as hacking is
concerned, their horses are better broken and better handled than they
are in this country. I am not alluding to the question of seat, as I
think Britons, and especially our Colonial cousins, can beat them on
that point; but it is evident, as can be seen any day and in any hunting
field, that more study should be devoted to the acquirement of good
hands. A course of school riding, especially on a made "school" horse,
which is a very light-mouthed animal, would greatly lessen the
clumsiness of heavy hands; or, if such instruction were unobtainable,
good practice might be had on a young horse which had been carefully
broken by a competent horseman. No young horse will pull until he is
taught to do so by bad handling, and a lady who wishes to improve her
hands might ride a young animal, in the company of an old steady horse,
and ascertain in this way what the natural condition of a horse's mouth
really is and how easily it may be controlled. I do not think that many
ladies have heavy hands with horses--their chief fault lies in their
want of control over their mounts. Many ride with the reins so loose
that their horses get out of hand and go in an uncollected manner, and
accidents not unfrequently occur from this cause. As horses which are
not well in hand in the hunting field will, sooner or later, bring their
riders either to grief or to disgrace, this slipshod method of handling
should be avoided. Although the grip which a lady obtains in a
side-saddle should render her entirely independent of the reins as a
means of support, she is handicapped by being unable to lower her hands
to the same extent as a man. I have found that with horses which carry
their heads too high, and throw them up if the rider tries to lower
them, a standing martingale attached to the rings of the snaffle affords
considerable help in obtaining perfect control, especially with young
horses. But I would not recommend a lady to use a standing martingale
with a horse which has not previously been accustomed to it, nor indeed
at all, unless she rides chiefly on the snaffle; for although it is
perfectly safe to use the curb with a standing martingale in steadying
and collecting a horse, it would be highly dangerous to touch it when
the animal is jumping. The majority of riding men regard the standing
martingale as dangerous--and rightly, for only men with good hands can
safely use it. If any sudden snatch or jerk were made at the curb, and