HORSES FOR LADIES.
A hunter suitable for a lady should be temperate, sound, strong, safe
and clever over fences, and fast enough for his country. As extra
fatigue is entailed on a lady's mount by the side position of his rider,
he should be quite 21 lbs. above the weight he has to carry. As a rule,
he should not be younger than seven, and should have had, at least, two
seasons' hunting in which to learn his business. Fig. 2 shows us a
typical high-class Leicestershire hunter; and Fig. 3, a good Australian
hunter.
Mr. Vansittart's Romance (Fig. 4) was one of the nicest of the many
Australian horses I rode, during my sojourns in India, between the years
1885 and 1891. He was thoroughbred and was the winner of several races
on the flat and across country. In those days, the idiotic custom of
docking horses had not found favour in Australia.
[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Miss Burnaby's Butterfly.]
The requirements of the various hunting countries differ greatly. For
the Shires, a lady would want a well-bred galloper which can "spread
himself out" over his fences, because there is almost always a ditch or
a rail on one side or the other of the Midland hedges. Temperate he must
be, because the fields in Leicestershire, for instance, are so large
that there is often a crowd of riders waiting their turn at the only
practicable place in a jump, filing through a gate, or waiting _en
masse_ in a cramped space at the covert side, and a horse who displays
temper on such occasions is naturally regarded as a nuisance and danger
by the rest of the field. Besides, it must be remembered that nothing
tends to spoil the nerves of any rider, man or woman, more than
attempting to hunt in a big country like Leicestershire on a
bad-tempered horse, and especially on a refuser which has a tendency to
rear. On no account should a lady ride a roarer, although the artful
dealer may assure her that the "whistle" which the animal makes, will be
a secret unknown to any one except herself and the horse. In the large
majority of cases, roaring is a disease which increases with time, and
the accompanying noise is distressing to all lovers of horses who hear
it. Kickers, even with red bows on their tails, should on no account be
ridden; for they are a danger to man, woman, horse, and hound, and are
the cause of many accidents every hunting season. It would appear that
ladies--not those of the present day, let us hope--were not sufficiently
careful in insisting on this last-mentioned requirement in their
hunters; for Captain Elmhirst, writing in 1883, says, "Horse dealers,
farmers, and--we are sorry to add--ladies must especially be avoided;
for who ever saw a vicious kicker that was not ridden by one of these
three?"
[Illustration: Fig. 3.--Miss Neil's Jackeroo.]
Apart from the danger to others, it is obvious that no sane woman would
ride a horse which would be likely to kick her in the event of a fall.
When I was in India, I had to get rid of a horse because of his vicious
tendency in this respect. He was a good-looking Australian, a clever
fencer, and had a nice mouth, but so vicious that when we first got him,
he used to rush open-mouthed at any one who went near him, except his
syce. My husband took him in hand, and he became sufficiently civilised
to take carrots from me. When I rode him, I found he was always looking
out for an excuse to "play up," or to lash out at other horses. In order
to test his jumping, a lightweight gentleman rider one day rode him over
a made course. The animal blundered badly at one of the fences, threw
his rider, and while the man was lying on his back on the ground the
horse deliberately put a fore foot on him, and would have doubtless
broken his back, if my husband, who was standing near the fence, had not
pulled the vicious brute off. We got rid of him, and I heard shortly
afterwards that he had killed his jockey, a native, in a hurdle race at
Calcutta, by the adoption of similar vicious tactics. It would have been
criminal to have taken such a horse as that into any hunting-field.
[Illustration: Fig. 4.--Mr. Vansittart's Romance.]
A hunter should have good shoulders (long, flat, and oblique) and a
comparatively high forehand; for horses which are lower in front than at
the croup are uncomfortable to ride, and there is generally some
difficulty in retaining the side saddle in its place on their backs. The
height of a hunter will depend greatly on that of his rider. For
instance, a tall woman with a "comfortable" figure would be suitably
mounted on a horse 16 hands or more high, whereas a light girl of medium
height would find an animal of say 15-2 as much as she could comfortably
manage; for we must remember that big horses, as a rule, take a good
deal of "collecting." A small horse generally stays better, can come out
oftener, is handier, and not so likely to hurt one if he falls. For the
Shires I do not think a lady's hunter should be much under 15-2, and he
must be a big jumper and well bred. Hunting women, as a rule, do not pay
much attention to the good looks of their horses, for hunting is not a
church parade, and the finest performer over a country is always admired
and coveted whatever his appearance may be. The same may be said about
colour; although, as a grey horse is conspicuous enough to be singled
out of a crowd of bays and browns, a lady who is at all "impartial" in
her seat would do well to select a horse wearing a less noticeable tint
of coat. As rearing is the worst vice a lady's mount can possess, no
horse who has a tendency to rear should be ridden by a woman, as from
her position in the side-saddle she is far more helpless than a man on
such an animal. A lady's hunter should not have too light a mouth, but
should go nicely up to his bridle, and not resent the use of the curb,
which is sometimes necessary in avoiding danger. He should on no account
be inclined to pull. A perfect hunter is like a thorough good sportsman,
who regards his share of bangs and blows as all in the day's work. As
the majority of hunters have their own likes and dislikes about jumping
certain kinds of fences, a lady should know precisely what to expect
from her mount and what his jumping capabilities are, before taking him
into the hunting-field, which is not the place for experiments. I had
many pleasant days out hunting with the Quorn, Belvoir, Cottesmore, and
North Cheshire on the Irish mare, Salary (Fig. 5).
In summing up the requirements of a hunter for either man or woman, I
cannot do better than to quote the following sound advice from Whyte
Melville: "People talk about size and shape, shoulders, quarters, blood,
bone and muscle, but for my part, give me a hunter with brains. He has
to take care of the biggest fool of the two, and think for both."
[Illustration: Fig. 5.--Irish mare, Salary.]
To be capable of safely crossing a stiff country, a horse requires at
least a few falls--which had best be shared by a man--and much
experience, which cannot be obtained without time. Hence, I would advise
no lady, however well she may ride, to hunt on a young horse, who will
always require a good deal of time in which to learn his business. It is
certainly no pleasure to be on the back of a horse who is inclined to
drop his hind legs in the ditch on the other side, or to "chance" a post
and rails. Many young horses are so reluctant in going at a fence, and
in "spreading themselves out," that they are no good except when ridden
by a man who can use his legs, which is a feat that a woman is unable to
accomplish.
A perfect _hack_, whether for man or woman, is far more difficult to
find at the present time than a good hunter, and when found will command
a fancy price. The ideal hack is a showy, well-bred animal of the
officer's charger type, which has been thoroughly well "made" in all his
paces. Such an animal appears at his best when executing a slow,
collected canter, with arched neck and looking full of fire and gaiety,
though ridden with an almost slack rein, and intent only on rendering
prompt obedience to the slightest indication of his rider. In Germany
and France the hacks ridden in the Tiergarten and Bois, for instance,
are thoroughly "made," and compare very favourably with the pulling,
half-broken brutes on which many ladies appear in the Row. In former
times, before the introduction of the leaping-head made hunting possible
for women, more attention was paid to the breaking and training of hacks
than at present, on account of the great demand for "complete ladies'
horses." The advent of the bicycle for ladies has almost abolished
hacking as a pastime and means of exercise, and hence the difficulty in
finding a well-broken animal for this work. The best substitute is, I
think, a good polo pony, because the requirements of that game demand
that the animal should be temperate, handy, and capable of being ridden
with a slack rein. The polo pony Pat (Fig. 6) is a perfect hack, with a
snaffle-bridle mouth, and so steady and clever that he can canter round
the proverbial sixpence. He has played well in several polo matches.
[Illustration: Fig. 6.--Polo pony, Pat.]
Although many ladies in this country have never enjoyed the luxury of
riding a high-caste Arab, we occasionally see these animals in the Row
and hunting-field. The sight of an "Arabi tattoo" to an old Indian like
myself, revives many pleasant memories of delightful equine friends in
the East. The Arab is _par excellence_ the most perfect hack for a lady,
and I think it would be ungrateful of me in this new edition to omit the
portrait of my Arab pony Freddie (Fig. 7), even though the cut of the
riding-habit is out of date.
Although a good horsewoman may be satisfied with any animal which is fit
for a man, provided he is steady to mount and does not require an
unusual amount of collecting; it is not safe to put an inexperienced or
nervous rider on a horse that has not been taught to carry a habit,
which a groom can do by riding the animal with a rug or dark overcoat on
the near side, and letting it flop about. Horses rarely object to the
presence of a skirt, though I have known cases in which the animal went
almost wild with terror when the right leg was put over the crutch. It
is, therefore, wise to accustom a horse to the skirt and leg by means of
a groom.
The fact of a lady having to ride in a side-saddle, puts her under the
following three disadvantages as compared to a man in a "cross-saddle":
she is, as a rule, unable to mount without assistance; she cannot apply
the pressure of the right leg to the side of the horse; and it is
difficult for her "to drop her hands" in order to pull him together. The
judicious application of a crop or ash-plant (my husband, though an
Irishman, swears by a Neilgherry cane) may partly make up for the
absence of a leg on the off side; but, however well a woman may ride,
she should not have a horse which "plays up" when he is being mounted,
or sprawls about and requires constant pulling together when she is in
the saddle.
[Illustration: Fig. 7.--Arab pony, Freddie.]
The style of hack should be in thorough keeping with that of the rider.
A slight lady has a greater range of choice in horseflesh than a portly
dame, who would be best suited with a weight-carrying hunter or compact
cob. The height might vary from 14-2 to 15-3. I hardly think that even a
small woman would look well on a pony which is less than 13-3.
A beginner should be put on a lazy animal, whether horse or pony, that
will condescend to trot or canter for only a short distance, which will
be quite far enough for its inexperienced rider. Many parents who are
supervising the riding instruction of their children, look too far ahead
when selecting a mount. Instead of purchasing a steady, plodding, though
not unwilling slave, they invest in a second- or third-stage animal,
which is absolutely useless to a beginner, because it wants more riding
than she can give it. Such a young lady needs a thoroughly steady
animal, no matter how old or ugly it may be, and she will probably learn
more about riding on it in a month, than she would in a year on a horse
which would have to be led by a groom, on account of its unsteadiness. A
good donkey is a most useful conveyance for young girls, as he can
generally be trusted to take things quietly, and will not unduly exert
himself without being called upon to do so.
For the benefit of inexperienced riders, I must not omit to mention that
the measurement of horses is taken from the highest point of the withers
to the ground. A horse is measured by hands and inches, not, as in
humans, by feet and inches. A hand is 4 in., therefore an animal of 15
hands is 5 ft. in height; 16 hands, 5 ft. 4 in.; 17 hands, 5 ft. 8 in.;
and one of 17-2--which would be a gigantic height in a saddle horse,
but not in a cart horse--would be 5 ft. 10 in. high. A woman of medium
height, like myself, who stands 5 ft. 3 in. in "stocking feet"--a
height, by-the-bye, which is accorded to the Venus de Medici (we might
make use of that fact on being termed "little")--would find a horse of
15-1 or 15-2 a very nice, useful height; though she need by no means
limit herself to height with any horse which is springy and active, does
not require a great amount of collecting, is easy in his paces, and has
a good mouth. The bigger a horse is, the more fatiguing do we find him
to ride, if his mouth, manners, and paces are not thoroughly "made." The
late Esa bin Curtis, a celebrated Arab horse dealer, in speaking of big
buck-jumping Walers, said, "God hath not made man equal unto them," and,
however well a woman may ride, it is no pleasure to find herself
breathless and exhausted in her efforts to control such animals. On the
other hand, many small horses which play up are most difficult to sit,
for, although they may not take their rider's breath away by their
display of physical power, they are like quicksilver on a frying-pan,
and highly test our agility in the matter of balance and grip.
I cannot conclude this chapter on ladies' horses without expressing my
strong condemnation of the senseless and cruel practice of docking
riding horses, which has nothing in its favour except its conformance to
fashion, and which in this case is disgusting cruelty. Thoroughbred
horses are never docked, whether they be used for racing,
steeplechasing or hunting, and it is a monstrous thing to mutilate
unfortunate half-breds, especially mares, and condemn them to be
tortured by flies, and to have the most sensitive parts of their bodies
turned into a safe camping ground for insects, simply because these poor
animals have a stain in their pedigree. In summer time, when flies are
troublesome, we may often see a long-tailed brood mare at grass
protecting both herself and her suckling foal from these irritating
pests by the free use of her tail; but docked mares are deprived of this
means of driving away insects, and have been known to unwittingly injure
their young by kicking and plunging violently in their efforts to rid
themselves of attacking flies. The unfortunate foal is unable to take
its natural nourishment in peace, and consequently does not thrive so
well as does the offspring of an unmutilated mother. One of the feeble
arguments set forth in favour of docking is, that it prevents a hunter
from soiling the coat of his rider by his tail; but, as my husband truly
says in his new edition of _Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners_, "This
idea is an absurdity, because an undocked horse cannot reach his rider
with his tail, if it is banged short, which is a fact known to all
military men. Besides, mud on a hunting coat is 'clean dirt.'" The
actual pain caused by the operation is trivial as compared with the
life-long misery to which tailless horses are subjected, for we deprive
them for ever of their caudal appendage, and the ridiculous stump
sticking up where the tail ought to be, is as ungraceful as it is
indecent, especially in the case of mares. Our friend, the late Dr.
George Fleming, says in _The Wanton Mutilation of Animals_, "nothing can
be more painful and disgusting to the real horseman and admirer of this
most symmetrically formed and graceful animal than the existence of this
most detestable and torturing fashion; and those who perform the
operation or sanction it are not humane, nor are they horsemen, but
rather are they horse-maimers and promoters of the worst form of cruelty
to animals. Let anyone go to Rotten Row during the season, and satisfy
himself as to the extent to which the fashion prevails, and the
repulsive appearance which otherwise beautiful horses present. The
astonishing and most saddening feature of the equestrian promenade is
the presence of ladies riding mares which are almost tailless. Surely a
plea might be entered here for the use of a fig-leaf to clothe the
nude." I feel sure that if my sex had a voice in the matter, this
wholesale mutilation of mares would soon cease. Dr. Fleming, writing in
the _Nineteenth Century_ over twenty years ago, said: "I hope and
believe that when the horse-loving public and the friends of animals
begin to realise how cruel and degrading some of these mutilations are,
they will not be long in having them suppressed"; but the horse-lovers
do not appear to have done much in this matter so far. This writer tells
us that "the ancient Welsh laws protected it" (the horse's tail) "from
harm at the hands of man," and that "an ecclesiastical canon was issued
in order to prevent it from being damaged in the eighth century." Cannot
our laws do something to protect mares, at any rate, from the cruelty of
docking in the twentieth century? Dr. Fleming, in reviewing the history
of docking from its earliest times, tells us that he saw an old print
"which represented a very emaciated horse, with a fashionable tail,
standing in a luxuriant meadow, his body covered with flies, which
prevented him from grazing, and from which he could not free himself; a
notice board in the field announced that horses were taken in to graze,
those with undocked tails at six shillings a week and docked ones at
eighteenpence."
When Voltaire visited this country in the first quarter of the
eighteenth century, he was so impressed with our barbarity, especially
in the cutting off the tails of our horses, that he could not refrain
from giving vent to one of his pungent sarcasms in the following
epigram:--
"Vous fiers Anglois
Barbares que vous etes
Coupez la tete aux rois
Et la queue a vos betes;
Mais les Francois,
Polis et droits,
Aiment les lois,
Laissent la queue aux betes
Et la tete a leurs rois."