Driving gloves which are reinforced over the fingers where the reins are held in driving, are not suitable for riding. They are too stiff and clumsy and one loses the “feel” of the horse’s mouth.
It is always correct to carry either a whip, stock, or crop, and it is advisable to do so, both because the horse may need punishment and in order to give the right hand something to do.
Light cutting whips are best when riding a green horse or one that is apt to require punishment. Crops, of course, should always be carried in the hunting field, and for other occasions plain sticks are equally correct.
It is not safe for a woman, unless she is an experienced rider, to wear a sharp spur, and one should never be worn except with an open skirt, as it is almost certain to catch in a plain skirt. The spur, if worn, should be plain and of the same pattern as a man’s.
No jewelry should be worn in riding except the pin in the tie and the cuff links.
Puttees
The under dress for cross-saddle riding should be the same as for the side-saddle. For the outer dress the only style that I consider correct is loose riding breeches, polo legged boots, and a long coat. The divided skirt always looks to me out of place, and any woman who wants to wear a skirt had better ride in the side-saddle. For a long riding trip in the mountains or for roughing it or for any occasion when a woman is apt to have to walk as well as to ride, a short divided skirt, coming only to the knees, such as Western women wear, is appropriate, but I should not consider it appropriate for ordinary riding in the East.
Stiff boots are preferable to leggings because they do not show the shape of the leg and are more of a
protection than soft legged boots. The boots should be as long as a man’s for cross-saddle riding and should show three buttons on the breeches. They should be tight in the leg and fastened in the way I have described on [page 121].