The etiquette of riding is very exact and important. Remember that
your left when in the saddle is called the _near_-side, and your right
the _off_-side, and that you always mount on the _near_-side. In doing
this, put your left foot in the stirrup; your left hand on the saddle;
then, as you take a spring, throw your right leg over the animal’s
back. Remember, also, that the rule of the road, both in riding and
driving, is, that you keep to the _right_.
Never appear in public on horseback unless you have mastered the
inelegancies attending a first appearance in the saddle, which you
should do at a riding-school. A novice makes an exhibition of himself,
and brings ridicule on his friends. Having got a “seat” by a little
practice, bear in mind the advice conveyed in the old rhyme—
“Keep up your head and your heart,
Your hands and your heels keep down,
Press your knees close to your horse’s sides
And your elbows close to your own.”
In riding with ladies, recollect that it is your duty to see them in
their saddles before you mount. And the assistance they require must
not be rendered by a groom; you must assist them yourself.
The lady will place herself on the near side of the horse, her skirt
gathered up in her left hand, her right on the pommel, keeping her face
toward the horse’s head. You stand at its shoulder, facing her, and
stooping, hold your hand so that she may place her left foot in it;
then lift it as she springs, so as to aid her, but not to give such
an impetus that, like “vaulting ambition,” she loses her balance, and
“falls o’ the other side.” Next, put her foot in the stirrup and smooth
the skirt of her habit—then you are at liberty to mount yourself.
[Illustration: THE PROPER POSITION OF A LADY AND GENTLEMAN IN RIDING.]
Keep to the right of the lady or any ladies riding with you.
Open all gates and pay all tolls on the road. Never, under any
circumstances, allow a lady to attend to any duty of this kind while
under your escort. You must anticipate her every need, and provide for
it; making her comfort your first thought.
If you meet friends on horseback, do not turn back with them; if you
overtake them, do not thrust your company upon them unless you feel
assured that it is agreeable to them for you to do so.
If you are on horseback and meet a lady who is walking, and with whom
you wish to speak, dismount for that purpose, and lead your horse. To
put her to the inconvenience of straining after and shouting to you,
would be a gross breach of manners.
[Illustration: MODE OF ASSISTING A LADY INTO A CARRIAGE.]
If you enter a carriage with a lady, let her first take her place on
the seat facing the horses. Enter a carriage so that your back is
toward the seat you are to occupy; you will thus avoid turning round in
the carriage, which is awkward. Take care that you do not trample on
the ladies’ dresses, or shut them in as you close the door.
The rule in all cases is this: you quit the carriage first and hand the
lady out.
You may properly speed your horse in driving with a lady, but remember
that it is vulgar to drive too fast; it suggests the idea of your
having hired the “trap” from a livery stable, and is in every respect
ungentlemanly.
The carriage or buggy should be driven close to the sidewalk, and the
horses turned from the sidewalk, so as to spread the wheels away from
the step. The gentleman should then alight, quiet the horses, and hold
the reins in his right hand as a guard against accidents. The lady
should, in leaving the carriage, place her hands on the gentleman’s
shoulders, while he should place his under her elbows. Then, with his
assistance, she should spring lightly to the pavement, passing him
on his left side to avoid the reins which he holds in his right. In
driving, the gentleman must place a lady on his left. This leaves his
right arm free to manage his horses.
A gentleman should not drive fast if the lady accompanying him is
timid, or objects to it. He should consult her wishes in all things,
and take no risks, as he is responsible for her safety. Above all, he
should never race with another team. Such conduct is disrespectful to
the lady who accompanies him.