The Horsewoman: A Practical Guide to Side-Saddle Riding, 2nd. Ed. Alice M. Hayes

THE HORSE.

       INDEX.

       BOOKS ON HORSES.

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

THE HORSEWOMAN.

       Table of Contents

CHAPTER I.

       BEGINNING TO RIDE.

       Table of Contents

      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