Ladies certainly ought not to ride horses which require extraordinary
correction. For numerous reasons, which must occur to our readers, a
lady should never be seen in the act of positively flogging her steed:
such a sight would destroy every previous idea that had been formed of
her grace or gentleness. Moderate corrections are, however, sometimes
necessary; and the fair rider should make no scruple of having recourse
to them when absolutely needful, but not otherwise. Astley, in his work
on the management of the horse, after very properly recommending all
quarrels between the steed and his rider to be avoided, observes, that
too much indulgence may induce the horse to consider "that you are
afraid of him;" and, our author adds, "if he should once think you are
really so, you will find he will exercise every means to convince you
that he considers himself your master, instead of acknowledging, by
implicit obedience, that you are his."
Those, who imagine that a horse is to be corrected only with the whip,
are very much mistaken. The aids and animations of the leg, the
bridle-hand, the body, and the voice, may be made sufficiently severe to
correct and render a horse obedient in all ordinary cases. Severe
flogging seldom produces any good effect; and, in most contests between
a horse and his rider, when both get out of temper, the former usually
gains some important advantage. The best way to correct a horse is to
dishearten, and make him do what he would fain avoid;--not so much by
force and obstinate resolution, in contesting openly and directly with
him, when he is perfectly prepared to resist, as, by a cool opposition
and indirect means. There are different methods of attaining the same
end; and those which are the least obvious to the animal should be
adopted: a lady cannot rival him in physical strength, but she may
conquer him by mere ingenuity, or subdue him by a calm, determined
assumption of superior power.
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