he gate; and in Fig. 127, away from
them. In the double gate shown in Fig. 128, the upper fastening consists
of a moveable D; the lower one being a very common supplementary latch,
which in Fig. 129, is cunningly secured by a curved piece of iron that
renders the gate impossible to be opened, except by a person on foot.
Another form of craft that we sometimes encounter, is an arrangement by
which the gate hangs so heavily on its latch, that the would-be
passer-through has to lift up the gate before he or she can open it, and
often at an expenditure of strength of which many women are incapable.
To perform this feat, a rider would of course have to dismount, which
would be very awkward, if a lady was by herself. I have met gates of
this annoying description on bridle paths on which the public have a
right-of-way.

[Illustration: Fig. 123.--Ordinary five-barred gate.]

[Illustration: Fig. 124.--Bridle gate.]

[Illustration: Fig. 125.--Gate with wooden latch.]

[Illustration: Fig. 126.--Gate with spring latch which has to be drawn
back.]

[Illustration: Fig. 127.--Gate with spring latch which has to be pushed
forward.]

[Illustration: Fig. 128.--Double gate.]

[Illustration: Fig. 129.--A puzzle in gate-opening.]

A gate is opened either with the hand or hunting crop, the former being
more efficient than the latter, if the latch is within reach, which
would seldom be the case if the rider was on a tall horse. When the
fence at the side of the fastening of a gate is low enough to allow the
rider to place her horse's head over it, she usually can, by doing so,
open the fastening by whip or hand, draw the gate back or push it
forward, as the case may be, and pass through. If the hedge at the side
of the fastening is too high for this to be done, she will have to place
herself alongside the gate, with the horse's tail towards the hinges,
and then open the latch, by means of the hand (with or without a whip)
which is next to the latch. If the gate opens away from her, she may
have to push it forward by hand or crop, unless she is on a well
instructed animal, who will be always ready to save her
this trouble, by pushing the gate open with his breast. If the gate
opens towards her, the horse should be so trained, that when she has
undone the latch, and has begun to draw the gate towards her, he will
turn his hind quarters round (make a _pirouette renversee_, as the
French call it), move his fore quarters a little to one