to her except that the higher the fence, the more must she
lean back on landing. This jumping practice will probably teach her to
always lean back when riding over a drop fence, or going down a steep
hill. Some ignorant people shout, "Sit back," when a lady is riding at a
fence; they should say, "Lean back," which means quite another thing.

[Illustration: Fig. 103.--Maximum amount of pressure on leaping head.]

If a lady, when taking her riding lessons, finds herself in any way
uncomfortable in her saddle, she should at once stop and have the fault,
whatever it may be, rectified. She should always be careful, when
dressing for riding, to see that all her garments are put on correctly,
so that nothing may get displaced and cause discomfort when she is in
the saddle. If this does happen, she should dismount, if possible, and
arrange matters without delay; otherwise she may be severely cut or
rubbed and be unable to ride again for some time. After she has been
taught to ride, she should be given a nice horse and a safe jumper, for
she well deserves one, and will be able to ride him. She should hack him
along quiet roads and bridle paths and learn to open gates and go
through them nicely, always shutting them after her.

[Illustration: Fig. 104.--Position of legs in jumping.]

REINING BACK.

As a lady will be unable to open gates correctly unless her horse will
rein back readily, it will be necessary for her to obtain practice in
this useful exercise. A horse which has to carry a woman should have
previously been taught to rein back, chiefly by word of command and with
only slight indications of the reins, because in the rein back a lady is
greatly handicapped by her want of control over the animal's hind
quarters. In this movement we should above all things avoid leaning back
and putting an equal feeling on both reins, for that would be the very
thing to prompt him to rear. It is evident that as a horse has to be
light in front when going forward, he should be light behind when
reining back. Therefore, the rider should lean forward. Also, she should
feel the reins alternately, turning the horse's head towards the fore
leg which is more advanced than the other fore leg. When she takes a
steady pull with her right rein and finds that the horse draws back his
off-fore, she should slacken the right rein and take a similar steady
pull with the left rein to induce him to bring back his near fore, and
so on. During this a