Riding and Driving for Women

As this book is limited in its scope to riding and driving for women, I shall not attempt to discuss four-in-hand and tandem driving in detail, and for a very exhaustive work on...

To look well in the saddle a woman must be correctly and smartly turned out. The picturesqueness of the old-fashioned skirt, the plumed hat, and the ambling palfrey has passed a...

Before stepping into the trap, the horsewoman should make it a habit to inspect the horse, harness, and trap, and see that everything is as it should be: that the horse is prope...

If you have occasion to ride for any considerable distance, and particularly if the weather is hot, bear in mind that the weight of the rider and saddle on his back for a long p...

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 elbow...

Much discrimination is required in the selection of a side-saddle. In order to be comfortable it must fit both the rider and the horse, a condition harder to find than one would...

In these days of “advanced” ideas the advisability of women aping men in yet another way, by riding astride, is the subject of general discussion. Many “authorities” upon riding...

Gymkhana games may be held either independently or in connection with private or country club shows, and I would suggest as a programme for such a combination the following events:

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 ha...

In showing horses under saddle, the mental and physical attributes of the rider have a greater scope than when riding under any other circumstances. Very frequently it is the ri...

Having decided on the type of horse that one wants, the next thing is where to find him. One of the most important points to bear in mind, and one often overlooked in selecting...

Regulate the pace by the distance that you have to go, and, whatever the distance, keep going at a steady pace--from seven to nine miles an hour is a good average--and it is a g...

In the illustration on the opposite page are shown the various types of driving bits, and I shall not attempt to describe them in detail any more than I did with respect to the...

When approaching a jump the horse should be kept well in hand and should be gathered about two strides before the take-off. The moment he takes off he should be given his head b...

The use of silver-plated instead of brass-plated harness for formal occasions, such as the show ring and park, is optional, but brass-plated harness is more suitable than silver...

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 me...

So many books have been written on “Hunting” and the subject so exhaustively treated, that I shall only attempt to discuss under this head a few points of particular interest to...

While, except for four-in-hand, there is no prescribed formal costume required for driving, at the same time there are certain general principles which women should always obser...

“I think I could turn and live with animals, They are so placid and self-contained; I stand and look at them long and long, They do not sweat and whine about their condition, Th...

There are two ways of mounting with the side-saddle--from the ground and from the block. The former method is preferable, as a block is seldom available, and a woman should alwa...

The harness should be of black patent-leather with square wire buckles. Crests, monograms, or initials should be small and inconspicuous: for a single horse, placed on the stand...