On this principle, or something bearing a close resemblance to it, I have, as in duty bound, made known my objections to girls of immature age being permitted to indulge in equestrian exercise; and having eased my conscience by doing so, I shall lay down a few rules for the guidance of those who pay no heed to friendly warnings, but prefer taking their own way, and who, in short, will have the pan, in preference to the gridiron.
First, then, I will surmise that the child to be instructed is at least five years old. There are, I am aware, mothers of families who actually put their infant children into panniers, because they “look pretty” in them, and send them out on ponies for an hour’s jolting, with their poor little heads bobbing pitifully about, and brain and spine alike suffering from the so-called exercise. There are fathers, too, who think that their boys ought to ride before they are well capable of walking, and who in consequence of this belief clap them on to wide-backed, rough-actioned animals, regardless of the dangers to which, by so doing, they are exposing the feeble frames of their hapless offspring. To aid such persons by offering any sort of instruction as a help to their objectionable practices would be like assisting at a murder, or showing a torturer how to get on with his work.
I was choosing some articles at the establishment of a fashionable saddler a short time ago, when the proprietor stepped forward and requested me to look at an instrument (I can call it by no other name) which he had just completed to order. It was a child’s saddle, with a contrivance not unlike a brazier, arising from the centre of it, well furnished with padding and straps. This unique appliance was, it appeared, the invention of the father of the unfortunate infant for whose benefit it had been manufactured, and his pride in its appearance, and in his own cleverness, was quite unbounded. Determined that his son, aged three, should begin his lessons in horsemanship at that early period of life, and resolved to secure him from tumbling off (the only thing in the shape of danger to which he gave a moment’s thought), he conceived the idea of buckling the infant into the “brazier,” which was meant to come right up under the armpits, and by this means avert all possibility of a fall. It had apparently never struck this intelligent inventor of curiosities that the pony might fall as well as the boy, and that if it did, the little rider could scarcely fail to be seriously if not fatally injured, owing to the impossibility of his falling clear of the prostrate animal.
If a child of tender years must ride, by order of an ill-judging parent or caretaker, let it do so upon a safety-pad, fitted with a well-stuffed back, in order to prevent that of the child from becoming fatigued by remaining too long unsupported.
The pad-pony should be a light, elastic walker, and of necessity perfectly docile and quiet. He must, of course, be led: his paces being properly regulated, and his head kept quite straight. A good contrivance for this—and indeed for leading any description of horse—is a stout bamboo cane, fitted with a swivel snaphook.
The pad-pony should be ridden with a mild snaffle bridle, with loops somewhat large—and I am a great advocate for flap-reins: by which I mean a straight but not over-tightened band, extending from the flap of the saddle to the loop or ring of the bit, on either side—an admirable contrivance, which keeps the pony’s head in position, and also serves as a check against restiveness or starting. The girths should be broad and strong, and not too slack, and the pad should be made without a tree, and be composed of some soft roughened material, ornamented or not—according to fancy, and the outlay to be involved in the matter.
The advantage of having a strap in front is apparent for a very young child. It should, however, be used only when the pony is led, and when he cannot therefore possibly make off or fall down. In such case, and such only, it may be approved, inasmuch as it imparts a certain amount of confidence to an infant learner, and is likewise of assistance in ensuring an upright seat; but I should like to see it discontinued after the first few lessons, and the back of the pad also removed when a trifle more experience has been gained.
PONY WITH FLAP-REINS.
About eight years old is the very earliest age at which a girl should, under any circumstances, be permitted to ride on a side-saddle, or to mount the back of an unled animal. I prefer a small horse to a pony for the initiatory lessons, as being generally better paced and better broken. The child should not at first be allowed to touch the bridle at all. She should sit perfectly square and erect, her figure well balanced, her shoulders thrown back, and her arms folded upon her breast, while an attendant walks alongside her horse and keeps his paces evenly regulated. This is the correct method of teaching a child how to ride from balance,—an accomplishment most desirable for every class of rider. The ordinary fashion of putting a little one up, and giving her the reins to hold on by, is about as efficient a plan of instruction as teaching the same child to play the piano by ear only—thus ignoring the very first principles of the art—or running-up a building without laying a foundation-stone. Circus-children, the most beautiful balance-riders in the world, are taught to ride at first without ever touching the reins; and nothing else that could be suggested would ever be capable of giving the same firmness of seat.