Kyrat, then, the strong and fleet,
Drew together his four white feet,
Paused a moment on the verge,
Measured with his eye the space,
And into the air's embrace
Leaped as leaps the ocean serge.
Longfellow,
The Leap of Roushan Beg.
A lady rider who has the nerve and confidence to ride a hand gallop, or a flying gallop, will be ready to learn to leap. Indeed, instruction in this accomplishment should always be given, as it is of great assistance in many emergencies. The most gentle horse may become frightened, shy suddenly to one side, or plunge violently for some reason or other, and these abrupt movements strongly resemble those of leaping; if, therefore, the rider understands the leap, she will know better how to maintain her equilibrium. Or she may meet some obstruction on the road, as the trunk of a tree felled by a storm; when, instead of being compelled to return home without finishing her ride, she can leap over the obstacle. Again, should she at any time be in great haste to reach her destination she may, by leaping some low gap in a fence, or some small stream, be able to take one or more short cuts, and thus greatly lessen the distance she would have had to ride on the road.
Leaping is by no means difficult to learn. With an English saddle, the third pommel will prevent the rider from being shaken off by the violence of the motion, and will thus make leaping entirely safe for a lady provided the horse be well-trained and sure-footed. Before venturing upon a leap, three requisites are necessary: first, the horse must be a good and fearless leaper; second, the rider must have confidence in herself and steed, because any nervousness on her part will be apt to cause the animal to leap awkwardly; and third, she must always be sure of the condition of the ground on the opposite side of the object over which the leap is to be made—it must neither slope abruptly down, nor present any thorny bushes, nor be so soft and soggy that the horse will be apt to sink into it. No risk must be taken in the leap, except in cases of emergency, when, of course, the rider may have neither time nor opportunity to select her ground, and be obliged to leap her steed over the nearest available point. The author once avoided what might have proved a serious accident to both herself and horse, by promptly leaping him over a hedge of thorn bushes, upon the other side of which was a river: this was done in order to avoid colliding in a narrow road with a frightened, runaway team, which was quite beyond the control of its driver.
Fig. 33.—The Standing Leap—Rising.
The standing leap will prove more difficult to learn than the flying leap, but, nevertheless, it should be the first one practiced, and when once acquired, the other will be mere play. A bar twelve feet long, raised two feet from the ground, will be sufficient for practice in this exercise; if a lady can manage a leap of this height with expertness and grace, she will be fully able to bound over a still higher obstacle, should she desire to do so, and her horse be equal to the occasion. Before attempting the leap, she must be sure that she is perfectly secure upon the saddle, with her left knee directly under the third pommel so as to press it firmly against the latter as the horse rises to the leap; her left leg, from the knee to the stirrup, must hang perpendicularly[8] along the side of the horse, the inner surface or side of the knee lightly pressing against the saddle-flap; her foot must be well placed in the stirrup; her seat directly in the centre of the saddle; her body erect and square to the front; her shoulders well back; and the small of her back curved in. The right leg must firmly grasp the second pommel as the horse rises, and the right heel be held somewhat back, and close to the fore-flap of the saddle. The hands must be held low, and about six inches apart, with a snaffle-rein in each, and the curb-reins must be so placed that the rider will not unconsciously draw upon them, but must not hang so loosely as to become caught accidentally upon any projecting article with which they may come in contact. If all these points be carefully attended to, just previous to walking the horse up to the bar, the rider will be in correct position and ready for the leap, which she will accomplish very quickly, with perfect security, and with a much firmer seat than that obtained by the most finished horseman.
The principal movement for which the rider should be prepared in leaping is that of being thrown forward on the saddle, both when the horse makes the spring and when his fore-feet touch the ground. In order to avoid this accident, the rider, keeping a firm seat and grasp upon the pommels, must incline her shoulders somewhat backward, both when the horse springs from the ground and also during the descent, the amount of inclination varying with the height of the leap. The erect position should be resumed when the hind-legs have again touched the ground. In a very high leap, the rider's body should be bent so far back during the descent as to look almost as if in contact with the back of the horse.