The saddle and bridle are the same as I have described in chapter IX, except that, in the field side-saddle, a woman should always use a breastplate,
and if she has a horse that cannot carry a breastplate she had better not hunt him.
As I state in chapter IX, a standing martingale should never be used in the field, but a running martingale may be used if the horse requires it, as is often the case. For many horses the best bit to use in the field is a plain snaffle, with very large rings, so that the bit cannot be pulled through the horse’s mouth. The bridle should have a cavesson, instead of the usual noseband. Other horses go better with what is known as a four-ring snaffle; that is, a snaffle which, instead of having the cheek pieces attached to the snaffle rings, has them attached to separate rings, the rings to which the cheek pieces are attached and the snaffle rings being of the same size and both much larger than the rings of an ordinary snaffle-bit. The reins only are attached to the snaffle rings in this form of bit. This bit is more severe than a plain snaffle, but much less severe than a curb.
Generally speaking, only riders with very light hands should use the curb bit in the hunting-field, unless with horses having unusually hard mouths, or “pullers.” In going over the jumps it is very difficult to keep an even pressure on the curb, and there is great danger of bringing up the horse too short on landing.
CHAPTER VI
THE SHOW RING
In showing horses under saddle, the mental and physical attributes of the rider have a greater scope than when riding under any other circumstances. Very frequently it is the rider who wins blue ribbons quite as much as the horse, and at every horse show one sees horses lose the ribbons which they should win because of the crude way in which they are shown. A woman, in justice to herself as well as to her mount, should not enter the show ring until she has become a thoroughly experienced and accomplished rider, and however well a woman may ride in the park or in the field, it by no means follows that she will be able to bring out the best points of a horse in the ring.
Just as there are horses which win countless blue ribbons in shows, but do not compare with other horses in the field or for general use, so, on the other hand, there are women whose only delight is the show ring. They hunt not, neither do they hack.
The experience which has been gained in ordinary riding will not be of very great assistance in
showing “horse show horses”; that is, horses which are kept only for show purposes. These animals require most careful handling and a thorough comprehension of their individual characteristics.