Riding and Driving for Women Part 1

Riding and Driving for Women.

by Belle Beach.

INTRODUCTION

This book does not pretend to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject of horsewomanship. It is offered merely as a collection of the most important points gleaned in my career as a horse-lover and professional horsewoman. While from experience alone a rider may evolve good form if she is a natural born horsewoman, yet this is so rare that, with most of us, a knowledge at the start of the general fundamental principles which are the basis of form in riding and driving, is essential. It was my good fortune to have my mother, Mrs. Emily S. Beach, lay the foundation for me and, similarly, these chapters may aid some of my readers.

Nothing in this book is hearsay. That which takes but a moment to tell has taken me years to learn; learned as a pupil; learned as a teacher; learned by observation; learned by exhibition, by many a triumph, by many a heart-break; much of it a pleasure, much a hard task, but repaid always by my comrades through it all--the horses.

I desire to express my thanks to Messrs. Brewster & Co., Mr. Herman Haas, Messrs. Martin & Martin, Messrs. Whippey, Steggall & Co., The Durland Co., and Mr. P. Nardi for the many ill.u.s.trations and suggestions which they have kindly given me. Many of the ill.u.s.trations are from photographs which my friends have been kind enough to send me.

CHAPTER I

FORM IN RIDING

With all the changes in fashion and fads, riding still holds its own, and the field which it occupies can never be invaded. For women, quite as much as and even more than for men, it is of all exercises the one best adapted to keep them in condition, to restore the glow of health, and to key up the whole system to respond to all the delights of life.

No less for a woman than for a man is the old saying true, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."

Self-made riders are apt to scoff at what is termed "form," but "form"

is neither fad nor fashion. It is that way of doing any particular thing that is recognized as the best. This is why a self-taught person is at a disadvantage. She may, possibly from her experience, have worked out the correct theory of riding, but she has not had the advantage of learning all that has been worked out by others, and it is the a.s.similation of the results of others' experience that const.i.tutes form.

Riding should, I think, be as much a part of a child's education as any of the subjects taught at school; in fact, I would paraphrase and say that "Reading, Riding, and 'Rithmetic" were the essential elements of every child's education. All children find in it the keenest pleasure, and to the delicate child it offers salvation. Once the first difficulties are overcome, the benefits are soon realized. Benefits not only to the general health, with restored circulation and appet.i.te, but to the character which acquires patience and self-control--qualities quite as essential as the proper use of hands and legs for the making of a horsewoman.

I do not, however, approve of very young children taking riding lessons.

The age of seven is quite young enough, for when younger than that a child's legs are so short that it is difficult for her to keep her balance at any gait faster than a walk. But I do approve of very young children becoming accustomed to the motion and acquiring balance by being held on the back of a very quiet pony, which, of course, should not go beyond a walk. The great danger in beginning too young is that the child may have a fall, and, if she does, may receive a shock to her nervous system, the effects of which will make her timid about horses for years to come.

I like to have a child come to me for her lesson without fear, not timid from any past experience, yet enough awed at a.s.suming control of so big an object as a pony to have respect for, and be dependent on, her teacher. Later on, confidence will come with increasing knowledge, and so her education as a horsewoman will be properly begun.

Although learning to ride in childhood is certainly an advantage, yet age is not necessarily an impediment to a woman's learning the art. I have known many women who have never been on a horse's back until they were forty years of age, or even older, who, after a few courses of lessons, have derived much pleasure from their riding, and, with application, have even become proficient. However, the best riders, like the best singers or pianists, are born, not made, and there is a grace about the natural rider that cannot be attained even by the most thorough training.

Form in riding depends chiefly upon a correct seat, and that in turn depends upon balance and correct position. Balance can only be attained by keeping the muscles relaxed and being ready to respond at any moment to every movement of the horse. It is impossible to acquire balance if all the muscles are stiff all the time. The body should sway in rhythm with the horse's gait. This not only looks well, but saves both rider and horse from all unnecessary exertion and fatigue.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CORRECT POSITION OF BODY IN SIDE-SADDLE]

[Ill.u.s.tration: INCORRECT POSITION OF BODY

Right shoulder too high and too far forward, caused by wrong position of right knee]

Quite as important as balance is the proper position in the saddle. The first point, remember, is that the body must be squarely in the saddle, neither to the right nor to the left, and the right thigh must be kept pointed almost directly to the front. The body is kept in this position by having both legs at all times in their correct position. The right thigh should be well down on the saddle and the right knee should both press down and pull back on the upper pommel. The right leg from the knee down should be kept close, but not _rigid_, against the saddle-flap and should be nearly vertical, neither thrust forward nor sideways nor twisted back, _and the right leg should not touch the left leg_. If the right leg is kept in proper place, the right shoulder--the bane of so many women riders--will be neither forward nor down, but squarely in line.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CORRECT POSITION OF LEGS

Right leg vertical, left leg bent at knee and hanging naturally]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ANOTHER POSITION OF LEGS

Some women hold their legs in this position, but I do not approve of it]

[Ill.u.s.tration: INCORRECT POSITION OF LEGS

Both legs too far forward]

[Ill.u.s.tration: INCORRECT POSITION OF LEGS

Left leg too far back]

The left leg should be kept in the same position as a man's leg, that is, held in firmly against the saddle. The left knee should be slightly bent and the leaping horn and the stirrup-leather should be so adjusted that the former will press down and over the left thigh about five inches above the knee. Side-saddles have two holes, in either of which the leaping horn may be screwed, and for most women it is more comfortable to have the horn in the lower hole. The left leg below the knee should be vertical, neither thrust forward with the heel down nor back with the toe below the level of the heel, nor, on the other hand, thrust out at an angle of forty-five degrees or so from the horse's side. All but experienced riders should ride with the ball of the foot resting lightly on the stirrup-iron, with the heel a trifle down and the foot parallel to the horse, or, if possible, pointed in, and this should be done by turning the leg at the thigh joint, just as is later described in the cross seat. When a rider has become expert she may ride with her foot "home," that is, with the instep resting on the iron. It is always advisable to ride with the foot "home" when the horse shies or takes a fast gallop.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CORRECT POSITION WITH HORSE IN ACTION]

On this correct position of the left leg depends the evenness of the hips, and on the correct position of both legs depend the level of the shoulders, the level of the hips, the squareness and firmness of the seat, and the proper control of balance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE POSITION OF THE CHILD ON THE LEFT OF THE PICTURE IS CORRECT AND THAT OF THE CHILD ON THE RIGHT IS INCORRECT]

CHAPTER II

HANDS

The hands should be held on a level about six inches in front of the waist; the forearms horizontal, the upper arms hanging naturally from the shoulders, so as to keep the elbows level, and in a vertical plane with the shoulders. Bowing the elbows out, or, on the other hand, clapping them too close to the sides, are common faults, and are equally bad not only for the sake of appearances, but because, in either of these positions, the strength of the arms is lessened. Similarly, the elbows should not be carried back when the hands are in position, for, if they are, you cannot pull the horse up should he stumble, or, on occasion, stop him suddenly; nor should they be carried forward over the knee, for that position is stiff and tiring and gives the body a tendency to bend forward.

In jumping a horse trained to jump in the American fashion, when approaching the jump, the hands are carried well forward and, at the same time, the body is also carried forward. The reason for this is partly to help the horse over the jump, and partly because the horse, before he rises, throws his head far to the front, and the rider's hands and body move with him. On landing, the horse's head and with it the rider's body and hands resume their normal position.

Both hands should be kept in position, and neither arm should ever be allowed to hang at the side in military fashion. Nothing looks worse in park riding for either a woman or a man. In riding a horse that is bridlewise and perfectly broken so that he will obey the slightest movement of the reins and can make all the changes of action and of gait by a mere suggestion from one hand, the other hand should still be kept in almost the same position as if it held the reins, and remember that if it is necessary to rearrange the hair or the hat, or if you wish to make any gesture with the right hand, to be sure to transfer the whip to the left hand. By neglecting this precaution and carrying the whip in the right hand, when it is moved about, your horse, or your companion's, may see the whip and think he is about to be struck, and a serious accident may result.

The left hand is the bridle-hand and the one in which the reins should habitually be carried. After mounting, and in first taking up the reins, remember that the snaffle rein is a trifle longer and wider than the curb rein and that the ends of the snaffle reins are joined with a buckle while the ends of the curb are st.i.tched together.

There are different ways of first taking up the reins. One of the best is to grasp them together in the right hand, the curb reins in the middle and the snaffle reins on the outside, drawing them sufficiently tight to feel the horse's mouth very lightly, with the ends pa.s.sing through the hand and out under the little finger; then, holding them all horizontal, to pa.s.s the left hand down on them vertically, the near snaffle rein outside the little finger, the near curb between the little finger and the third finger, the off curb between the second and third fingers, and the off snaffle between the first and second fingers. Then let go with the right hand and turn the left hand into its position with the ends of the reins coming out between the thumb and forefinger.

Another way is first to take up the snaffle reins with the right hand, the off rein outside the little finger, the near between the first and second fingers, feel the horse's mouth lightly, and then pa.s.s them into their correct position in the left hand, the near snaffle outside the little finger, the off snaffle between the first and second fingers; then pick up the curb reins with the right hand and pa.s.s them to the left hand separated by the third finger.

A third way is first to pick them up in the right hand in the same position in which they should finally be in the left hand, except that the off and near reins are reversed; that is, the off snaffle rein comes outside the little finger, and the near snaffle rein between the first and second fingers, and similarly with the curb. Then drop the left hand over them, in front of the right, as above described, with the fingers in their correct final position. This position has been already described, but I will state it again: The near snaffle rein comes outside of the little finger, the near curb rein between the little and third fingers, the off curb rein between the third and second fingers, the off snaffle rein between the first and second fingers; the ends of the reins come up through the hand and fall to the right between the thumb and forefinger.

The reins should be adjusted to their proper length with the right hand so as to feel the horse's mouth lightly before the fingers of the left hand are closed on them. With regard to the ends of the reins, it is equally correct to have all four reins one upon the other, and then put the thumb on top of them all, or to put the thumb on top of the snaffle reins and have the curb reins pa.s.s to the right of the thumb, if one is riding on the snaffle; or, if one is riding on the curb, to have the thumb resting on the curb reins and the snaffle reins pa.s.sing to the right of the thumb.

The reins should be properly arranged in the left hand, as I have described, at the start, when the body and the elbow are in their correct positions, and they should be held at this same length at all times and not allowed to slip through the fingers. They should be held by pressing the edges of the reins, with the fingers, against the cushion of the hand, and not by squeezing the flat surfaces of the reins between the fingers. The princ.i.p.al reason why beginners let the reins slip through their fingers is that they do not hold the reins by the edges.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CORRECT POSITION OF REINS

1--Off snaffle rein. 2--Off curb rein. 3--Near curb rein. 4--Near snaffle rein.]