ennel coat 403
143. Back view of kennel coat 405
144. Puppies with bicycle 407
145. Pytchley puppy, Monarch 409
146. Riding mountain zebra 457
147. External parts of horse 467
148. Measurements of horse 471

THE HORSEWOMAN.

CHAPTER I.

BEGINNING TO RIDE.

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 in the instructor is of the first importance. Nothing is more
absurd than for a man who cannot ride well i