MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING.
"'Stand, Bayard, stand!'--the steed obeyed,
With arching neck and bending head,
And glancing eye and quivering ear,
As if he loved _her voice_ to hear."
_Lady of the Lake._
A novice in riding always experiences in a greater or less degree a
sense of trepidation and embarrassment when, for the first time, a horse
duly caparisoned for a lady rider is put before her, and she is expected
to seat herself in the saddle. If she be a timid person, the apparent
difficulty of this feat occasions a dismay which the good-natured
champing of the bit and impatient head shakings of the horse do not tend
to diminish. If, however, she be accustomed to horses as pets, and
understand their ways, she will be much less apprehensive about mounting
than the lady who has only observed them at a distance and is entirely
ignorant of their nature. The author has known ladies, after their
horses had been brought to the door, to send them back to the stable
because courage failed them when it became necessary to trust
themselves on the back of an animal of which they knew nothing. To
overcome this timidity the lady must become better acquainted with her
horse, and, to do so, should visit him occasionally in his stable, feed
him with choice morsels, and lead him about the yard from time to time.
By these means a mutual friendship and confidence will be created, and
the lady will gradually gain enough courage to place herself in the
saddle.
The first attempt at mounting should be made from a =high horse-block=
with some one to hold the head of the horse and keep him still. Turning
her right side somewhat toward the horse's left, and slightly raising
the skirt of her riding habit, the lady should spring from her left foot
towards the saddle, at the same time raising her right leg so that it
will pass directly over the second and third pommels. This accomplished,
the left foot may be placed in the stirrup.
Another method of mounting from a rather high horse-block, when the
pommels are high, is for the lady to face the horse's left side, and,
seizing the off-pommel with the right hand and the second one with the
left, to spring towards the saddle from her left foot, and seat herself
sidewise. She can then turn her body so as to face the horse's head,
place her right leg over the second pommel,--adjusting her skirt at the
same time,--and slip her left foot into the stirrup and her left knee
under the third pommel.
Should the =horse-block be low= and the lady short, she will be obliged
to mount somewhat after a man's fashion, thus: Placing her left foot in
the stirrup, and grasping the second pommel with her left hand, she
should spring from her right foot, and, as she rises, grasp the
off-pommel with her right hand; by means of this spring, aided by the
pommels and stirrup, she can seat herself sideways in the saddle,
turning her body for this purpose just before gaining the seat. In the
absence of a horse-block, from which to mount, the assistance of a chair
or stool should never be resorted to unless there is some one to hold it
firm and steady.
When the rider is obliged to =mount= without assistance and =from the
ground=, if the balance-strap, before referred to, be used with her
stirrup, she can let this strap down far enough to enable her to put her
foot in the stirrup easily, and to use it as a sort of stepping-stone by
means of which, and a spring from her right foot, she can reach the
saddle sideways. In doing this she must grasp the second pommel firmly
with her left hand, in which she also should hold her whip and the
reins; on rising she must aid herself by grasping with the right hand
the off-pommel as soon as she can reach it. When she is seated, the
stirrup can be adjusted from the off-side by means of the balance-strap.
If, however, she uses the old-fashioned stirrup-leather, and there is no
assistance of any kind at hand, neither horse-block, chair, nor stool,
not even a fence or steep bank from which to mount,--a situation in
which a rider might possibly be placed,--then reaching the saddle
becomes a very puzzling affair, unless the lady be so active that she
can spring from the ground to her saddle. To try the plan of lengthening
the stirrup-leather will be dangerous, because, in order to readjust it
after mounting, she will have to sit on the back part of the saddle,
bend over the horse's left side, and pull up the stirrup-leather in
order to shorten and buckle it; while in this position, if the horse
should start, she would probably be thrown instantly. Her safest course
would be to lead the horse until a place is found where she can mount.
If she should have to use a fence for this purpose let her be sure that
the posts are firmly fixed in the ground, and that the boards are
neither loose nor easily broken.
When mounting, the whip and reins should be held in the left hand, the
former with the point down, so that it may not hit the horse, and the
latter grasped just tightly enough to feel the horse's mouth without
pulling on it. In order to arrange the folds of the riding skirt after
mounting, the reins and whip must be transferred to the right hand;
then, resting this hand upon the off-pommel, the rider should raise
herself free from the saddle by straightening her left knee and standing
on the stirrup, also aiding herself by means of the right hand on the
pommel. While thus standing she can quickly arrange the skirt with her
left hand.
None of the methods of mounting just described--with the exception of
the first one--are at all graceful, and they should never be used except
in case of absolute necessity. The most graceful way for a lady to reach
the saddle, and the one that is taught in the best riding schools, is by
the =assistance of a gentleman=. The rider's education will not be
complete until she has learned this method of mounting, which, when
accomplished easily and gracefully, is delightful to witness. It should
be learned after the preliminary lessons at the horse-block have been
taken. In using this simple manner of reaching the saddle, the rider
will have three distinct points of support, namely, the shoulder of the
gentleman who assists her, the united palms of his hands, and her own
hold upon the pommel.
[Illustration: Fig. 17.--Lady ready to mount her horse.]
The stirrup having been placed across the shield of the saddle in front
of the pommels, the lady, holding the reins and the whip with its point
down in her right hand,--which must rest upon the second pommel,--should
stand with her right side toward the horse's left, about four or five
inches from it, her left shoulder being slightly turned back. Then,
taking a firm hold upon the second pommel with her right hand, she
should with the left lift her riding skirt enough to enable her to place
her left foot fairly and squarely into the gentleman's palms, which
should be clasped firmly together. This done, she should drop the skirt,
place her left hand upon his right shoulder, bend her knee, or give the
word "ready," as a signal, and at once spring from her right foot up and
a little towards the horse. The gentleman, at the same moment, must
raise his hands, and move them toward the horse. The lady must, when
rising, press or bear lightly upon his shoulder, and also keep a firm
hold upon the second pommel, which she must not relinquish until she is
seated. If correctly performed, this manoeuvre will place the rider in
the saddle sideways. The gentleman should then remove the stirrup from
the front of the saddle, while the lady transfers the reins to her left
hand, passes her right knee over the second pommel and her left under
the third. She will then be ready to have her foot placed in the
stirrup. (Fig. 17.)
It will, however, be found very difficult to mount in this manner,
gracefully, unless the gentleman who assists thoroughly understands his
duties; should he be awkward about helping her, the lady will find it
much better to depend upon the horse-block. If, for instance, he should
raise his hands too high, or with too much energy, when she makes her
spring, he may push her too far over, or even--if she should loosen her
grasp of the second pommel,--cause her to fall from the off-side of the
horse. This is a dangerous accident, and almost certain to occasion
severe injuries. On the other hand, if he does not use energy enough, or
neglects to carry his hands toward the body of the horse as the lady
rises, she may not reach the saddle at all, and will he apt to fall to
the ground on the left side of the horse, especially if she relinquishes
her hold on the second pommel. The gentleman must also be careful not to
let his foot rest on the lady's skirt, as this will pull her back, and
perhaps tear the dress, as she makes her spring.
In assisting a lady to mount, the =gentleman= should first arrange the
snaffle-reins evenly and of the proper length, and place them in her
right hand, leaving the curb-reins to lie loosely on the neck of the
horse. Then, after putting the stirrup out of the way, as described
above, he should take a position facing her, with his left shoulder
toward the left shoulder of the horse. Clasping his hands together with
the palms turned up, he should stoop sufficiently to enable her to put
her left foot upon them, and, in raising them as she springs, he must
gradually assume the erect posture. When the lady is seated, he should
return the stirrup to its proper position and place her foot in it,
after first, with his left hand, adjusting her skirt so that it will
fall evenly; he should then place the curb-reins in her left hand, with
the others. No gentleman is a finished equestrian, nor a desirable
companion for a lady on horseback, who does not know how to assist her
dexterously and gracefully to mount and dismount.
A lady who is not very nimble in her movements, or who is very heavy,
should be extremely careful in mounting not to accept assistance from a
gentleman who is not strong enough to support her weight easily and
firmly. It will be much better for her to use a horse-block or something
of the kind. But if she does accept the aid of a gentleman, the
following changes in the methods described above have been recommended:
instead of facing her, he should stand close to her side, with his face
turned in the same direction as hers: she should then place her left
foot in his united hands, and in order to do so must pass her left leg
between his right arm and his body. He will thus be enabled to support
and lift her with greater ease, and, as she rises, her left leg will
readily escape from under his right arm, and she will be able to seat
herself sideways in the saddle, as by the former method. During this
manoeuvre she must sustain herself by the second pommel, as in the
preceding instance.
If a horse is restless and uneasy when being mounted, he should be held
by a third person, who must stand in front of his head and take a firm
hold of the curb-bit on each side, but without touching the reins, which
should always be held and managed by the rider only. It is _always_ a
better plan, when mounting, to have the horse held, although a
well-trained horse will stand quietly without such control.
Mounting is a part of the rider's education which should be carefully
studied and practiced, for when properly and gracefully accomplished it
is the very poetry of motion, and will enable her to display more
pliancy and lightness than she can even in the ball-room. There is
another branch of the rider's education which also requires careful
study, as it is rarely accomplished satisfactorily, and is apt to
occasion as much embarrassment and dismay to a beginner as mounting.
This is =dismounting=. To alight from a horse easily and well, without
disarranging the dress, and without being awkwardly precipitated into
the arms of the gentleman who assists, is by no means an easy task, and
very few lady riders accomplish it with skill and address.
When assisting his companion from the saddle, the gentleman should stand
about a foot from her with his face toward the horse, while she, after
taking her foot from the stirrup and disengaging her right leg from the
pommel, must turn her body so as to face him. After putting the stirrup
over the shield of the saddle, as in mounting, he should then extend his
hands so as to support her by the elbows, while she rests a hand upon
each of his shoulders. Then, by giving a gentle spring, she will glide
lightly to the ground, he meanwhile supporting her with his hands, and,
as she descends, bending his body, and moving his right side slightly
backward. She can also assist him to lessen the shock as she touches the
ground by bending her knees a little, as if courtesying.
Another way of assisting the lady, especially if she be rather stout and
not very active, is for the gentleman to clasp her waist with both
hands, instead of holding her by the elbows. He should, in this case,
stand as far from her as he can while still supporting her, and, as she
descends, should make a step backward with his right foot, and turn a
little away from the horse, which should be held by a third person, in
the manner described before, in mounting.
[Illustration: Fig. 18.--Lady ready to dismount.]
Another, and more graceful way of dismounting is the following: The
gentleman, standing about a foot from his companion and directly facing
her, takes in his left hand her bridle,--as near as he can to the
horse's mouth, that he may hold him as firmly and securely as
possible,--the lady now drops the reins on the horse's neck, disengages
her foot from the stirrup, and her leg from the second pommel, and then
seats herself sideways in the saddle, so as to face her assistant, who
now places the stirrup on the front of the saddle with his right hand;
he then offers his right shoulder to the lady for her support. She,
after gathering up in her left hand a few folds of her riding skirt, in
order to have her feet free when she alights, places upon his shoulder
the hand which holds the skirt, and with the other, in which she holds
her whip point downward, grasps the second pommel and springs lightly
from the saddle, the gentleman bending over a little as she descends. On
reaching the ground, she should, as before described, bend her knees
slightly to lessen the shock of the descent. (Fig. 18.)
In all these modes of dismounting, the lady, before attempting to
alight, should be sure that her skirt is quite free from the pommels,
especially from the second one, and that it is so adjusted that it will
not be trodden upon when she reaches the ground, but will fall evenly
about her, without being in any way disarranged.
It happens not infrequently that a lady is obliged to dismount without
=any one to assist her=, and in this case she should ride up to a
horse-block so as to bring the left side of her horse close to it, let
the curb reins fall upon his neck, retaining, however, the whip and
snaffle-reins in her left hand, and then, removing her foot from the
stirrup and her right leg from the pommel, she should seat herself a
little sideways upon the saddle. Now, with a slight turn of her
shoulders to the right, she should place her left hand--still holding
the whip and reins--upon the second pommel, and her right hand upon the
off one, and thus alight sideways with her face toward the horse's head.
In effecting this manoeuvre, she must be careful to retain her hold upon
the snaffle-reins and also upon the second pommel until she is safe upon
the horse-block; she must also remember the caution given before, in
regard to having her skirts free from the pommels.
To =dismount upon the ground=, or upon a very low horse-block, =without=
assistance, is a difficult feat to execute gracefully, but some young
ladies in the country, who are active and light, accomplish it so easily
and quickly that they do not appear awkward. The manner in which this is
to be done is nearly the same as that just explained, the only
difference being, that the gliding down must be effected quickly and
lightly, and the rider, as she passes down, must release her hold upon
the off-pommel, but retain that upon the second, also taking care to
have the reins quite loose. This mode of alighting is, however, entirely
out of place except in the country, where assistance cannot always be
had readily, or in cases where the lady is obliged to dismount very
quickly.
If the lady rider, after carefully studying these different methods of
mounting and dismounting with assistance, will select the one she thinks
suits her best, and then practice it a few times with her gentleman
escort, she will soon find herself able to perform with ease these
apparently difficult feats, and will have no need of resorting to a
horse-block, nor to some secluded spot, where she can mount or dismount
unobserved. A lady once told the author that the pleasure of her daily
ride was at one time almost spoiled by the knowledge that she must mount
and dismount in front of a hotel, the piazza of which was always crowded
with observers, for, not having been properly taught to execute these
manoeuvres, she was rather awkward at them. She, however, placed herself
under correct tuition, and soon overcame the difficulty. She can now
execute these movements with such grace and elegance as to fascinate
gentlemen, and excite the envy of rival belles who are still obliged to
seek the aid of a horse-block.