..1t the present time there are several methods of mounting a horse. each one with its Own distinct advantages and disadvantages. Ordi narily. the young horseman is taught to mount from t ith•r side. but u•nally from the 'near' or left side of the horse. The common English method is to place the stiaflle rein round the third finger of the loft hand. grasp a wisp of the horse's math. between the finger and thumb of the same hand, placing the left foot in the stirrup, and the right hand on the entitle. then with a spring the right leg is thrown over the horse and the rider seats himself in the saddle. meanwhile releasing the maim. Ile next secures the curb reins in the left hand, in such a manner that the left rein is outside the little finger. and the right between the first and second finger. \\Then the rein has been drawn in slitlieiently for the rider to feel the horse's mouth gently. the loose part or slack is thrown over the first finger and held between that and the thurnh. In America both reins are placed in position in the left hand before mounting. The whip in mounting is held in the fork of the thumb of the left hand and afterwards taken into the right hand. The man tier of holding the reins in different coun tries of Europe as well as in America, the more general method, other than that of the English already described. being its exact opposite in that the curb is held inside the snaffle. Upon mounting. the rider should firmly seat himself in the middle of the saddle, which ought to be placed well behind the rise of the hi, legs. which should work in sympathy with his hands, just about covering the girth. so that when using leg pressure to the horse. it may he easily and effectively applied immediately behind the girth. The elbow; should hang loosely and natu rally from the shoulder, a free use of the hands, which latter should always be in a position to 'give and take' without compromising control over the horse, irritating. or otherwise fretting him. 1Vhen riding at a walk the horse man should maintain a natural upright position, the legs from knee to heel remaining perfeetly straight ; toes a little higher than the heels. the feet horizontal with the horse's body. The action of the leg, like that of the hand. should be sensi tively active and supple. exerting as little pres sure as possible, but ready and in position to exert sullieient pressure to maintain the rider's seat and position tinder any and all eircum stanees. .\ beginner will find it to his advantage to practiee guiding his horse in every possible manner and direction, selecting for this purpose some inclosed place, as a riding-school, inclosed yard. etc. The horse must at all times be kept well up to the bit. and the rider will do well to remember that guiding the horse military fashion by the pressure of the reins Oil t he animal's neck is not generally advised. l'aeing in .kineriea and ani/ding in England are practically the same gait. The two legs on each side rise and fall to gether. It does not call for any Ilifferent method of riding than that employed for the walk. Thy. trot is a diagonal Inlet\ the right fore and left hind legs working together and with the left film and right hind leg:. To make the animal trot. raise its head slightly, and press its body with the knees and side of the leg below the knee, and. if neeessary, touch it with the whip, not under any consideration should the rider give any indication by sound of mouth. Serious accidents frequi•ntly happen because of the disreg:u•d of this very ne•essary precaution. The horse of a fellow rider is apt to to tile command. and possibly unseat its own rider, owing to his unpreparedness. The trot is possi bly the most perfect pace of the horse. The body should be erect, but playing loosely from the hips: the legs must not be allowed to swing baek tvard and forward. 1101' nnist flue rider work his shoulders. The expert horseman rides by the aid of grip aml balance, the former always ready should the balance be disturbed and there be any danger if a throw. The pressure of the legs :hold' I Le according to the demand of the moment. ready to lo•op the rider from losing his balance. which latter saves the strain of a eonstant exer cise of the grip. The rim n cr is a Very (4,111 fort able pace to the rider. it. is not a natural pave. however. hut, on the contrary, is fatiguing to the horse, and particularly injurious to the animal's fore legs. When cantering in a circle the horse should be made to lead with his inside leg, i.e. with the right leg if cantering to the right, and with the left if cantering to the left. To secure this the rider when preparing to canter should pull the right rein rather tighter than the left one, so that the horse in describing a small por tion of a circle will, of necessity, lead with the right leg. The Gallop.—In this pace the move m•nts of the horse follow so quickly one on the ether that the eye cannot detect the various posi tions which constitute a cadence. The first prepa ration for the rider is a finn seat, which should be well down in the saddle. The reins are short ened slightly, and the hands kept low; at the same time the body should be leaning slightly forward and a moderate grip maintained with the legs. Care must be taken that the horse is held together and restrained from breaking into a Headlong gallop, and possibly beyond the rider's control. To avoid this the reins are held some what tighter in the gallop than in any of the other paces.
Leaping requires good nerves as well as a good seat. The rider must be careful to maintain an upright position in the saddle until the horse is close to the jump, when (if it is a fence) he should swing well back from his hips, keeping his hands low and clear of the withers. The feet should be drawn hack, and never under any cir cumstances allowed to swing forward toward the animal's shoulders. Should the feet be forward and the horse make a mistake on landing, the rider would be more easily thrown than if his feet were in the proper position. In brief, the rider
should in every form of leaping keep his body at right angles to the ground; thus, the higher the jump, the more he will be required to lean back. In landing, the horse makes contact with the ground on one fore leg followed instantly by the other, after which come the hind legs. When jumping natural obstacles, such as water, ditch, etc., the general rule never to ride fast at an obstacle holds good, although expert horsemen interpret the rule to suit themselves; in any event, the rider must be careful not to pull at the reins or in any way check the horse in his effort to jump either water or ditch. 1\luch de pends on the horse in leaping, no two going at the jump in exactly the same style. One may heed a little encouragement and another a great deal of steadying. so that it is an important es sential for the rider to know his horse. When nearing the jump, the reins should he tightened so as to secure a firm hold of the head and at the same time make him shorten his stride so that he may the better gauge his distance. It re quires some little experience on the part of the rider before he is able to tell when the horse is in his proper stride. When the animal is prop ( rly collected, and is nearing the obstacle, the hold on the reins should be relaxed and care taken that the free action of his head or limbs is in no way interfered with by pulling, etc. On landing the rider should gently feel his mouth. The horse will then collect himself, all four legs will make contact with the ground, and he will be away again without any hesitation.
The common vices of shying, bolting, kicking, rearing, etc., are much more serious in a horse kept for the saddle than in one used for driving. The horseman will usually be able to tell when his mount is about to shy, so that he will slacken the pace gently, and at the same time keep a firmer hold upon the rein on the side toward hich the horse is leaning. On no account should he prepare for it by giving his horse any intima tion that something unusual is to happen; neither should lie whip or spur, or, as is sometimes done, strike him on the head on the side toward which it is feared he will plunge. The important thing for the rider is to grip fast with the legs, pre serve his balance, and be careful not to hang on by the reins. If necessary, stop and encourage the horse by patting him on the neck and other wise making much of him.
Perhaps the most dangerous vice next to rearing is that of bolting or running au-ay, which in many instances, however, is only ex uberance of spirits on the part of the horse which temporarily overcomes the control of the rider. With a skillful and ordinarily strong horseman it is very rarely that a horse runs away, but where such does happen the method of combating it will depend very much on the country and route the runaway selects. Where the route abounds with sharp turns or shut gates, the danger to be feared will be the running into a fence or gate; but on a road not much frequented and well known to the rider, it will generally be possible to guide the horse past any vehicle which may be met or overtaken. In such a case the rider should not hesitate to turn the rein around his hand and pull with all his strength toward the side he desires the horse to take. `Sawing the mouth,' though not horsemanship, is permissible, if by its employment only the runaway can be brought to a standstill. A kick ing horse should be approached and treated very carefully, and if a vicious kicker should. if possi ble, be just as carefully avoided. The rider usu ally has some sort of warning, such as the laying back of the animal's ears, in which case he should sit well back and secure his grip. Only the ex pert horseman should attempt to ride a rearing horse; for no amount of nerve will suffice to guard the rider from the terrible injuries likely to occur if a rearing horse should fall back on him. Of all horses, the rearer should be the most carefully shunned. There is only one thing for the rider to do in such an emergeney—to re member not to hold the reins tight or use them in any way as a support. On the contrary, he should catch hold of the horse's mane, or place an arm round his neck and try in that manner to force him hack on his feet.
Military horsemanship is designed to secure a uniformity of style and method. and the best re sults from both horse and rider. Long stirrups are used; the rider sits well down in the saddle, his seat being preserved largely by balance. High school riding is largely an accomplishment of the manC•ge, and includes skill in horsemanship, and in the performance of feats requiring a trained animal. Women are now taught to ride astride. as well as by means of the side-saddle. Hygienic reasons are advanced in favor of the former method. hut authorities generally are doubtful of their reasonableness. A fair state ment of the question would be that a poor horse woman derives little benefit from either method, and runs a minimum of risk of injury when rid ing astride: a clever horsewoman will invariably ride side-saddle with a greater degree of comfort, enjoyment, and safety, than when riding astride.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. Hayes, Riding On the Flat andBibliography. Hayes, Riding On the Flat and A cross Country ( London, 1SS2 ) ; L'cqui tatom prutique (ith ed., Paris, ISs2) ; Ander son. Modern (Edinburgh, ISS4); Karr, The American horsewoman (Boston, !SS t ) ; (Hayes, The Horsewoman (London, 1S91) ; Kerr, hiding for Ladies (New York, ISIll ) ; Prue/ lea/ Horsemanship ( New York, IS91 ) , eir, Badminton Library (London, 1891) ; English, The .1 rt of hiding (London, 1s90) ; Blunt, Maxims for Training Remount Burs. s for Military Purposes ( New York, 1894) ; Dodge, hiders of Many Lands (Ne• York. 1894) ; Fleisher, Manual of Cossack hiding and Training of llorscs, translated ( Washington, !SOS) ; Schoenbeck, Beiten find Paltren ( Merlin, 1SOS); Paget. Hunting New York, 1900) ; and for hunting, Hunting, in the Badminton Library Lomlon, 1SS3) Hayes, hiding and Hunting (New York, 1900).