Riding and Driving for Women Part 9

The breastplate, used with nearly all horses by women in the hunting-field, should be used at all times with a horse that is "tucked up" like a greyhound. In fact, many riders use breastplates at all times with nearly all horses, and, except in the show ring or in park riding where they are not considered good form, I think they should be generally used with women's saddles. They hold the saddle in place, and, with them, the girths need not be drawn so tight.

[Ill.u.s.tration: BITS AND BRIDLES

1. Plain Snaffle 2. Rough Snaffle 3. Chain Snaffle 4. Bouche Snaffle 5. Rough Snaffle with Double Reins 6. Double Ring Snaffle 7. Standing Martingale 8. Bit and Bridoon with Halter Shank attached]

The breastplate not only holds the saddle firmly in place, but it also keeps it from turning, prevents the girths from slipping back on the horse's belly, distributes part of the weight of the saddle on the horse's shoulders instead of having it all on the girths, and gives the rider a feeling of security and confidence.

A few horses have such wide chests and some such tender skins that a breastplate is apt to gall them.

The best bits for a woman to use are the curb and snaffle. The curb bit in general use is of the Weymouth pattern, as ill.u.s.trated above (see cut No. 1, page 150). The snaffle is jointed (see cut No. 12, page 150).

Most horses go better with a curb bit with a slight port, such as No. 2, page 150, though personally I like the pattern ill.u.s.trated in No. 1, same page, above, quite as well, if not better. For horses with very tender mouths or with sore mouths, the curb bit may be covered with rubber. Other horses, again, go better with a jointed curb, and old horses, whose mouths are so hard that they cannot be brought back to their original condition, may require the use of a heavy port or other device which will cause them pain when the curb rein is tightened.

These various devices are ill.u.s.trated above. For hunters, for pullers, for polo ponies, and for Southern gaited horses, various kinds of bits are used, but I shall not attempt to describe them here. They are fully treated in many of the standard books on riding and do not belong in a book devoted to riding and driving for women.

I shall add a few hints, gleaned largely from my own experience, which may not be found in other books on the general subject.

The normal position of the bit, whether curb or snaffle, or both, is in the s.p.a.ce between the teeth called the "bars," about two inches below the eyeteeth in the mare and the tushes in the gelding. This brings the curb chain to bear on the sensitive flesh of the lower jaw where the pressure is most effective. If the curb is too high, the chain bears on the jawbone which, at that point, is only covered by skin. This skin readily becomes calloused, so that the curb chain has almost no effect.

If the curb is too low, the horse will be able to get his tongue over the bit and keep it there, so that control will be lost and the cheek straps will be too loose, and the snaffle, unless it has very large rings, may be pulled through the horse's mouth.

Many horses have a bad habit of getting their tongues over the bit. A horse with his tongue in this position is quite uncontrollable, and he must be broken of the habit at any cost. Most horses will be cured by taking up the cheek straps and thus raising the bits in the mouth. This, however, may bring the curb chain too high, as above stated. If it does, or if this method is not successful, it may be necessary to resort to one of the patterns of curb bits designed to prevent the horse from getting his tongue over, such as the gridiron, No. 12, page 150, which has a ring which is pa.s.sed over the horse's tongue.

A temporary device which may be used, except in the show ring, is to put a rubber band over the port in the curb and around the horse's tongue.

It must, of course, not be tight or it will stop the circulation, but it diverts the horse's attention and, of course, prevents him from bringing his tongue over the bit.

If a horse is inclined to lag, or go up against the bit, raise the snaffle in his mouth and lower the curb.

In the ordinary adjustment of the bits, the curb chain should be fastened so that, when hanging naturally, you can slip two fingers under the chain without disturbing the position of the bit, but if the animal has a hard mouth the chain may be tightened enough to give good control.

No definite rule can, of course, be laid down. Beginners, however, are particularly cautioned to have their curb chains looser than I have indicated, as, until they have acquired "hands" and have entirely given up the habit of holding on by the reins, they cannot with safety either to themselves or their horses ride with the chain at all tight.

If a horse has been spoiled and his mouth is so calloused or "hard" that he cannot be controlled even with a tight curb, and you still want to ride him, the chain may be twisted, or one of the punishing types of bit may be used, such as those above ill.u.s.trated (Nos. 19 and 20, page 150).

Twisting the chain or using such a bit will make his mouth all the harder, but will enable the rider to control him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 1. Lady's Cross-Saddle with Rolls]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 2. Lady's Cross-Saddle, Plain Flap]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 3. Light Weight Saddle, Flaps Cut Forward]

While the Mexicans and Indians use very cruel bits and ride only on the curb, they necessarily ride with light hands; otherwise they would break the horses' mouths.

If a horse pulls more on one side of his mouth than on the other, drop the bits on the side opposite to that on which he pulls. If horses have had the advantage of proper training and intelligent riding, they should have no "mouth tricks," such as sticking their tongues out on one side.

If they are continually fretting with their tongues and lips and heads, it is probable that there is something the matter with their teeth or that they have some soreness or irritation inside of their mouths.

Horses do not do things of this kind without cause, and as soon as anything of this kind is observed the mouth should be thoroughly inspected and steps taken to remedy the trouble immediately. Horses often have trouble with their teeth very much as we do. Usually a "vet."

will be able to remedy any condition of that kind, but if not, it may be necessary to call in a horse dentist. If trouble of this kind is not attended to, the symptom may become a habit or a trick very hard to break and result in spoiling a horse's appearance and manners.

CHAPTER X

THE SADDLE HORSE

In writing my description of the lady's saddle horse I find that, of all the horses I have ever seen, I have not yet found one that eclipses, or even equals, "Lady Bonnie." I have described her before, and all the change that is needed is in the tense, which, alas! must now be in the past. When asked for a perfect type of lady's saddle horse, I close my eyes and think of her. She may have had her faults, but who has not? To my mind she came as near perfection as any horse in the world. Her beautiful walk, perfectly balanced trot, and straight and delightful canter, made her a joy to ride. Her well-crested, lengthy neck, giving room for plenty of rein; her sloping shoulders and beautifully defined withers meant for keeping the saddle in place; her back of just the right length to make the saddle look in proportion; her smoothly turned quarters, with tail set high, carrying out the perfection of her top line; her small head, wide between the eyes; her tiny well-set and well-carried ears, combined with the fineness and beauty of her coat, like black panne velvet, completed her magnificent effect of breeding.

Her intelligence, her eagerness to do her part, her great though perfectly tractable spirit, and her wonderful manners made it a pleasure to know her and a privilege to be her friend.

[Ill.u.s.tration: CHAMPION SADDLE MARE (LADY BONNIE)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COMBINATION TYPE (LADY MACDONALD)]

A lady's saddle horse should be of solid color, black, chestnut, bay, or brown. White pasterns, or a star or snip of white on the face, make a very attractive "tr.i.m.m.i.n.g up." Personally, I do not consider white-legged or bald-faced horses so suitable for women, because they look "flashy." While of course color has nothing to do with conformation or the other qualities most to be considered in a lady's saddle horse, it has everything to do with the points of a horse for the show ring, where no piebald or flashily marked horse would stand a chance in a ladies' cla.s.s.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ENGLISH TYPE OF LADY'S PARK HACK]

The only gaits used in the show ring, and generally for park riding in the East, are the walk, trot, and canter. The walk should be quick, yet without tendency to jigjog; the trot square, well balanced, and with no hint of mixed gaits. There should be plenty of "all-round action," of the hocks quite as much as of the knees, but of course not the "high action" of the carriage horse. The canter should be free and easy, but not too high, and should always be a canter--not a shuffling go-between, nor should it be so fast as to border on a run.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LIGHT-WEIGHT THOROUGHBRED LADY'S RIDING HORSE (INDIAN FLOWER)]

The thoroughbred should be the ideal saddle horse, as he is fashioned by nature for that purpose alone. In England this is the type of "riding horse" most in vogue, and in this country he may, in a few years, as he already has there, supplant the park hack type. However delightful he may be in the country or in the hunting-field, he is not really suitable for park riding, where a collected trot is essential and where his excitability gives the rider more than she wants. It must be borne in mind that the conditions of riding in England are entirely different from what they are in this country. Here we ride for exercise; there they hunt for exercise and ride for rest. Therefore, what they want for riding is a horse with very easy gaits who does not give the rider any exertion. In England there is very little riding on hard roads, as there is here. They almost always ride over turf and they have bridle paths on nearly all the roads. The English "riding horse" I have referred to is a thoroughbred or three-quarter bred, and the trot is not one of his gaits. His canter is very easy and he gives the Englishwoman just what she wants in the way of rest and fresh air. With us, however, but few women hunt, and when they ride they want exercise and want, therefore, a horse that will give them more to do. They find this in a horse with a good swinging trot, but they would not find it in the thoroughbred.

A very strong strain of thoroughbred blood is needed to produce the best type of saddle horse and, aside from their suitableness for park riding, many thoroughbreds, properly trained and judiciously selected as to conformation, make horse show winners.

Riding a thoroughbred is altogether different from riding any other kind of a horse. It is then that all the niceties of the art of riding are called into play, not so much as regards the seat, for his gaits are easy, but the hands must be more than usually light, more than usually firm, and more than usually quick in their communication between the mind of the rider and the mouth of the horse. In fact, I am going to say the mind of the horse too, for of good gray matter the thoroughbred possesses an ample share. Thoroughbreds are so excitable and so hot-blooded that only experienced riders with good hands can manage them, and they are very unsafe for those who have not mastered the art.

They are hard to manage when ridden in company with other horses, and they are so fussy and unreliable that they afford but little pleasure except to an accomplished horsewoman.

Next in order to the thoroughbred comes the hunter. Were I limited to one horse I would, of all others, select the hunter because of his general all-round usefulness. He is thoroughly suitable for park riding, he can be driven, he can be hacked, and his jumping qualities put him in a cla.s.s by himself. There are so many different types of hunters that one cannot fairly say that any particular type is the best. All depends on the country to be hunted and whether the horse is wanted for hunting only or for general utility as well.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THOROUGHBRED HUNTER (SUNDAY MORNING)]

Probably the best hunters are the Irish. They are up to more weight, they have more substance, greater endurance, and, for their own country, are the safest jumpers in the world. These Irish hunters have been bred and hunted in Ireland for generations and are natural born jumpers for banks, but in Ireland they do not have fences, such as we know them, nor do they have such high jumps in the hunting-field as we have. So Irish hunters are not suited for hunting in this country until they have been thoroughly trained over our fences. The English and the Canadian hunters are more accustomed to timber and jump higher than the Irish.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PERFECT TYPE OF HEAVY-WEIGHT THOROUGHBRED RIDING HORSE (HEARTSPRING)]

Hunting in the vicinity of the great cities of the East has changed entirely in this country in the last fifteen years, and the types of horses that were suited to former conditions are not fast enough and do not jump high enough for the pace we have now. The present tendency in the East, since there are no longer wild foxes to be hunted, is to turn hunting into steeple-chasing, and the only horses that will carry their riders fast enough and safely over the courses as they are laid out are thoroughbreds or three-quarter breds.

In other parts of the country, of course, the country is not so stiff and the thoroughbred type is not essential.

In the South, particularly in Virginia, the best traditions of the hunting field have been upheld since the earliest times, and there is the home of the best hunting to be had in this country. There has been as yet no invasion by barbed wire. The country has not been exploited or commercialized, and the farmers are of an entirely different cla.s.s from those to be found in the neighborhood of the great cities or in the North. As a general rule they are heartily in sympathy with hunting; many of them follow the hounds and breed hunters, and even use them on their farms. In fact, the hunter is the general type of horse to be found throughout that section of the country.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SHOW WINNER IN PARK HACK CLa.s.sES (SONIA)]

The hunter is the one kind of mount for a woman in which beauty, though desirable, is not a requisite. Rather does one seek in hunters breeding, courage, and intelligence, and the greatest of these is intelligence.

The good hunter will show a long neck, withers standing well back, and forelegs well forward of the girth. He should have sloping shoulders and great depth of chest. In fact, his chest should be so deep that when you look at him his legs should not appear as long as they are. He should have strong quarters, and there is no valid objection to their being "ragged," for he needs great power in his quarters to carry him over the jumps. Of course, one may recall many instances of light-weight thoroughbreds of beautiful conformation who are admirable hunters, but they cannot be hunted every day over a heavy country. That a hunter is to be ridden by a woman, is no reason why his appearance should be ladylike. The extra weight of a side-saddle and the unevenness of the distribution of the rider's weight on his back, make it necessary that a woman's hunter should be quite as large and powerful as a man's. The recognized type of hunter is close to the thoroughbred and quite distinct from the harness horse. Without exception, all hunters have more or less thoroughbred blood, though sometimes we have to go unexpectedly far back to find it. Many of them are three-quarter bred, and some have as little as one-quarter, or even an eighth or a sixteenth. As for their blood, there is no recognized standard of breeding. Some of the best jumpers have come from trotting stock, some from hackney stock, and some even have appeared, as it were, by accident in stock of no recognized breeding at all, and the qualities that go to make a hunter cannot be found with any certainty through breeding. The princ.i.p.al qualification of a hunter is that he should jump, and jumping is something that seems to be born in individual horses, and to depend not so much on their breeding as upon the union of courage with a certain conformation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HIGH-STEPPING PARK HACK (ROSLYN)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: AN OLD-FASHIONED COMBINATION TYPE (WARWICK)]