How Women Should Ride Part 7

She may then discard the services of a pilot and ride her own line.

[Sidenote: Getting Away]

When hounds are thrown in, she must watch them, and, although not interfering with their work, be ready to get away on good terms with them when they begin to run.

Indecision at the first two jumps may cost one dearly, for during that moment of hesitation hounds slip away, horses crowd one another and begin to refuse, while the few who make the most of their opportunities ride on ahead with the hounds. Much hard galloping may retrieve the lost ground, but a stern chase is always disheartening to horse and rider. By getting away in front, both are encouraged, and start with mutual good-will and satisfaction--relations which should always exist between a hunter and his rider.

[Sidenote: Indecision]

If, after pointing her horse's head at a certain part of a jump, she thinks another place is more inviting, she must not change her course, unless certain that she can do so without inconveniencing some one else who may have been going straight at it.

It is inexcusable to turn from one place to another by cutting in ahead of following riders. It throws their horses out of their stride, and may force them to pull up in order to avoid a collision.

Therefore, in suddenly changing her direction, a woman must a.s.sure herself that she is at least half a dozen lengths in front of her follower, who is going straight, or she must wait until she has been pa.s.sed.

[Sidenote: Right of Way]

When a horse refuses, the rule is that the rider shall immediately pull out and give the next a chance to jump. This is so often overlooked in the field, that a few words seem desirable to impress its importance upon the minds of those who hunt.

Women particularly seem to consider themselves privileged to keep their horse at a fence while he refuses at each trial, blocking the way, if there is no other place to jump, of those in their rear.

Frequently, when her horse refuses, his rider thinks there is time to try it again before the next one reaches the place; she puts him at the fence, in her hurry turning him so short he could not jump if he wanted to, and the result is that he stops just as the other horse arrives, whose rider is thereby obliged to pull up.

Had the woman pulled to one side in the first place, and waited until her follower had given her horse a lead, which would probably have induced him to jump, both would have been in the next field much sooner than her impatience in the first instance eventually permitted.

[Sidenote: Funk]

A horse should not be ridden behind one that is likely to refuse, or he may be inclined to imitate the misdoings of his predecessor.

In the same way, it is injudicious to take a horse to a place where others are refusing, either from their own or their riders' timidity.

He is liable to be infected with their faint-heartedness; for it needs an unusually sensible, reliable horse to be the first to jump out from a crowd at a place that has stopped those in front of him.

It is far better for a woman to choose another way of reaching the hounds than to risk adding to the number of refusers, unless she be so well mounted as to be sure of giving the rest a lead.

[Sidenote: Excitable and Sluggish Horses]

A hot-headed, excitable horse will go more quietly if he can be made to think he is ahead of the others. Therefore his rider should choose a line for herself, apart from the others, and if he is a good performer it will be safer to put him at a big jump where he can take it coolly than to trust him at a smaller place where other horses are crowding and goading him into a state of such impatience that in his anxiety to overtake any one in front of him he will jump without calculation, and endanger all in his vicinity by kicking, rearing, or rus.h.i.+ng.

A sluggish horse, on the contrary, should be kept near others, that their lead and example may arouse his ambition and keep up his heart.

It will not do to allow such a horse to fall far behind, as he will probably get discouraged and refuse to jump without a fight, at the end of which the hunt may have disappeared in the distance.

[Sidenote: Proximity to Hounds]

It is never wise to ride on the line of hounds, but rather to the right or left of them. Horses directly behind them frighten the hounds and interfere with their hunting. It also makes a few run very fast to keep from being galloped over, while many others sneak away or get behind the horses, of whose heels they stand in terror.

It is a nuisance to be obliged to stop and give some slow hound a chance to get by, or, if not considerate enough to do this, no rider likes to see a hound going through a fence with the probability of having a horse jump on him, should he pause for a moment on the other side.

A woman will escape these occurrences if she will keep to one side of the pack. In this position it is permissible to ride farther up than when so doing would bring her too near the pack; but the leading hounds must be watched closely, and should always be allowed plenty of room to turn sharp to the side where she is, without bringing them in contact with her horse. The instant they check, or even hover, for a moment, a woman must stop, and for two reasons:

In the first place, because she does not want to be in the way should it be necessary to cast the hounds in her direction; and, secondly, because she should seize every opportunity of giving her horse a few moments' respite, which she can afford to do if well enough up to notice what the hounds are doing.

[Sidenote: Choosing a Line]

She must be guided as to her course by the character of the country over which she is riding.

If the hounds run over a succession of small hills, much unnecessary exertion may often be spared the horse by galloping around the base of them, instead of over their crest. But the hounds must not be lost sight of too long, or a sharp turn may hide them from view and conceal the line they have taken.

When a very steep hill is to be descended, it should be done by going down sideways in a zig-zag course, so that in case of a slip or stumble the horse will not roll over, as he might if attempting to make the descent in a straight line.

If the going is rough or through furze or some low growth of underbrush, a woman should sit well back in her saddle, and although guiding her horse, allow him plenty of rein to stretch his neck and see where he is putting his feet. Should he stumble or step into a hole, she will in this way have the best chance of keeping her seat, and he of regaining his balance.

If riding in a district where wire is extensively used for fencing, it will not do for a woman to go very far to one side of the hounds or to try to cut out a line for herself, unless she knows the country.

Otherwise she may get pocketed by the wire, which few horses here are trained to jump, and which, therefore, should not be ridden at. In this case she would have to go back the way she came until she could get clear of it.

In jumping towards the sun, extra precautions should be taken. A horse is often quite blinded, and unable to accurately gauge the size of the jump he is to take, especially if it is timber. When the rays are directly in his eyes, the best thing to do is to walk him up to and alongside of the fence for a few yards, giving him a chance to measure it, then take him back and put him at it. This must not be done where it will interfere with any one else, but in any case such a jump must be approached slowly.

Wide ditches and streams are probably s.h.i.+rked as often as any kind of jump. Too much preparation for them excites the horse's suspicions and makes him hesitate, then refuse. A horse must be kept collected, yet sent along too fast to admit of any faltering on his part, and there must be no involuntary checking of his stride as the rider tries to see the depth or width of ditch or stream. When such are in sight, it is well to quicken the horse's pace, that he may reach the place before he sees any horse refusing, or before the banks have been made unsound by the jumping of the others. Each horse will probably widen the distance as the ground gives way beneath him, so a woman must use her own judgment in deciding where she will jump, instead of following some one else.

A bog or swamp is a most disagreeable place in which to be caught, and calls for calmness to get out without a wetting or fall. To quiet the horse is the first thing, and prevent his plunging into it deeper and deeper, as he will with every struggle. Should he be sinking, his rider must get off, keeping hold of the reins, for, although their combined weight would cause the bog to give beneath them, they might separately be able to keep on the surface, and quietly and gradually work their way to firm ground.

Whenever one comes upon something that cannot be seen at a distance, such as a hole, a drop, or a wire, the first person who discovers it should warn those behind by shouting back what it is, and, if possible, motioning where it is, that those in the rear may avoid it, each person cautioning the next one.

XI

SYMPATHY BETWEEN HORSE AND WOMAN

The advantages derived from the existence of sympathy between horse and rider cannot be too highly estimated. When a woman gives her horse to understand that he will be ruled by kindness, he is very certain to serve her far more willingly and faithfully than if she tried to control him by force. If he has learned to be fond of her voice, it will calm and rea.s.sure him in moments of excitement which might otherwise result in a runaway; it will stimulate him to expend his best energies at her command, when force or punishment would fail, and will do more to establish a mutual understanding in a few weeks than would be gained in as many months of silent control.

A horse soon learns to distinguish the intonation of words of praise from those of censure, terms of endearment from admonition, and will often respond to them more readily than to severe discipline.

Few horses are so dull as not to be susceptible to kindness, or so vicious as not to be influenced by gentle treatment.

[Sidenote: Talking to Horse]

I do not approve of a woman, once she is in the saddle, entering upon a lengthy address of endearment to her horse if she is riding with friends. They may care for a little of her attention themselves; it is just as well not to show them the horse is the more interesting, even if she feels so.

Moreover, incessant chatter becomes after a little time so familiar to the animal that the voice loses its power when intended to convey a definite meaning, and he fails to distinguish the difference between commands and idle pettings.

It is only necessary to reprove him, to give words of command, such as "walk," "trot," "canter," "whoa," which he may easily be taught to obey, and a few words accompanied by a caress to soothe, encourage, or command him when the occasion presents itself.

When living in the country, with a stable near the house, a woman is afforded the most favorable opportunity of making friends with her horse.

A good way to begin will be to dismount at the stable after a ride and take off the saddle and bridle.

It is very simple, for it is only to unbuckle the outside leather girth, stirrup leather, two inside girths, and perhaps a balance strap, and take off the saddle, unfasten the throat latch, lip strap, and curb chain on the bridle, throw the reins over his head, and take hold of the headstall, when he will withdraw his head.

She must have his halter ready to put on at once, or he might pull away.