reins on a horse 15-3 high. A lady who attended one of these
lessons, which were held in Ward's riding-school in London, made two
sketches of her little friends which, by the kind permission of the
Editor of the _Queen_, in which paper they appeared, I am able to
reproduce. We may see that the small horsewoman is sitting well over her
hurdle and is riding with comfort in a saddle that is far too large for
her. The lady friend of the two little girls wrote about our work in the
_Queen_ of June 17, 1893, as follows: "I made the acquaintance of the
authoress of _The Horsewoman_ one morning in Ward's Manege, where I went
to see two little friends taking their riding lesson from her. It was a
novel and pretty sight. Mrs. Hayes has inaugurated a method of
instruction hitherto unpractised, and which must recommend itself to any
one who sees the extraordinary progress which accompanies it. The
children are dressed in gymnastic costume (Fig. 29) and it was the third
time only that they had been put on a horse--a large horse it was too,
and as patient and kindly as it is possible to be. The first thing Mrs.
Hayes teaches is how to sit. By the pupils wearing no skirt she can see
at a glance whether the position of the legs is right, and this is
all-important.

[Illustration: Fig. 29.--Child mounted.]

"By the time I saw the children they were galloping gaily round and
round, with radiant faces and flying hair, sitting better into the
saddle, even at this early stage, than many a woman who considers
herself a complete rider. They are not allowed to hold the reins; the
hands lie in the lap, holding the whip across the knees, which accustoms
them from the first to keep their hands low, besides teaching them to
keep their seat without 'riding the bridle,' as so many people do. The
horse is driven with long reins, like those used in breaking by Captain
Hayes, and managed by him with the dexterity of a circus master. After a
few turns at the canter, wicker hurdles are put up, and, to my
astonishment, the children, without the slightest fear or hesitation,
settled themselves down, leaned well back, and popped over without
raising their hands or altering the position of their legs (Fig. 30).
They had been over the same hurdles at the second lesson, and too much
can hardly be said in praise of a system that has such results to offer
in so short a space of time. Mrs. Hayes herself, as may be supposed,
looks every inch a 'workman' in the sa