How Women Should Ride Part 8

This will give him a pleasant impression of her, which is an important point gained.

Should she through some mistake find no one in the stable, and the horse in a heat at the end of her ride, she should not hesitate to sc.r.a.pe him herself, brush the mud off his legs, put a light blanket on him, give him only a mouthful of water, and put him in his stall with a little hay. If she will rub his ears, and sponge out his mouth, it will be a great relief to him.

All this should be accomplished in a quiet manner, nothing done to alarm or excite him; and she may talk to him most of the time, and thus become quite friendly with him.

[Sidenote: In the Stall]

When she visits him in the stall, she should always speak before touching him or entering, otherwise he might be startled and kick or plunge from fright.

If in a standing stall, entrance should always be made at the near side of the horse.

I greatly prefer a loose box in which the horse may turn at his pleasure. If he eats too much of his bedding, it is better to keep a leather muzzle on him than to tie his head up.

Before opening the door of the box, he should be induced to face it, to avoid the possibility of his kicking. This can be managed by offering him some sugar, carrots, or oats, which he will come for, held quietly on the palm of the hand, with the fingers out of his reach.

It is well for a woman, at first, to keep a light hold of the halter, so that he cannot crush her against the wall or hit her with his head.

She should never put her head above his, or a severe knock may be the result. She should pet him, avoiding all sudden movements, and accustom him to her voice; when it has become familiar to him, he will listen for it, and neigh at her approach.

If he seems inclined to kick, the closer she keeps to him the better, as then she will receive only a shove, instead of the full force of the blow. If he shows a tendency to nip or bite, from play or mischief, he should be muzzled until, by coaxing and kindness, he has been made to give it up.

To strike him would be to turn his playful though dangerous prank into a vicious habit.

In petting him she should begin by stroking his neck, and gradually work down and backwards with a firm, light touch, until he does not resent being handled. He must be taught to let her lean on any part of him, and not to fear her skirts. This is often of value in case a woman is thrown and her habit catches on the saddle; for if the horse were accustomed to her weight and skirt being against him, he would not become frightened. Knowing her voice, he might be quieted by it, and had he learned the important lesson of stopping at the word "whoa," she might escape being dragged.

[Sidenote: On the Road]

If in the course of a ride a woman dismounts at a house or stable, she should always be sure that a light blanket is immediately thrown over her horse. She should not start for a ride until some time after her horse has been fed, or his digestion will become impaired, as would hers under similar circ.u.mstances. After mounting, it is always well, by a light hold of the snaffle, to make a horse walk a short while; it is most annoying to have him start with a series of plunges or an inclination to bolt.

If he is so fresh that he will not walk without restraint likely to irritate him, perhaps spoiling his temper for the rest of the ride, it will be better to let him indulge in a brisk trot, after which he may be brought back to a walk. The next time, if having had more work, he will walk at first, while had his mouth been jerked the previous time, or a fight ensued, he would remember it, and prepare for a repet.i.tion of the performance.

A horse should not of his own will be allowed to change his gaits, but his rider must think to vary them; for if the horse is kept on one too long, it tires him unnecessarily and causes him to travel carelessly. Whatever gait she makes him adopt, it should be distinct and regular, and he should be kept collected and not urged beyond the pace at which he can comfortably travel.

[Sidenote: Cautions]

A jog-trot, trotting in front and cantering behind, and other such eccentricities, should not be permitted in a park hack.

In turning a corner, the horse should always be somewhat supported, and have his hind-legs brought well under him, or he will be liable to slip. He should never be cantered around a corner unless leading with the foot towards which he will turn.

He should not be pulled up abruptly, unless to avoid sudden obstacles, but his pace should be gradually decreased until it is as required. A sharp stop entails considerable strain on the back tendons and hocks, and if done too often would be apt to make the horse throw a curb.

In going downhill, a walk is the gait which should be taken, or the horse's fore-legs will suffer. Should the ground be uneven and rough, or covered with rolling stones, the horse ought to be permitted to walk. His head should not be held too tightly, or he will be unable to see where he is going, while if the reins are slack he will appreciate that he must pick his way, and then will seldom put a foot wrong.

It is most undesirable to canter where there is a hard road; nothing will more quickly use up a horse than pounding along, each stride laying the foundation of windgalls and stiffness, if nothing more serious results from this ill-advised practice.

If a horse is at all warm, he must never be allowed to stand in a draught; five minutes of it might founder him, so that he would be ruined, or thrown into pneumonia. If, while on her ride, a woman should be forced to wait, she must keep her horse moving in a circle or any other way, keeping his chest from the wind as much as possible.

Before reaching home, the horse should be walked for some time, so that he may enter the stable cool, and not be endangered by draughts if not attended to at once.

When riding with others, their horses should be regarded; and as the woman sets the pace, she should not make it faster than that which her companions' horses can easily maintain.

XII

PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE STABLE

[Sidenote: Stabling]

The woman should visit her horse in the stable, and there she cannot talk to him too much. If it be a private one, I a.s.sume that it is constructed on hygienic principles; but as horses are frequently boarded at livery-stables, a woman should not leave the choice of a stall to her groom. She should see that of those procurable it is the best drained and ventilated, though free from draughts, and well lighted. If these conditions are not obtained, sickness and incapacity may be looked for in the horse. She should notice the feed occasionally, and see that her horse is supplied with all he requires, and of the best quality, and that he has an abundance of good bedding. A frequent or indiscriminate use of physics is to be deprecated. Pure air, good food, careful grooming, and regular, moderate exercise are the best tonics.

[Sidenote: Picking up Feet]

She must learn to pick up her horse's feet, as she should examine his shoes personally, and ascertain that they have been made to fit the feet, instead of the horn being rasped away to fit the shoes. The soles must be pared, but the frogs and bars should not be interfered with. She cannot expect to have the shoes on more than a month; although, if the horse has not had enough work to wear them down, they may be removed and put on again, for were they worn too long, corns and inflammation, causing lameness, would be the result. Another reason for knowing how to lift his feet is that he might pick up a stone on the road, and if alone she would be obliged to take it out, or run the risk of seriously laming him. While a woman is playing with him is an excellent opportunity for her to look at her horse's feet, which should be taken up in the following manner.

She must stand on his near side, a trifle back of his fore-legs, and facing his hind ones. She should run her left hand from his knee to his fetlock, behind, and inside of his near fore-leg, grasping just below his fetlock, with the fingers on the coronet and the thumb above on the pastern. A horse which has been broken will yield his foot, bending his knee at once, but sometimes with such force that she must keep her head held up, so that there be no chance of contact with his heel. With the right hand she can examine his foot, after which she may pa.s.s to his off fore-foot, and then to the near hind-leg.

For this she must stand close to his side, and stroke him firmly from the quarters to the hock. Pa.s.sing her right hand under his hock to his fetlock, and grasping his foot as she did the fore one, she must raise it, letting the hock rest in the angle of her arm, while with her right hand she turns up the foot for inspection. She must not lean too far over or get back of the horse, or she is likely to be kicked if he offers any resistance.

Then, too, she may unfasten the roller and throw back his blanket, that she may be sure the saddle has not rubbed his back. A slight abrasion of the skin, if treated at once, will require only a day or two to heal; but if neglected for some days, the time will be greatly prolonged. If any soreness is detected, the saddle should be looked to immediately and the cause of the trouble remedied.

[Sidenote: Grooming]

A shining coat is not positive proof that the horse is properly groomed. The hair should be rubbed the wrong way, and if the skin leaves a whitish deposit on the fingers, it will be well for the horse's owner to watch the groom the next time the horse is dressed, and to insist upon its being thoroughly done.

[Sidenote: Bitting]

Much of what seems to be vice in a horse comes from his having been imperfectly bitted when young, or from subsequently having his mouth roughly handled. He should always be ridden in as easy a bit as possible, as some horses go well and quietly in a plain snaffle, and will pull, bolt, or run in a curb or any severe contrivance. No rule can be given as to what bit will best control certain tendencies.

Experimenting with each kind will be the only means of finding out, but pulling is as likely to arise from an over-sensitive mouth as from a hard one, in which case a rubber snaffle might prove efficacious where a Chifney would fail.

Sometimes certain parts of the mouth become callous, and a bit bearing on a different place might produce the desired result. Most horses will go well in a bit and bridoon, varied to suit their peculiarities by the height of the port, the length of the branches, and the pressure of the curb-chain. There are certain points which should always be regarded. The mouth-piece must fit the horse's mouth exactly, being neither so narrow as to pinch him, nor so wide as to lose its power. The port should be the same width as the tongue-channel, and no higher than required to leave room for the tongue. The curb-chain must be sufficiently tight to furnish leverage for the branches, yet not so tight as to pinch the jaw when no force is applied.

[Sidenote: Clipping]

Clipping horses in winter I have heard objected to on the ground of its being unsafe to deprive them of the thick coat which affords protection from the cold. If their coat is thick and long, it is, in my opinion, much wiser to clip them, and for several very good reasons. Their work is rarely continuous, and the alternating of the heated with the cooling-off condition is very liable to work more or less injury. A heavy-coated horse which has been driven until very warm, and then left for half an hour to stand outside of a shop or house and become chilled by the wind striking the heavy wet coat, which frequently does not dry for hours, is likely to become a subject for the veterinary.

On the other hand, if the horse is clipped, he does not get so warm in the first place, and, in the second, would cool off more quickly and without danger of becoming chilled. In very cold weather quarter blankets will furnish all the protection necessary, and prevent the wind from striking the horse while standing.

With saddle horses, although not so important, it is an advantage to have them clipped, because a cold day is certain to make the rider go steadily to keep warm, and the horse, becoming overheated (if his coat is heavy), is in great danger of taking cold if permitted to stand for a moment in a draught.

[Sidenote: Bridling]

No woman who rides should be without a practical knowledge of how to saddle and bridle her horse, as the groom often turns him out imperfectly bitted or girthed; and unless she knows how to do it herself, she will not perceive that anything is wrong until too late to prevent mischief. She should learn to hold the bridle by the headstall, in her left hand, as with the right she slips off the horse's halter, and throws the reins over his head. Then change it to the right hand, putting her left on the bits, which she gently inserts between his jaws. With the right she must pull his ears under the headstall, and then turn her attention to fitting the bridle.

She must see that the headstall fits, that the forehead-band is not too tight, and that there is plenty of room between the throat-latch and the throat. The snaffle-rein is fitted by the buckles of the cheek-piece, and should fall a trifle below the angle of the mouth.

The curb needs careful adjustment, that the mouth-piece may rest exactly on the bars of the mouth. Then the chain must be hooked when quite flat on the chin-groove, but not tight enough, unless used vigorously, to inconvenience the horse. The lip-strap should pa.s.s through the small ring attached to the curb-chain, thus keeping it in place. I like a bridle with buckles, or billets as they are called, rather than one which is st.i.tched to the rings. In the first place, it is frequently desirable to change the bits, especially in a large stable, and being sewed would necessitate a bridle for each bit.

Furthermore, when the bits are washed, the leather gets wet, and the st.i.tching is apt to become rotten, and unexpectedly give way at a critical moment, when some unusual strain is put on it.