Preparatory to a lady mounting her horse, she should carefully approach to the shoulder. The quietest animal will sometimes kick on a person coming suddenly to him from behind; but if neared in the manner described, he cannot possibly contrive to bite or kick.
It is also correct to allow the horse to see his rider as much as possible, as it obviates the fright occasioned by a person getting suddenly on his back, that he has not previously seen coming to him.
THE HABIT.
Both the habit and under garments should be full, as upon this so much depends the requisite ease and graceful appearance. The habit should not, however, be too long, as it is liable to become entangled in the horse’s legs. Sometimes serious and even fatal falls have occurred from this cause, particularly if the horse falls to the ground, as the habit cannot be speedily extricated from under him.
The author here strongly advises a lady never to tuck her skirts tight over the crutch of her saddle, but take pains to have them so easy, as to be enabled on the instant to disengage both skirts and knee. A facility, in this, can only be acquired by constant practice; and it is of far greater importance to the lady equestrian to attain, than may appear at the first glance. Had this apparently slight attainment been made a matter of moderate consideration, many a parent need not have had to deplore the death or disfigurement of a beloved child.
When a lady has her habit drawn over the crutch of her saddle, and tucked tightly in under her leg (for the purpose of keeping the skirt in its proper position), she denies herself the full liberty of her knee, and in case of accident, to be off the horse.
On the slightest warning, though foreseen, whatever the danger, the tightness of the lady’s dress will not allow her to get her leg out of its place, in time to make any effectual effort to save herself; also, it is probable that the habit might get entangled in the pummel, and she, frightened of course, would become unable to disengage her foot from the stirrup (or shoe), in which case she inevitably experiences the most appalling of all accidents,—being dragged powerless, by a terrified horse, a considerable distance along the road.
Before closing this portion of his subject, the author is rejoiced that the extremely dangerous and most unnecessary fashion of wearing “Habit Brooches” is now no longer adopted,—things solely invented for “trade purposes,”—and to any, and especially to a graceful horsewoman, a truly ridiculous article to wear: never to be patronized by a lady, anxious for her own safety and the feelings of her family and friends.
To illustrate this:—The position of a lady on horseback is greatly limited, when compared to that of a gentleman; necessarily then, when her skirt is confined by a “Habit Brooch,” all power must be taken away, and all chance of escape, when an accident occurs. A very slight fall to the lady may be fatal, where, had she had the full liberty of her skirt, it would have been very trivial. The proper arrangement of the skirt of the riding-dress, to prevent its flying about, entirely depends on the lady herself.