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THE
HORSEWOMAN
[Illustration: Alice M. Hayes]
THE HORSEWOMAN
A Practical Guide to Side-Saddle Riding
BY
ALICE M. HAYES
AUTHOR OF "MY LEPER FRIENDS."
EDITED BY
M. HORACE HAYES, F.R.C.V.S.
(_Late Captain "The Buffs"_)
AUTHOR OF
"POINTS OF THE HORSE," "VETERINARY NOTES FOR HORSE-OWNERS,"
"RIDING AND HUNTING," ETC.
_Second Edition, revised, enlarged and 133 photographic
illustrations added._
LONDON
HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED
13 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET
1903
_All rights reserved_
PRINTED BY KELLY'S DIRECTORIES LTD.,
LONDON AND KINGSTON.
PREFACE.
The first edition of this book was the result of seven years' experience
of riding hundreds of horses in India, Ceylon, Egypt, China and South
Africa; the most trying animals being those of which I was the
rough-rider at my husband's horse-breaking classes. Since that edition
came out, I have hunted a good deal, chiefly, in Leicestershire and
Cheshire, and have taught many pupils, both of which experiences were of
special advantage to me in preparing this new edition; because English
ladies regard riding, principally, from a hunting point of view, and the
best way to supplement one's education, is to try to teach.
The directions about side-saddles and seat are the outcome of practical
work and fortunate opportunities; and I hope they will be as useful to
my readers as they have been to my pupils. Although I have ridden, when
abroad, some of the worst buckjumpers that could be found in any
country, I have never "cut a voluntary," thanks to the adoption of a
seat and saddle which gave the necessary grip. Of course I have had
"purls," when horses have "come down" with me out hunting; and on one
occasion in China, when a horse which I mounted for the first time,
reared and came over.
I have taken Figs. 32 to 51, 71 to 78 and Fig. 90 from _Riding and
Hunting_, and Figs. 147 and 148 from _Points of the Horse_. My husband
has written Chapter XXII.
I have omitted the chapter on my _Riding Experiences_, as I thought it
out of place in a purely teaching book.
Knowing the immense value of photographs in explaining technical
subjects, I have gladly availed myself of the expert help of my husband
and son in that form of illustration.
I am greatly obliged to Miss Harding, Miss Burnaby, Miss Neil, the Rev.
G. Broke, the Rev. R. J. Gornall, Mr. Clarence Hailey of Newmarket, the
Editor of _Country Life_ and the Editor of _The Queen_, for the
admirable photographs and blocks they most kindly lent me. I regret that
I inadvertently omitted to place the names of Mr. Clarence Hailey and
the Gresham Studio, Adelaide, South Australia, under the excellent
photographs which are respectively reproduced in Figs. 2 and 3.
This edition is practically a new book.
_Yew Tree House,
Crick, Rugby,
25th March, 1903._
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
BEGINNING TO RIDE 1 to 7
CHAPTER II.
HORSES FOR LADIES 8 to 24
CHAPTER III.
SIDE-SADDLES 25 to 69
CHAPTER IV.
BRIDLES 70 to 88
CHAPTER V.
RIDING DRESS 89 to 124
CHAPTER VI.
MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING 125 to 135
CHAPTER VII.
HOW TO HOLD THE REINS 136 to 144
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SEAT 145 to 159
CHAPTER IX.
HANDS, VOICE, WHIP AND SPUR 160 to 184
CHAPTER X.
FIRST LESSONS IN RIDING 185 to 218
CHAPTER XI.
RIDING ACROSS COUNTRY 219 to 226
CHAPTER XII.
HACKING 227 to 232
CHAPTER XIII.
RIDING WITHOUT REINS 233 to 243
CHAPTER XIV.
NERVE 244 to 247
CHAPTER XV.
FENCES, COUNTRY AND GATES 248 to 303
CHAPTER XVI.
HUNTING 304 to 380
CHAPTER XVII.
RIDING AND HUNTING ABROAD 381 to 393
CHAPTER XVIII.
WALKING FOXHOUND PUPPIES 394 to 413
CHAPTER XIX.
KINDNESS TO HORSES 414 to 425
CHAPTER XX.
CROSS-SADDLE RIDING FOR LADIES 426 to 430
CHAPTER XXI.
RIDING DIFFICULT HORSES 431 to 464
CHAPTER XXII.
NAMES OF EXTERNAL PARTS OF THE HORSE 465 to 473
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Frontispiece--Alice M. Hayes.
FIG. PAGE
1. Man riding a horse over a fence in a side-saddle 3
2. Miss Burnaby's Butterfly 9
3. Miss Neil's Jackeroo 11
4. Mr. Vansittart's Romance 13
5. Irish mare, Salary 15
6. Polo pony, Pat 17
7. Arab pony, Freddie 19
8. Side view of saddle tree 26
9. Underneath view of saddle tree 27
10. Front view of saddle tree 29
11. Underneath view of saddle tree and its webs 31
12. Grip with improved leaping head 35
13. " ordinary " 37
14. Hook for stirrup leather 39
15. Leaping head too low down 40
16. Side view of a properly made saddle 41
17. Champion and Wilton's extra stirrup case 43
18. Capped stirrup-iron 44
19. Slipper stirrup 44
20. The Christie stirrup 44
21. Foot caught 45
22. Latchford stirrup 46
23. Scott's stirrup 46
24. " " open 47
25. Cope's stirrup 48
26. Foot released by Cope's stirrup 49
27. Scott's stirrup 50
28. Foot caught on off side 51
29. Child mounted 61
30. Child jumping without reins 63
31. Foot caught, on account of its having been put into the
stirrup from the wrong side 67
32. "Head" of a single bridle: _a_, crown-piece; _b_, _b_,
cheek-pieces; _c_, throat-latch; _d_, front or brow-band 71
33. Unjointed snaffle 72
34. Chain snaffle 72
35. Ordinary snaffle with cheeks 72
36. Nutcracker action of jointed snaffle on horse's mouth 73
37. Action of unjointed snaffle on horse's mouth 73
38. Action of a curb as a lever 73
39. Properly constructed curb for ordinary hunter. Side view 74
40. Ward Union curb bridle with half-moon snaffle 75
41. Curb chain covered with india-rubber tube 76
42. Chin-strap unbuckled 76
43. Chin-strap buckled 76
44. Curb reversed by horse throwing up his head, in the absence
of a chin-strap 77
45. Cavasson nose-band 79
46. Standing martingale attached to rings of the snaffle 80
47. Lord Lonsdale's registered running martingale 81
48. Maximum length of standing martingale 83
49. Side view of horse's lower jaw 85
50. Angle made by the cheeks of a curb, when the reins are
taken up 86
51. View of under-surface of lower jaw 87
52. The Hayes' Safety Skirt open for mounting 91
53. Off side of the Hayes' Safety Skirt 93
54. The Hayes' Safety Skirt closed for walking 95
55. Apron skirt open for mounting 97
56. The apron skirt closed for walking 99
57. Riding dress for child 101
58. Loose riding coat, too long 103
59. Front view of good riding coat 105
60. Back view of good riding coat 107
61. Terai hat and Norfolk jacket 109
62. Pith hat and drill jacket 109
63. Good driving coat 111
64. Top of boot catching on safety bar flap 119
65. Front view of riding under-bodice 121
66. Back view of riding under-bodice 123
67. Foot raised for mounting 127
68. Ready to mount 129
69. Dismounting without help 133
70. " with help 135
71. A rein in each hand 137
72. Single reins crossed in one hand 138
73. " " " " " 138
74. Double reins held separately in two hands 139
75. Holding double reins crossed in one hand 140
76. Double reins in left hand: one crossed, the other hooked up
on middle finger 141
77. Reins held in one hand in military fashion 142
78. Off rein taken up by right hand from position shown
in Fig. 77 143
79. Position of rider's legs at the walk 147
80. Hooked back leg, the direction of the pressure of which
is shown by the fore finger of the left hand 151
81. Seat at the walk 153
82. Length of stirrup 155
83. Correct position of legs 157
84. Leaning back 158
85. Hunting whip 171
86. Thong properly put on 173
87. " " " 173
88. " incorrectly put on 175
89. " not quite right 175
90. A practical bullfinch 177
91. Spur-carrying whip used for high school riding 181
92. Thorough-bred mare at a walk 187
93. Preparing to rise at the trot, with stirrup at correct length 191
94. Rising at the trot, with stirrup at correct length 193
95. Preparing to rise at the trot, with stirrup too long 195
96. Rising at the trot, with stirrup too long 197
97. Canter, with right leg hooked back, and stirrup too long 199
98. Good seat at canter or gallop 201
99. " " " " 203
100. " " " " 205
101. Bad seat; right leg hooked back, stirrup too long, and
foot "home" 207
102. Miss Emmie Harding jumping wire 211
103. Maximum amount of pressure on leaping head 213
104. Position of legs in jumping 215
105. Driving horse over jumps 235
106. A cut-and-laid fence 251
107. " " " during construction 253
108. A stake and bound fence 255
109. Post and rails to close gap in hedge 257
110. Posts and rails 259
111. " " " with ditch 261
112. Midland stile 263
113. An oxer 265
114. Wire in front of bullfinch 267
115. Galway bank 271
116. Side view of bank shown in Fig. 115 273
117. Galway bank 275
118. "Cope and dash" wall 277
119. Loose stone wall 279
120. Low bank with ditch on both sides 281
121. View of country between Yelvertoft and Crick 283
122. Grass on each side of the road 285
123. Ordinary five-barred gate 289
124. Bridle gate 291
125. Gate with wooden latch 293
126. " " spring " which has to be drawn back 295
127. " " " " " " " pushed forward 297
128. Double gate 299
129. A puzzle in gate-opening 301
130. Ridge and furrow 317
131. " " " in the distance 321
132. Haystack and gate 329
133. Brook 337
134. Pollard willows in the next field 339
135. The Cottesmore drawing a covert 355
136. Wire board 359
137. Red flag 363
138. "'Ware wire" 365
139. Iron hurdle 367
140. Wire on top of gate 369
141. Pytchley puppy, Mottley 401
142. Front view of kennel coat 403
143. Back view of kennel coat 405
144. Puppies with bicycle 407
145. Pytchley puppy, Monarch 409
146. Riding mountain zebra 457
147. External parts of horse 467
148. Measurements of horse 471
THE HORSEWOMAN.
CHAPTER I.
BEGINNING TO RIDE.
Instruction based on experience assists us in the attainment of all
arts, and hastens the process of learning. Although a specially gifted
individual who has not been taught, may be able to sing in a pleasing
style, no one has ever become an accomplished pianist without competent
instruction; the former being somewhat in the position of a man, the
latter in that of a lady, as regards riding. In all countries we find
good untaught horsemen who have got "shaken into their seats" by
constant practice, with or without a saddle, which in most cases is
chiefly a protection to the animal's back. A side-saddle, on the
contrary, is as artificial a production as a musical instrument, and a
full knowledge of its peculiarities often cannot be acquired during a
lifetime. Here the great difference between men and women is that the
former ride the horse; the latter, the saddle. The tyranny of the
side-saddle would not be so marked as it is, if this article of gear
were of a uniform pattern of the best possible kind. Unfortunately it is
generally built according to the fantastic ideas of fashionable makers
who have no practical experience of side-saddle riding. Unaided learners
have such difficulty in acquiring security and grace of seat and good
hands, that many ladies who have ridden all their lives, and have lots
of pluck, are poor performers, particularly in the hunting-field. A
beginner who is put on a properly made saddle and suitable horse, and is
taught the right principles of riding, will make more progress in a
month than she would otherwise do in, say, five years. The artificiality
of side-saddle riding extends even to the horse, which must be free from
certain faults, such as unsteadiness in mounting, that would not render
him unsuitable to carry a male rider.
Competency in the instructor is of the first importance. Nothing is more
absurd than for a man who cannot ride well in a side-saddle, to try to
unfold to a lady the mysteries of seat. Such men, instead of getting
into a side-saddle and showing their pupils "how to do it," generally
attempt to conceal their ignorance by the use of stock phrases. If asked
"Why?" they invariably reply, "Because it's the right thing to do," or
words to that effect. I have never heard of women venturing to teach men
how to ride.
Davis, a young groom we had, was a rare instance of a man who was
thoroughly competent to teach ladies how to ride, because he had lots
of practice in side saddles, and had ample opportunities of learning the
theory of the art, while I was teaching pupils in a riding school, where
I rode and jumped horses without a skirt. Fig. 1 shows Davis riding in a
side saddle over a gate, on my grey horse Gustave. The fact of his not
hanging on to the horse's head is a good proof that he had a strong
seat.
[Illustration: Fig. 1.--Man riding a horse over a fence in a
side-saddle.]
The first lessons in balance and grip should be given by a competent
horsewoman, and the riding-skirt should either be taken off or pinned
back (for instance, with a safety-pin), in order that the lady
instructor may be able to see and at once correct faults in the position
of the legs, which is hardly a task fit for a man, even were he
competent to perform it. After the pupil has acquired a good seat at
the various paces and over small fences, her further education in the
guidance and control of her mount might be entrusted to a competent
horseman, preferably to a good cross-country rider, and not, as is
frequently the case, to an ex-military riding-master, who, having been
taught that a cavalryman's right hand has to be occupied with a sword or
lance, considers that ladies should also adopt the one-handed system of
riding! As a rule, the services of a good horseman are desirable when
the pupil is fit to ride in the open, because he is more helpful than a
lady rider in rendering prompt assistance on an emergency. Besides,
riding men usually know more about the bitting and handling of horses
than women, and are therefore better able to impart instruction in this
branch of equitation.
It is as impossible to lay down a hard-and-fast rule as to the age at
which a girl may be allowed to mount a pony or donkey, as it is to
control the spirits and daring of a foxhound puppy. Those who possess
the sporting instinct and the desire to emulate the example of their
hunting parents or friends, should certainly be encouraged and taught to
ride as soon as they manifest their wish to do so. Many hunting women
allow their children to occasionally attend meets in a governess car or
other suitable conveyance, and the budding sportsmen and sportswomen in
the vehicle keenly follow the hounds, as far as they can do so, by the
roads. On non-hunting days during the season, it is no uncommon sight
in hunting districts to see ladies walking by the side of their tiny
daughters who are mounted on ponies, and giving them instruction in
riding. In cub-hunting time we may often see the good results of such
lessons, when parent and daughter appear together, and the little girl
on her pony follows the lead over small fences which "mother" knows can
be negotiated by both with safety.
Twenty years ago, infants were often carried in panniers or baskets, one
on each side of a led pony or donkey, with the supposed object of
initiating them to horse exercise. The pannier training was followed by
the little girls being placed on a pilch, and conducted about by a
mounted groom with a leading-rein. This leading-rein system is
absolutely worthless as a means for teaching horse-control to children,
and should be used only as a safeguard with an animal which the young
rider may be unable to hold.
At whatever age a child is taught to ride, we should bear in mind that
the exercise always entails a certain amount of fatigue, and should be
taken in moderation. The many lamentable accidents which have occurred
to young girls from being "dragged," show the vital necessity of
supplying the small horsewoman with the most reliable safety appliances
in saddlery and dress. The parent or guardian often overlooks this
all-important point, and devotes his or her entire attention to securing
a quiet animal.
Girls who do not possess any aptitude or desire to ride should not be
compelled to practise this art, for, apart from the cruelty of
subjecting a highly nervous girl to the torture of riding lessons, such
unwilling pupils never become accomplished horsewomen. In the same way,
a child who has no ear for music, and who is forced against her wish to
learn the piano, never develops into a good player.
The same remark applies to older ladies, who, with the usual angelic
resignation of my sex, try their best to obey the command of their lords
and masters by learning to ride. I fear that success in this art is
seldom attained by ladies over thirty years of age, for by that time
they have generally lost the dashing pluck of their youth; their figures
have become set and matronly; and, as a rule, they find great difficulty
in mastering the subtleties of balance and grip. Also, a state of
nervous anxiety is apt to add to the general stiffness of their
appearance, and to suggest discomfort and irritability.
We read from time to time alarming rumours of "spinal curvature" as a
result of side-saddle riding, but I have never known a case of this to
occur, either to old or young, although the near-side position of the
leaping-head has a tendency to develop the muscles of the left leg more
than those of the right leg, a fact which I discovered as soon as I
began to ride a bicycle, after having had many years' experience on
horses. Riding alternately on a saddle with the leaping-head on the near
side and on one with the leaping-head on the off side, would help to
save the back and legs of a lady's horse. In cantering or galloping, the
animal puts more weight on the leading fore leg, which is consequently
more liable to suffer from the injurious effects of work than the
non-leading leg; and, as we all know, to canter or gallop comfortably, a
lady's horse has to lead with his off fore when the leaping-head is on
the near side; and _vice versa_. Also, the vulnerable side of the back
and withers of an animal which carries a side-saddle, is the one which
is opposite to that on which the leaping-head is fixed. I am afraid that
these practical considerations would not outweigh the dictates of
fashion and the expense of having two saddles for one horse. The _Young
Lady's Equestrian Manual_, which was published in 1838, tells us that in
the early part of the last century, a plan which was similar to the one
in question was adopted of having movable crutches, "in order to afford
a lady, by merely changing their relative positions, the means of
riding, as she might please, on either side of her horse," and that this
change of crutches was found advantageous. I do not think that a
side-saddle built on this principle would look neat enough for modern
requirements.