall be first at the finish.

[Illustration: JUDGE’S STAND IN OPEN AIR SHOW]

Of course the above programme is for an open-air or summer show, but all

the classes and many of the events may be used in-doors in a ring. To

take the place of the events which must necessarily be omitted for an

in-door show, I would suggest a costume ride. The style of costume may

be left to the choice of the riders, or some particular period or type

may be adopted. The riders go through the evolutions of a drill to

music.

[Illustration: _By courtesy of “The Rider and Driver”_

GYMKHANA GAMES AT COUNTRY SHOW]

Another suitable event for an in-door show is tandem riding which has

become deservedly popular. The horse one rides is saddled and the reins

and all appointments are the same as for ordinary riding, with the

exception that the bridle has the usual D’s similar to those of the

wheeler of the tandem, through which the reins of the leader pass. The

leader has a harness which consists of a pad with terrets and a driving

bridle without winkers and whatever form of bit may best suit the

individual horse. The reins are of white buckskin, the size of light

driving tandem lead reins. There should be about a half a horse’s

length between the two horses. The best and most practical way of

holding the reins I have found to be as follows: Treat the curb and

snaffle reins of the horse you are riding as if they were one rein and

separate them both by the middle and third fingers; that is to say, the

near curb is laid on top of the near snaffle rein and they both pass

between the middle and third fingers. The off snaffle is laid on top of

the off curb rein and they pass between the first and middle fingers.

The ends come up between the thumb and forefinger. The near lead rein

passes under the middle finger and up through the hand, coming out

between the third and fourth fingers. The off lead rein passes down

between the third and fourth fingers and passes out under the middle

finger. An ordinary light driving whip is held in the usual way for

driving in the right hand, and the right hand is held in readiness to

assist the left and particularly to turn the leader. Horses, with a

little training, are easily ridden or driven in this way and can be

taught to jump and go through complicated evolutions. This tandem riding

is a suitable event for winter entertainments in clubs and

riding-schools.

INDEX

Appointments, hunting, 74, 75;

show ring, 245-249;

trap, 273.

Arms, position of, in riding, 14, 19, 27.

Army, fashion of mounting, 48, 49-51;

seat, 42, 44.

Astride, riding, 37-57;

holding reins in, 27;

correct position for, 40;

the close seat in, 44, 45, 54-57.

Backing, a horse, 87;

of horse, 105.

Balance, 4, 5, 6, 12, 45;

importance of, 56, 57.

Balance strap, 143, 144.

Balking, 104, 106.

Bareback riding, 39, 45, 46.

Bearing reins, adjustment of, 269-272;

in pair driving, 271.

Belt, riding, 126.

Bits, driving, 264-267.

Bits, riding, adjustment of, 154-156;

position of, 153;

varieties of, 76, 145, 146, 150-152.

Bitting, in pair driving, 266, 267.

Body, position of, in riding, 6, 7.

Boots, riding, 74, 121-125;

for cross-saddle, 130-131.

Brake, the, 254, 255.

Breastplate, 75, 76, 148, 149, 151, 152.

Breeches, riding, 74, 109, 120, 121;

for cross-saddle, 131.

Breechings, 273.

Bridle, the, 76, 144-147, 151.

Bridle-hand, the, 15.

Bridoon, the, 145, 146, 151.

Bucking, 45, 105, 106.

Buckles, 16, 145, 146, 273, 279.

Cantering, 84, 85, 88.

Caressing a horse, 99, 100.

Catching the thong, 219-222, 234.

Cavesson, the, 76, 146-148.

Check-rein, the, 272.

Cheek pieces, 145, 146.

Children, riding for, 4, 5, 38, 45;

ponies for, 176, 177.

“Clucking,” 101.

Coat, riding, 111-114;

for cold weather, 119;

raincoat, 109, 118, 119;

top-coat, 119;

for cross-saddle, 131.

Collars, Dutch and Kay, 245, 274-278.

“Combination horse,” the, 159, 170-173.

Companion, riding with, 92, 101, 106, 107.

Confidence in horse, 30.

Conformation, in saddle-horse, 186, 187.

Controlling a horse, 29, 30, 99, 100.

Coupling reins, adjustment of, 267-269.

“Cowboy” costume and saddle, 43.

Crop, position of, 18, 19;

in hunting, 75, 129.

Cross-saddle, disadvantages of, 37, 38;

dress for, 109, 130, 131;

types of, 41, 42, 155.

Curb reins, 15-17, 26;

reversing position of, 24, 25, 28;

tightening, 23, 24.

Cushion, driving, 198, 246.

Dealers in horses, 181-185.

Dismounting, from the side-saddle, 35, 36;

from the cross-saddle, 51-54.

Docking, 241-244.

Dress, driving, 223, 259-261.

Dress, riding, cross-saddle, 39, 130, 131;

side-saddle, 73-75, 108-130;

prices of riding clothes, 132.

Driveways, going up, 253.

Driving, 193 _et seq._;

four-in-hand, 217-232;

getting length of reins, 196;

hints on, 250-258;

inspection of horse, harness, and trap, 193, 195;

methods of holding reins, 199-203, 210, 211;

position, 198;

pulling up, 204-206;

shortening and lengthening reins, 201, 207, 208, 210;

starting, 211, 212;

stepping into trap, 194-197;

stepping out of trap, 215, 216;

tandem driving, 232-240;

theory of correct driving, 200, 208;

use of whip, 200, 212, 213.

English conditions of riding, 162;

fashion of mounting, 46-48, 50;

method in show-ring, 82, 83;

rule of the road, 255, 256;

saddles, 42, 44, 46, 51, 134;

saddle dress, 118;

trained hunter, 67, 68.

Feeding a horse, 96-98.

Feet “home,” riding with, 11, 12, 44, 51.

Foot of horse, to dislodge stone or nail from, 94, 95.

Forelock, the, 244.

Form, in driving, 193 _et seq._;

in riding, 3 _et seq._

Four-in-hand driving, 217 _et seq._;

catching the thong, 219-222;

dress for, 223, 260, 261;

going downhill, 231;

harness, 220;

lady’s four-in-hand, 226, 229;

position, 198, 225;

of hands and reins, 219, 222, 226, 238;

readjusting reins, 231, 232;

shortening and lengthening reins, 227;

starting, 225, 227;

stopping, 228;

to straighten the team, 227, 228;

taking up the reins, 223-225;

turning, 228, 229;

acute angles, 230-232.

Gait, in driving, 250-252;

in riding, 91, 93, 160, 161, 187-189.

Games, see _Gymkhana_.

Garland, James A., his _The Private Stable_ quoted, 220, 221,

223-225, 227-232.

Gig horse, western style of, 248.

Gigs, in tandem driving, 235, 236.

Girthing, 102, 142, 237.

Girths, 141-143.

Gloves, 74, 128, 129;

driving, 261.

Groom, on the rumble, 216, 257, 258;

livery of, 254, 261-263, 277.

Gymkhana games, 282-289;

classes, 282;

affinity race, 284;

drag-hunt contest, 286, 287;

egg and spoon race, 283;

music stall ride, 283, 284;

potato race, 284, 285;

tandem riding, 287-289;

judge’s stand, 286.

Habit, the, 74, 108-115;

materials for, 115-119.

Hack, the park, 78, 82, 83, 95, 160, 162, 168-172, 185;

road, 172.

Hair, arrangement of, 126, 127, 260.

Hands, in driving four-in-hand and tandem, 219, 222, 226, 229, 238.

Hands, in riding, 14-29;

hunting, 64, 65;

lightness of, 28, 29;

position of left hand, 15, 18, 19;

right hand, 20-23.

Harness, inspection of, 193, 195;

leather of, 274-277;

mourning, 277;

weight of, 275;

for four-in-hand, 220;

English phaeton pair, 279;

single phaeton, 274;

single road, 276;

double road, 278, 280;

show-ring, 245;

tandem, 236.

Hat, riding, 74, 127, 128;

hat guard, 128.

Hills, driving up and down, 231, 238, 239, 251-255.

_Hints on Driving_, cited, 217.

Hook, invisible, 145-147.

Horse, “combination,” 159, 170-173;

“five-gaited,” 42;

green, 26, 214;

points of, 183;

saddle horse, 157-179;

selection of, 180-190;

in the show-ring, 77 _et seq._;

tandem, 240;