Classes--Successive and individual movements--The
gallop--Leaping--Suggestions for riding on the road.
When the pupil has taken from ten to fifteen lessons, she ought to be
able to execute the movements she has studied with a certain degree of
correctness, and to remain a full hour on horseback without fatigue; and
she should then, if possible, be placed in a class composed of not less
than twelve nor more than twenty-four members. Children in a class
should be of the same sex, and, as near as may be, of the same age and
equestrian experience. It is not necessary that the class should meet
every day; it may come together one, two, or three times a week, under
the guidance of the same teacher, and this need not prevent a pupil who
is in it from coming to the school at other times to practice the
various movements by herself.
All concerned should do their best to have all the members of the class
present, and the school should be kept clear of other riders during such
classes. The presence of spectators is objectionable, particularly where
there is a class of young girls. Granted that they are the parents, for
instance, of one or two of the pupils: to the rest they are strangers,
who cause constraint, as the teacher is obliged to criticise, correct,
and, in a word, instruct, in a loud voice, so that the observation made
to one may serve as a suggestion to all.
The difference of progress between classes and individual pupils is so
great that one may calculate that, after one hundred private lessons, a
pupil will not ride so well as if she had taken fifty lessons in class.
In a class she is obliged to keep her horse at a certain distance from
the others, and in his own place, and, in her turn, go through exercises
directed by a will other than her own, while the constant repetition of
principles by the teacher fixes them in her memory. On the other hand,
the private pupil takes her time to make her horse go through a
movement; and, that movement once understood, there is no reason for the
repetition of the explanations which can alone make the theory and
principle of riding familiar. I am certainly not an advocate for theory
without practice; but I insist that a rider must know what she ought to
do before she can do it really well, as all good results in riding are
obtained by long practice, based on a rational theory.
The teacher should choose out of his class the four most skillful
pupils, whose horses are free and regular in their gaits, to serve as
leaders, one at the head and one at the end of the two columns, which
should be drawn up on the long sides of the school, each rider having a
space of at least three feet between the head of her horse and the tail
of the one in front of her, the heads of the leaders' horses being about
six feet from the corner of the school. While the columns are standing
still, the teacher should explain distinctly the difference between
distance and interval, and he had better be on foot at the end of the
school, facing the columns.
By "distance" is meant the space between the tail of one horse and the
head of the next in the column.
"Interval" is the space between two horses who are standing or going
forward on parallel lines.
All movements are executed singly or in file: in the first case each
pupil goes through the movement, without regard to the others; in the
second, the pupils execute the movement in turn after the leaders of the
column.
A movement in file, once known, may be repeated individually, but only
at a walk in the beginning, in order to insure attention. The columns
should both be on the right hand; consequently the head of one will be
opposite the end of the other as they are drawn up on their respective
sides. First order:
1. _Prepare to go forward._--2. _Go forward._
When the final word of command is given, the pupils will advance
simultaneously, each one using the same effects as if she were alone,
and being careful to preserve the correct distance.
The two leaders should so regulate the gait of their horses as to pass
the opposite corners of the school at the same moment, and this gait
should be uniform. If a pupil loses her distance, she should regain it
by making her horse walk faster; but she should try to keep her place,
as the whole column must quicken its pace when she does, and all suffer
from the carelessness of one.
When the columns are on the short sides of the school, the teacher
should give the order:
1. _Prepare to halt_;
and when they are on the long side,
2. _Halt._
When they are again going forward, always on the right hand, the order
should be given:
1. _Prepare to turn to the right._--2. _Turn to the right._
At the final order each pupil will turn to the right on her own account,
and according to the rules already prescribed; at the end of this
movement all will find themselves on parallel lines, and about twelve
feet apart; they should then turn the head somewhat to the right, in
order to see that they are on the same line, and cross the width of the
school in such a way that the columns will meet and pass each other in
the middle. When they have reached the opposite side, they will turn to
the right without further order, the leaders at the end of the column
being now at its head. This movement should _never_ be executed except
at a walk.
To replace the columns in their accustomed order, the teacher should
have this movement executed a second time. When the columns are going
forward on the right hand, the order will be given:
1. _Prepare to volte in file._
In this movement the same principles and the same means are used as in a
private lesson; the leaders, however, describe a larger circle
proportionate to the length of their columns, and at the end their
horses' heads should be about three feet behind the tails of the last
horses in their respective columns. The other pupils then, in turn,
execute the movement upon the same ground as the leader. The leaders
having moved two thirds down one of the long sides, the teacher will
order:
2. _Volte in file_;
and, when the columns are again going forward on the right hand,
1. _Prepare to half-volte in file._
The leaders turn to the right, describe their half-circle, and go
forward on a diagonal line ending just behind the last rider in the
column; once there, they turn to the left and fall into line, being duly
followed by each pupil over the same ground.
When the leaders are about eighteen feet from the corner of the school,
the teacher will order:
2. _Half-volte in file._
The next order should be:
1. _Prepare for the reversed half-volte in file._
The leaders must execute diagonals proportional to the lengths of their
respective columns, in such a manner as will enable them to begin their
half-circles when about thirty feet down the long sides, and thirty-five
or forty feet before the turn or corner, followed in turn by the other
pupils, as in the foregoing movements.
As soon as the leaders are on the long sides, having passed the second
corners, the teacher will order:
2. _Reversed half-volte in file._
The columns being on the long sides, and on the right hand, the next
order should be:
1. _Prepare to back._--2. _Back._
And, to execute this movement correctly, each pupil will make her horse
back as she would in a private lesson, being careful to keep in a line
with her companions.
When the class can execute these movements correctly at a walk, the
teacher will allow them to be practiced at a trot, insisting, however,
that the pupils shall stop rising as soon as the preparatory order is
given, not to begin again until they have returned to the side of the
school at the end of the movement. When there is a full class, it is
better not to allow turns to the right or left to be attempted at a
trot, as the riders may strike one another's knees in crossing.
When these movements in file, at the walk and the trot, have given the
pupils the habit of controlling their horses with decision and
regularity, the teacher should explain to them the difference between
these and individual movements. The column being at a walk, and on the
right hand, the teacher will say:
1. _Prepare to volte singly._
Each pupil leaves the line at the same moment as the others, executes a
circular line of twelve steps as in a private lesson, and takes her
place in the line again.
2. _Volte singly._
Next in order comes:
1. _Prepare to half-volte singly._
This is done exactly as in a private lesson, the pupils taking care to
do it in time with one another, in order to reach their places at the
same moment.
2. _Half-volte singly._
1. _Prepare for the reversed half-volte singly._
The pupils leave their places simultaneously by a diagonal line, and
return to the same track; but, on the other hand, by a circular line of
six steps.
2. _Reversed half-volte singly._
These movements are here given on the right hand; but they may, of
course, be done equally well on the left hand by reversing the terms.
I recommend teachers not to keep their pupils too long on the left
hand, but to seize that opportunity to rectify any incorrect positions
of the feet.
When the class can execute the foregoing movements correctly at the walk
and the trot, the teacher may explain to them the canter or gallop.
A horse is said to "lead" at a canter with his right foot when the
lateral movement of his right foot is more marked than that of his left.
This causes a reaction from left to right, which makes this lead easier
for a lady, who sits on the left side, than that of the left foot, where
the reaction is from right to left. When a horse who is leading with his
right foot turns to the left, he must change his lead, and _vice versa_.
To make her horse lead at a canter with his right foot, the rider must
put her left leg very far back to act in opposition with her whip, which
should make very light attacks, incline the upper part of her body
forward, and lift her hands, without, however, drawing them nearer her
body. When the horse has obeyed, she will resume the normal position for
hands and body, renewing the pressure of her whip and leg from time to
time to keep the gait regular. During the canter or gallop the right
foot should be held well back, close to the saddle, without rigidity,
and the rider should sit firm in her saddle, while allowing the upper
part of her body to give freely to the motion of the horse, in order to
neutralize any shock. To change his lead from right to left at a gallop,
the horse pauses for an imperceptible space of time, immediately puts
his left hind leg in front of his right, and, by the contraction of the
muscles of his left leg, projects his body forward to the left, his
equilibrium being again disturbed, but in a new direction; to compensate
which, his left fore leg comes at the first step to support the weight
by putting itself before the right, which, until then, has been carrying
it all.
It requires a great deal of tact, the result of long practice, to make a
horse change his feet when he is galloping in a straight line, and I
therefore recommend teachers to proceed with their classes in the
following manner:
The column being at a gallop, each pupil should execute a half-volte in
file, turning at the gallop, coming down to a trot on the diagonal, and
resuming the gallop when she is on the opposite track and on the other
hand. As the horse is galloping with his right foot, the rider will
calculate the movement of his right shoulder by watching it without
lowering her head, and, when she sees that shoulder move to put down the
right leg, she must instantly change her effects of leg and whip, and
lift her hands, the right rather more than the left, to support the
horse while he pauses with his right shoulder, while an energetic action
of her leg will make him bring his left hind leg under him and put it in
front of the right; and, if she holds her left hand low, the left fore
leg will be free to take its place in front of the right. Care must be
taken not to throw a horse while he is changing his feet, that is to
say, he must not be turned suddenly to the right in order to be jerked
suddenly to the left; and, during the short time which it takes him to
change his feet, the rider should sit close in order not to disturb him
by a shifting weight.
When the pupils can make their horses change their feet by changing
their gait, they should be made to execute half-voltes and reversed
half-voltes in file, at a gallop, without changing to a trot; and, when
they can do this, they may execute them individually, according to the
rules already prescribed.
I must again recommend great prudence, that accidents may be avoided,
and plenty of pauses for rest, that the horses may not become
discouraged.
A lady's equestrian education can not be considered complete until she
can make her horse leap any obstacle which is reasonable, considering
her age and experience and the capacity of her horse. When her seat has
become flexible and firm at the walk, trot, and gallop, when she is
mistress of her horse in changes of direction, of gait, and of feet, the
teacher should allow her to leap a hurdle not less than two nor more
than three feet high.
The class being formed into a single column, close together, each rider
should make an individual turn to the right on the long side of the
school opposite where the hurdle is to be placed, as she can thus see
for herself any faults which may be committed by her companions. Leaping
should be practiced by the pupils one at a time, at a walk, a trot, and,
finally, a gallop. The class being drawn up in line, the teacher will
proceed to explain to them the animal mechanism of the leap.
If a horse is at a walk, and wishes to jump over an obstacle, he draws
his hind legs under him to support his weight, pauses for an instant,
then lifts his fore legs from the ground, thus throwing all his weight
upon his hind legs; whereupon, by a powerful contraction of the muscles,
these latter project his body forward and upward, and it describes a
curve through the air, alighting on the fore legs, braced to receive the
shock, the hind legs dropping on the ground in their turn, only to
contract again sufficiently to form a forward motion.
The pause before a leap is more noticeable at a walk than at a trot, and
least of all at a gallop. The most favorable gait for leaping is what is
known as a hand-gallop, which is an intermediate pace between a
riding-school canter and the full gallop of the race-track, as, while he
is at this gait, the horse is impelled forward with his hind legs
constantly under him.
In order to aid and support her horse at a leap, the rider should bring
him straight up to the obstacle at a slow and regular gait, and should
put her own right foot very far back, that she may make her seat as firm
as possible; at the moment when he pauses she should lean back and lift
both of her hands a little, in order to enter into the slight approach
to rearing, without encouraging it too much; then, as soon as she feels
the horse project himself forward, she must give her hand, straighten
herself, and lean back as the horse goes over, lifting her wrists with
energy as soon as he touches the ground. When he has begun the motion of
rearing, a simultaneous action of the whip and leg will help to
determine his leap.
It may be noticed that I use the words "aid" and "support" instead of
"_make_," and also that I indicate first the positions of the body, next
of the hands, and last the effects of the leg and whip, to the end that
the pupil may not be confused as to the very short time in which these
latter may be rightly used. Before leaping, the teacher may allow the
pupils to practice their positions in the following manner:
He should make them count one, leaning the body and drawing the wrists
backward; two, the body and wrists forward; three, the body and wrists
backward again. This series, slow in the beginning, may be quickened
little by little until it is as near as may be to the speed necessary in
these movements during the short duration of a leap.
When the pupils have gone through these motions intelligently, the
teacher will take his place in front and to the right of the hurdle,
facing the wall. The hurdle should always be placed in the middle of one
of the long sides; and ladies prefer to jump on the left hand, in order
to avoid touching the wall with their legs if the horse should go too
near it. Notwithstanding this, if the horses are free jumpers, and the
school well arranged, I prefer the right hand, because a fall to the
right is then clear of the wall. This is a case in which an instructor
must depend upon his own judgment.
The teacher stands as I have indicated above, holding a whip with a long
lash, not to strike the horses, but to prevent refusals.
One after another the pupils should leave the line, and advance at a
walk, until they get on the side of the school where the hurdle has been
placed, when they will canter, but without any excitement; and they will
find it useful to count one, two, three, until the three movements of
the body have become mechanical from practice.
During the course of the more advanced lessons, it will still be useful
to practice some flexions, in order to be sure that pupils keep supple.
They should also learn to take the foot out of the stirrup at any gait,
and replace it without stopping, and to rise at the trot, the foot being
out of the stirrup, which is not so difficult as it appears. They should
also be drilled to walk, trot, or gallop by twos and threes, to learn to
accommodate their horses' gait to that of a companion. The teacher
should be sure that, at the end of their lessons, the pupils can trot or
gallop for at least a mile without stopping; and, to gain this result,
he must proceed by degrees, with the object of developing the lungs and
giving a freer respiration. Nothing is more ridiculous than to see a
rider, who has proposed a trot or canter to her companion, obliged to
pull up after a few steps, puffing and panting for breath. She is apt to
ruin her own horse; and gentlemen who have spirited animals are likely
to avoid riding with her. Except in the prescribed effects of the whip
and leg, there is no definite position in which a lady is obliged to
hold her whip, and she should learn to carry it as suits her best. She
should be able to arrange her skirt while at a walk, without assistance,
and also to shorten or lengthen her stirrup by the strap on the right
side of the saddle, without taking her foot out.
From the very beginning of the lessons the teacher should suppress all
the little chirpings and clackings of the tongue, which, however useful
they may be to a coachman or a horse-trainer, are out of place in the
mouth of a lady. I was once invited to accompany a lady in Central Park,
in New York; and, as I had been told that she rode very well, I did not
hesitate to ride General, a noble animal, whose education in the _haute
ecole_ I was just finishing. We started. She managed her horse with her
tongue as an effect on the right side, instead of using her whip. The
consequence was, that my horse, hearing these appeals, and not knowing
whether they were meant for him or not, remained at the _passage_ all
the way from the gate to the reservoir, where I took it upon myself to
beg her to do as she chose with her own horse, but to allow mine to be
under my own control.
I recommend not giving dainties to horses before mounting, unless they
are allowed time to eat them. If a horse has a piece of sugar or apple
in his mouth, the bit will be worse than useless; it will irritate him,
as he can not open his mouth without dropping the delicacy, and he can
not swallow it if he gives his head properly.
I have noticed that most gentlemen riding with ladies place themselves
on the right side; but this seems to me a mistake, where the rule of the
road is to pass to the right, because it is the lady who protects her
companion, and not he who shields her. Besides, he takes the place where
his horse is most likely to be quiet, as no one has the right to pass
inside him. Still further, should the lady's horse become frightened, he
will be seriously embarrassed on the right side, with the reins in his
left hand; and, if she should fall, what can he do? He can only transfer
his reins to the right hand, and endeavor to push her into her saddle
with his left; and, if they are going fast, this will not be easy.
I may say here, that in ninety-five cases out of a hundred the lady
falls to the right. If the gentleman is riding on her left, he gives up
to her the best place, and protects her legs; she can use her whip more
freely; he has the use of his right hand to stop or quiet her horse; he
can arrange her skirt, should she need his help; if she falls, he has
but to seize her left arm, and draw her toward him, calculating the
strength which he employs, and he may even lift her from the saddle.