MOUNTING.
The custom which prevails in many riding-schools of allowing pupils to mount from steps or platforms seems to me not only unscientific, but irrational, unless, indeed, the pupil is too small, too old, or too stout to be mounted in any other way; unscientific, because there is a correct and prescribed method of mounting from the ground, and irrational, because, if a lady dismounts away from the riding-school, and has not been taught this method, she will be obliged to go to the nearest house in search of a chair or bench, or at least must find a fallen tree-trunk or a big stone before she can mount again.
The pupil should advance to the left side of her horse, which is supposed to be standing quietly with a groom at his head, to whom she will hand her whip, taking care not to flourish it in such a manner as to startle the animal. She should then turn and face in the same direction as the horse, let her skirt fall, and put her right hand on the second pommel of her saddle, her left hand on the right shoulder of her assistant, who is stooping in front of her, and her left foot, the knee being bent, into his left hand. She should then count three aloud: at one, she should prepare to spring, by assuring herself that she is standing squarely on her right foot; at two, she should bend her right knee, keeping the body straight; and at three, she should spring strongly from her right leg, straightening also her left as she rises, and steadying herself by a slight pressure on the shoulder of her assistant, who rises as she springs. She must be careful not to push his hand away with her left foot, as this weakens his power to help her, and as she rises she should turn her body slightly to the left, so that she will find herself, if she has calculated her spring rightly, sitting on the saddle sideways, facing to the left. She will then shift her right hand from the second to the first pommel, turn her body from left to right, lift her right leg over the second pommel, and put her left foot into the stirrup. Afterward she will arrange her skirt smoothly under her with her left hand.
Two elastic straps are usually sewn on the inside of a riding-skirt to prevent it from wrinkling. The right foot is intended to be slipped into the upper one, the left into the lower, and, if possible, the pupil should do this just before she mounts, as it will save her and her assistant time and trouble after she is in the saddle. As soon as she can mount with ease, she should also learn to hold her whip in the right hand, which rests on the second pommel. These are trifling details, but they help to render a lady self-reliant, and it may happen to her at some time to ride a horse who will not stand patiently while straps are being arranged and a whip passed from hand to hand.
I offer here a few suggestions for the use of any gentleman who may wish to assist a lady to mount. He should stand facing her at the left side of the horse, his right foot slightly in front of his left. He should then stoop and offer his left hand for her foot. Unless the lady is an experienced rider, he should place his right hand lightly under her left arm to steady her as she rises. He should count aloud with her, one, two, three, and at three he should straighten himself, giving a strong support for her left foot.
There are two other ways of helping a lady to mount: the first consists in offering both hands, with the fingers interlaced, as a support for her foot; and in the second he appears to kneel, almost touching the ground with his left knee, and holding his right leg forward with the knee bent, in order that she may step on it and mount as if from a platform. Both these ways seem to me to be dangerous, as, in case the horse moves his hind-quarters suddenly to the right, as the lady rises, which is not uncommon, she will be suspended in space, with nothing to steady her but her hand on the pommel, and may fall under the horse's feet.
If a lady wears a spur she should always tell her assistant, who will then be careful that her left heel does not touch the animal's side. I have often been asked if it is possible for a lady to mount alone; and it is certainly possible, although not very convenient. She may either avail herself of a fallen tree, a stump, a fence, or any slight elevation, which is, of course, as if she were to mount from a platform in the school; or she may let down her stirrup as far as she can by means of the strap on the right side of the saddle, take firm hold of the second pommel with her left hand and the back of the saddle with her right, put her left foot into the stirrup, and give a quick spring with her right leg, which, if she is active, will land her in the saddle, after which she can shorten her stirrup-leather. A lady will probably never in her life be called upon to mount alone in a flat country, but she can never have too many resources, and it is easy to make the attempt some time when riding alone in the school.