RIDING WITHOUT REINS.
Undoubtedly the best and quickest way for a lady to learn to ride well
is the one which I shall now describe, and which I believe I have been
the first to practise.
Before putting up the pupil, it is well to teach the horse the work he
has got to do, which should be performed, if possible, in an enclosure
not less than 17 yards in diameter: 20 yards would be a better size. The
track should be soft. A thick, smooth snaffle having been put on, the
leather reins are taken off, and others (the best are of "circular" or
"pipe" webbing, 1-1/2 inches broad) about 22 feet long are substituted.
If circular webbing cannot be obtained, ropes or ordinary leather reins,
if of the proper length, will do. The animal is made to circle round the
driver by the outward rein (the left rein if he is going to the right)
passing round his quarters, while the inward rein (the right in this
case) leads him off and bends him in the direction he has to go (Fig.
105). The horse should be made to circle in a thoroughly well-balanced
manner, so that the circle described by his fore feet will be the same
as that made by his hind feet, and he should be taught to turn smoothly
and collectedly. The driver should stand partly to one side of the horse
and partly behind him, as in Fig. 105, but should on no account keep
following the animal; for, if he does so, he will throw too much of his
weight on the reins. This should, of course, be avoided; for the lighter
the feeling on the reins, the better, so long as the horse goes up to
his bridle. The pressure of the outward rein should act like that of the
outward leg of a man who is riding a horse on a circle, in keeping his
hind quarters "supported"; so that the circle described by the hind feet
may not be greater than that made by the fore feet. In order to give
adequate command over the horse, a standing martingale, put at a proper
length, will be required for this driving on foot. This method of
mouthing horses is fully described in my husband's _Illustrated Horse
Breaking_. When the horse circles and turns equally well on both reins
and jumps cleverly, the beginner may be put on the saddle without giving
her any reins to hold. In order to keep her hands down and occupied, she
may hold a whip or stick in both hands resting on her lap, as shown in
the illustration, or she may fold her arms in front of her. Whatever may
be the pace, if the pupil begins to lose her balance, to be frightened,
to sit awkwardly, or to become tired, the driver should at once halt the
horse and should try to rectify matters as far as possible.
[Illustration: Fig. 105.--Driving horse over jumps.]
The lesson should be commenced by the driver starting the horse into a
steady walk, on a circle to the right, as that will be easier than going
to the left. After a few circles, and when the rider has acquired some
confidence, the driver may give her the "caution" that he is going to
turn the horse, which he does by turning him to the "left-about" by
means of the left rein, while "supporting" the hind quarters by the
right rein. After the required number of circles has been made to the
left, the caution may be repeated, and a "right-about" turn done. When
the pupil has become sufficiently advanced, a steady trot on the right
circle may be attempted; the turns being executed as before.
Subsequently, a canter may be tried. As the rider gains expertness, the
turns may be made without giving any caution, and the sharpness with
which they are done may be gradually increased. When the rider has
acquired a good firm seat, she may get a jumping lesson. The best kind
of fence is a round thick (at least 6 inches in diameter) log of wood.
It should be of good substance and weight, so that, if the horse hits it
once, he will not care to repeat the experiment. It should be free from
any sharp points or edges that might blemish the animal, if he "raps"
it. This log should be at least 15 feet long, should have one end a
little outside the circumference of the circle on which the animal
works, and the other end pointing towards the centre of the circle. The
log, at each extremity, may be propped up on empty wine or beer cases
(Fig. 105). No wing or upright pole which might catch in the reins
should be placed at the inner end of the log. If a log such as I have
described be not procurable, a hurdle or gate might be employed. It is
well to begin this lesson by placing the log on the ground, and first
walking the horse, who carries his rider, over the log, which might then
be raised 5 or 6 inches. The bar need not be put up higher than 3 feet.
The whole of this jumping practice should at first be given while
circling to the right. As the capabilities of all are not alike, the
teacher, who ought also to be the driver, should exercise his judgment
in apportioning the work done. As a rough approximation, I should say
that an apt pupil who had never been previously on a horse, ought to do
in fairly good style, after a dozen lessons, all I have described. These
lessons, which had best be given daily, ought not to exceed half an hour
in duration. Great care should be taken that the rider gets neither
fatigued nor "rubbed." As a rule, a man will be required to drive the
horse on foot with the long reins; for few women would be able to do
this work, and teach at the same time. If the instructor be a lady, she
might get an experienced man to drive for her, while she gives the
cautions and orders.
While receiving her first lesson in riding without reins, the pupil
should try to keep her seat by the combined help of balance and grip,
and should not attempt to hold on to the saddle with her hands, which,
subsequently, will be required solely for the manipulation of the reins
and whip. As a rider can manage a horse in a moment of danger twice as
well with two hands as with one, it is impossible for her to become a
fine horsewoman if she acquires the fatal habit of clutching hold of the
saddle, which she inevitably will do the instant she feels insecure in
her seat, or becomes nervous, if she be that way afflicted. To guard
against this evil, the learner should be taught to ride in a modern
English saddle, which, as we all know, has got no off pommel.
By allowing her body to be perfectly lissom from the waist upward, she
will be able to conform to the movements of the horse, and will not feel
herself violently jerked from side to side by any quick turn or untoward
movement he may make. If she stiffens her body and assumes an awkward
position in her saddle, she will find herself, on the animal being
sharply turned, unable to retain her seat with ease. As it is difficult,
even for an accomplished horsewoman who is not accustomed to riding
without reins, to do this when mounted on a light-mouthed horse, and
without a signal from the driver of his intention to turn sharply in the
trot or canter to "right" or "left" as the case may be; the pupil, until
she has acquired the knack of conforming to every movement of the
animal, should receive due warning from the driver. When he signifies
his intention to turn the horse, she should grip the crutches with her
legs, and incline her body in the direction to be taken by her mount. By
watching the animal's ears, she will soon learn to become independent
of the driver's signal.
She will find, until she has acquired practice in riding without reins,
that it is far more difficult to retain her balance in the saddle during
these turns, than in riding over a fence; for when an obstacle has to be
negotiated, she is made aware beforehand of the intended movements, but
in turning without a signal she has not that advantage. If the lessons
are given, first at a walk, and the pace gradually increased according
as she becomes secure in her saddle, she will soon acquire a good firm
seat, and will have no tendency to be displaced by her horse shying with
her, or by making a sudden plunge to right or left.
I have described in Chapter VIII. how a lady should sit in her saddle,
so I need not repeat these directions. While being driven with the long
reins, the rider should endeavour to sit as upright as she can, without
any stiffness, and leaning neither to the front nor back, except when
rising at the trot, when the body should be inclined a little forward,
so as to make the movement smooth.
The _walk_ requires no special mention. At the _trot_, before she has
learned when and how to rise in her stirrup, it is best for her not to
make any attempt to do so, but to let herself be bumped up and down
until she feels that, although the movement may be unpleasant, it does
not render her seat insecure. While doing this, she should be careful
not to put any weight on the stirrup. After she has thus learned to trot
without rising, she should try to feel her stirrup just before her body
is bumped upward by the horse, and she will soon become able to time her
movements, so as to rise in her stirrup with grace and ease. To do this,
her effort should be strictly confined to aiding the upward lift which
the horse gives to her body, and should be free from any jerk or
wriggle. She should have her weight well on her right leg, and should
keep her stirrup in one unaltered position (p. 192). The ankle acts here
as a spring to take away any jerk that might occur during the movement.
The stirrup, as I have said on page 192, should be at the ball of the
foot, and the left knee should be kept steady and close against the flap
of the saddle. If the horse, during the trot, suddenly breaks off into a
canter, the rider should sit down in her saddle, and be ready to grip
her crutches with both legs, if necessary.
When _cantering_, the lady should try as much as possible to ride by
balance and not by gripping her crutches tightly the whole time. She
will thus be able to sit in a nice, easy position, and will be ready to
grip the moment she requires to do so, as when turning, or if she feels
she is losing her balance. Whenever the pupil gets displaced in her
saddle or frightened, the horse should at once be pulled up; for the
lesson will be of no use to her, if she feels forced to adopt a stiff,
awkward position in her saddle for the sake of safety.
It is well to know that an almost infallible sign of a rider being
frightened of her horse is a tendency to unduly bend or "crane"
forward. Hence, the instant this sign becomes apparent either to learner
or teacher, the lesson should be discontinued, or the pace, if that was
the cause of the nervousness, should be decreased as might be required.
This "funky" seat on horseback looks bad, is particularly unsafe, and is
hard to correct when once acquired.
In _riding up to a fence_ the lady should in no way alter her position,
but should merely grip the crutches firmly, while keeping her body
perfectly lissom, with her head and shoulders slightly back. Many
persons have a notion that the proper way to sit over all jumps is to
bend forward when the animal is rising, and to lean back when he is
descending. This is quite wrong; for, as the horse, before propelling
himself forward and upward by his hind legs, has to raise his forehand
off the ground by the straightening out of one or both of his fore legs,
it is evident that it would be inadvisable to put any additional weight,
at that moment, on the forehand. As most persons have a natural tendency
to bend forward too much when going at a fence, I have advised the rider
to bring her head and shoulders a little back, just sufficient to
correct such a tendency. When a horse is in the act of taking off at a
standing jump, the rider should lean forward, and bring her head and
shoulders back, when he is landing. It is always sound practice to lean
well back when landing over a fence, so as to take the weight off the
horse's fore legs as much as possible. An experienced rider solves all
these problems automatically.
The fact of a side saddle giving the very strong grip it does, induces
many ladies who find they can sit over a fence without falling off, to
become so well satisfied with their own riding, that they neglect to
acquire a good seat over a country. Their slipshod style is neither
graceful, nor does it enable them to give their horse any assistance, if
he happens to make a mistake; for they are certain to tumble off, if
they receive any unusual provocation.
The hold the lady has on the crutches should prevent her falling, if the
animal stops dead when coming up to a fence. A lady who has acquired a
good firm seat ought never to be displaced from her saddle while her
mount remains on his legs.
Though progress in the art of riding without reins must of necessity be
slow and somewhat tedious at first, still, I would strongly recommend
all ladies who are able to do so to practise this method, for they will
find it the best and most rapid by which they can acquire a good and
firm seat on horseback. The great difficulty in this work is to find a
man who can use the long reins and manage a horse with correctness and
precision in the various paces, and in jumping. It would be most
dangerous for a lady to allow herself to be driven by the long reins by
any man who was not a thorough master of this difficult art of horse
guidance and control. Even with such a man, the horse to be ridden and
jumped without reins should be previously trained for this work, and
should be taught to stop dead the instant he receives the word of
command. As a lady who is inexperienced in this kind of riding, may get
a toss when being turned, especially if she tries to hook back her right
leg, it is obvious that the "falling" should be soft and that the pupil
be supplied with a safety bar and a safety skirt. It will be seen by the
extract from the _Queen_, page 60, that even small girls who were taught
to sit their horses in the manner that I have described in this book,
were able to ride well over fences without reins after two lessons.