EQUESTRIANISM FOR LADIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9124, 4 August 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

EQUESTRIANISM FOR LADIES.

Eyrkstkianjsm is now the rage with ladies in America. A writer in the New York World savs

All equestrian dresses for ladies are noted for more or less relation to the male dress. The man's beaver hat or the Derby is now most commonly worn, and the white collar and tie wit 11 starched linen bosom are also prevalent. These feat tire.-, connected with the wavy elegance in the folds of a liberal skirt, ale supposed to be especially attractive. But t lie skirt must not be too long. It does not look well when extravagantly lengthened, and is dangerous so made, and not at all neat when the roads are muddy. If the waist is too long, it will wrinkle ; itshould be "a little shorter than in ordinary attire. The body of the habit ought to be carefully made to lit the bust, ample room being always allowed across the chest, which generally expands in riding." In order to give freedom of action, there should be a suspension of tight lacing, and the sleeves of the habit must not restrain the arms. Where the cloth is not fnil broadcloth width, it will be necessary to have two breadths and a half in the skirt to afford an easy and graceful iiow of drapery. A buttoned pocket is handy in the skirt, and a deep hem is necessary to weight.it down. Dark underwear, and little of it, is recommended, and the favourite hat is neither the present beaver nor the Derby, but "a pretty cavalier hat and feather." You may take your choice as to gauntlets or gloves. It goes without saying that the veil should be short, and, though it may be pretty for young girls to have their hair fly, it is much more conducive to comfort to have it confined. A stirrup of the slipper style is one of the best , and a limp whip one of the worst. Ladies who ride 011 horseback should discard finger-rings while they are riding, as these ornaments, with the bridle in hand, will hurt the fingers.

There is no "lady's horse" really, as any good horse is as much suited to a skilled lady rider as to a man. Still, it is thought, "a horse exceeding Jo hands 2 inches in height" ought not to be selected. The reason certain horses are set apart to ladies is because ladies do not usually enjoy one that trots, though some English ladies do ; and in England Ladies ride horses that leap fences and ditches, as they must to take part in fox-hunting. A horsethat is ridden always or often by a lady is commonly despised by an expert gentleman rider, on account of its easy gaitedness. What is curious is that horses so used do not last so long as those ridden by gentlemen, " the difference being accounted for by the constant use of the off leg in the canter."

Give a lady, then, a rather small horse. If she becomes a trained rider, her voice and hand will be as effective with the animal as a man's. Some horses who will not stand a man's handling at all are at once obedient to feminine control.

It is something of an art to mount and dismount a horse on the part of a woman. 1 don't know how common horse-blocks are in England, but mounting from and dismounting to the ground are there the usual way. But the woman to do this needs a groom. As a groom simply hole's the horse and a gentleman assists the lady in rising and coming down, there is more security, and the feat is more easily done. The good rider only attains success, as in dancing, by considerable practice, joined to natural aptitude. She must sit erect and perfectly square to the front, looking forward directly between the horse's ears. When seated, "let the body accommodate itself with an easy pliancy to the movements of the horse." Any moving forward or leaning sideways reduces her power over the horse and destroys the gracefulness of the exorcise.

A fair equestrienne is certainly one of the pretty sights. A man on a horse somehow never looks right to me. He reminds me of the Centaur. A woman or girl, if a skilful rider, never looks otherwise than attractive. The English author whom we have quoted says:—"Many a fair girl has captivated more hearts in a beautifullyfitting habit than when she was arrayed for the most distinguished occasion. And how many instances have we not on record of brilliant marriages and princely dowers being won by their faultless symmetry, and a graceful bearing so frequently displayed within it!" So the fair rider may well say :—

Now come ye not near me, my sad soil) to cheer, With friendship's soft accents or sympathy's tear ; No counsel X ask, and no pity I need, "Jut bring me, oh I bring me, xuy gallant young steed.