Two persons are absolutely necessary to assist a lady to mount; one to keep the horse quiet, by standing in front of him, and holding the reins close to the bit, one rein in each hand; the other is for assisting her to mount. The lady, having regulated her habit, must stand perfectly erect; her right hand; having the bridoon-rein hanging loosely on the thumb, being placed upon the upright horn of the saddle (her whip held between the thumb and forefinger), her right side towards and close to it.
The second person, who is to assist the lady to mount, must now place himself near to, and almost fronting her; having united his hands by putting his fingers between each other, and stooping down near to the ground, receives the lady’s left foot, which should be placed firmly in them, care being previously taken that no part of her skirt is under it. The left knee should be kept as straight as possible, in order to give additional purchase, while lifting her perpendicularly and gracefully into the saddle. The lady must then place her left hand on his right shoulder, and as he lifts her, she must spring from the instep, at the same time guiding herself into the saddle with her right hand.
Having gained her saddle, the lady should take hold of her habit with her right hand, close to the knee, and raise it sufficiently to allow of the right knee dropping well home into the crutch, and keeping it there, as far as she possibly can, immovable.
RULES FOR GAINING THE CORRECT POSITION IN THE SADDLE.
Before a lady mounts she must endeavour to carry in her mind’s eye the centre of her saddle. On this centre she must, as nearly as possible, place herself; and to assist her memory, she should take it for a rule, to keep her eyes in a straight line between the horse’s ears when lifted into it. By these means, after a little practice, she will not fail to drop almost insensibly into the correct position; the weight of her body being thrown full into the centre of the saddle, rendering her seat firm and easy to her horse and herself. For example:—should we place a weight on one side of a table, the other side having nothing on it as a balance, if it does not actually fall, it will become extremely insecure and unsteady; but, on the contrary, if the weight be placed in the centre, the table will be safe and steady, even if ricketty before; therefore, if the lady does not sit “square” (that is, quite in the centre) on her horse, she must inevitably throw all her weight to one side, and thereby destroy her power over the horse, and instead of giving him his correct action, render him unsafe, and shambling in his gait.
THE POSITION IN THE SADDLE.
To obtain a correct position in the saddle, the lady must keep her head erect, and her shoulders well thrown back, which will have the effect of expanding the chest, and giving the requisite hollowness to the small of the back. It is also most important that the rider should keep her body from the waist to the bust very easy, in no way to be constrained, more especially across the loins. By observing these directions, the lady will be enabled to accommodate herself, without uneasiness, to the motions of her horse.