Frances E. Slaughter

The great question in buying horses to carry us with hounds is, of course, expense. If our purses are deep and well-lined, then we can ensure being well carried, provided of course we know sufficiently what we want to be able to choose aright. But even with two or three hundred guinea hunters, we may, according to good authority, only hope for the superlatively good one, once in a lifetime. Yet if only once this joy is to be ours it is worth trying for, the nearer perfection is our horse the greater will our pleasure and comfort be in the hunting field.

In saying this I am speaking of the great majority of women, those, who while being good riders and fair judges of what a horse should be, are yet not among the exceptional few who can make any horse go and most go well, and who can, therefore, lay claim to the title of consummate horsewoman. That the latter is rare, even in these days of hard riding, few will be found to deny, though perhaps many of us have a belief deep down in our minds, to which we would not give utterance for worlds, that we ourselves are above the average in our skill with, and knowledge of, horseflesh.

So those who feel they have nothing to learn will not be likely to trouble themselves with these few words on the choice of hunters, and to the "exceptional few" there is certainly nothing to be said that they do not know far better than one of their less-blessed sisters can tell them. But with these reservations there may still be a goodly proportion of riders to hounds, who will like to consider the subject of what a hunter should and should not be.

With a devout wish then that we could each truly say we find our pleasure in any horse, because even if he is a bad one, the excitement and interest of checking his faults and getting the best out of him, will make up for our loss of pride of place, let us think for a moment of the points essential for the average woman's hunter to possess.

These are, a well-laid shoulder, good carriage of the head and neck, and good manners.

Many other qualities there are which are more or less desirable, but the above are absolutely indispensable to a woman's safety, as well as pleasure in the hunting field, and, from choice, no woman should buy a horse that does not possess them.

A good shoulder, as we all know, means so much to the comfort of every rider, whether man or woman, that too much stress cannot be laid on it. But if desirable for all, to a woman it is the one point, for which, if she have to choose, she will give up all else. Without a shoulder which gives the play necessary for him to recover himself, a horse with the dead weight of a woman on his back, has no chance in the case of a slip-up, or peck, or any of the thousand-and-one trifles that will scarcely receive passing notice, if he does put himself right and go on.

Strange as it may seem, some women who go fairly hard in the wake of hounds, do not realise how all-important a matter this is. They do not, in fact, seem to understand the enormous difference between the dead pressure of our weight on a horse—light in comparison though this be in reality—as we sit with our support entirely on one side, to that of the man, who though in nine cases out of ten heavier than we are, yet by the even distribution of pressure and the springiness afforded by the double support of the grip of his legs on both sides of the animal, may be described as living weight. The advantage given by a man's seat is, I believe, incalculable, as those of us who have done long distance rides in uncivilised parts of the world, can say from practical experience, yet I would not—even if it were of the smallest use, in the face of popular opinion—advise women to start a crusade against the existing state of things. We have crusades enough in these days, without taking up the war of the saddle, a victory in which might turn out to be a disastrous failure from other points of view.

That the head should be well put on, is again of special importance to a woman, because beside the fact that she has less physical power than a man as a rule, from the nature of her seat she has less control over her horse, one therefore that carries his head badly, may prove beyond her power altogether to control, and will certainly be unpleasant and fatiguing to ride.

From the full clear eye which will look at you with such winning intelligence, you may and indeed must, if the horse is a stranger to you, make up your mind as to his character. And this is a test that will never fail. I would, therefore, counsel an intending buyer to turn resolutely from any horse that does not satisfy her in this respect, however good his points may otherwise be.

This brings me to the subject of manners, and full as much may be said on this important topic when we discuss the equine species, as when our talk concerns the human race, for is it not true, and equally true, that "manners maketh" both horse and rider what they are. But to confine ourselves to the former for the present, and to see first what he should not be. A horse that is to give you pleasure in the hunting field should not pull, and above all things must not rear, for nothing is so likely to lead to a ghastly accident as this. He must not be a refuser, as here a woman's physical lack of power will be against her. If he fidgets, you will find a long day on his back most fatiguing, and should he be a kicker your enjoyment will be marred. If, indeed, you ride an animal with this fault, and one which at the same time has any turn of speed, you should try to get to the front and stay there, for so you will have more space and freedom than can otherwise be the case. Wherever you are, remember you cannot be too careful to keep the active heels out of reach of the hounds, and of your companions in the field. It is most desirable that a hunter should be quiet at gates, and here, perhaps, I may be allowed to remark that all women who ride to hounds should be able to open a gate quietly and quickly, so if you are not proficient in this, I should advise a little practice by yourself. In a flying country your horse should be more than ordinarily bold, and as clever as you can get him for a creeping country, for never forget that you cannot drive or squeeze him as a man can. If you are a thorough good horsewoman you may of course use spurs, and thus force him "where he would not," but to raise the whip as you near a fence is to teach your horse to swerve, for he very soon learns to expect and shrink from the blow. Beside all these negative and positive qualities, the perfect hunter must be a perfect hack if possible, and when you have these combined you may congratulate yourself on having the horse of a lifetime.

LA CIGALE.

(Property of Mrs. Gordon Canning.)

A horse with the manners I have described [Pg 155]
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[Pg 157]will not be young, and I should say, though each rider will have her own opinion about this, that a horse is best for a good woman with hounds, when he is seven off, or even over.

In height he may be about 16 to 16.1, and when buying, remember that there is a certain class of horse which looks much smaller than it really is. This is the animal with a large body on short legs, which has the large bone, the good barrel, and the large knees and feet of one that stands much higher.

Whether you have one of these, or an upstanding creature which looks all, and perhaps, more than he is, let him be as near thoroughbred as you can afford to buy him. I think, myself, as I have said, that old horses are on the whole safer to ride than young ones, though of course if anything does go wrong with them, they have not the power of recovery that a younger one has. A saying of that good judge Whyte Melville is worth remembering. He was speaking of the horses that would be at the end of a long run, and said, "it will always be found that one or more of these is a thoroughbred, an old horse, and under 15.2," and is ridden by a lightweight, he might have added. At any rate our lightweight is one point in our favour, and another is our light-hands. I am firmly of opinion that in the matter of hands we distinctly score in comparison with our husbands and brothers, who in so many ways have the best of it in the saddle. For every man who possesses the coveted "hands," you will find half-a-dozen women who have them. We are too, quicker as a rule, to grasp a situation, or to anticipate an impending fall, and indeed, if we were not, we should rarely have time to free ourselves and get clear of our horse, for unless we are ready when the time comes we have no chance of escape, as those have who can save themselves on either side, when they feel their horses going.

It is difficult to say what price you would have to give for animals such as these, but any coming with a good character from a known stable, would probably cost from £150 to £300, and if you can afford it the money would be well spent. With two good all-round horses, such as I have attempted to describe, a woman would see more sport than with three or four inferior ones to carry her. They will come out sooner than less well-bred ones, and by good management and having both out with hounds, their owner should [Pg 159]
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[Pg 161]be able to get two days a week with them. Wherever possible I should always advise women to have out two horses, for this plan not only economises horse flesh, but is an immense saving of fatigue to them, as nothing is more tiring than to ride a weary horse. An intelligent groom should know how to pick up hounds in the middle of the day, if they should be anywhere near home, and though in the case of a great run this would be out of the question, then the enjoyment of the long gallop will have to make up to them for the days when the horse will not be able to come out.

But inasmuch as many of us know by mournful experience that we cannot afford to buy the best in the way of horse flesh, let us consider what we can forego without risk to life or limb.

1. We may dispense with size, because if a light weight, we can ride horses that would not carry the average man. This at once lessens the price, as the demand is of course much smaller, and for £60 or £80, or even less, you might meet with a serviceable and pleasant mount. Of course to the few women who weigh as much or more than a man this cannot apply, and indeed, for such I may say frankly that I know of no way in which they can mount themselves with safety, except by buying the best horses that money can procure.

2. The second way in which, if we must cut down our prices, we can do so fairly safely, is in having less of strength behind the saddle. Not that I would advise a horse with weak quarters under any circumstances, but while the qualifications in front of the saddle of which I have spoken are indispensable, I believe, if we do not ride over eleven stone, we may make some sacrifice in the matter of power behind the saddle. Those horses which are too light behind to carry heavy weights with safety are often very pleasant to ride, and we may meet with them at a very reasonable price.

3. Again, if we wish to keep within a moderate figure in the purchase of our hunters, we need not reject those that are undeniably slack in the couplings and have short back ribs, and consequently give the impression of being very long in the back, always of course supposing that they are suitable in other respects. Such horses are often pleasant enough to ride, and as they could in no case be suitable for a heavy weight, they should never be high priced. The great draw[Pg 163]
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[Pg 165]back to having such, of course, is that they will not come out so often, or stand so long a day as a truer shaped horse will.

A counsel of perfection is to have a saddle for every horse in your stable. This is so important that though it involves a considerable outlay with every change in your horses, it will be found a real economy in the end. When your saddles are overhauled, as they should be at the beginning of the hunting season, every horse should have a saddle fitted to it, and thus, and thus only, will you—provided of course your stable management is what it should be—escape the sore backs which will entail loss of sport in a way that is peculiarly aggravating, when you know it might have been avoided.

As important and yet within the reach of everyone is for every horse to have its own bridle. Never allow any departure from this rule, and see yourself that the head piece of each horse fits easily and that the throat lash is loose, also (and this is a point on which few grooms are to be trusted) that the bit has been properly fitted to rest on the right part of the mouth. This is of no slight importance, for a badly fitting bridle will spoil the manners of the very best of horses.

I should advise a woman always to ride with a double bridle, for with a snaffle her strength, as a rule, will not be sufficient to hold the horse together when he is tired. With light-mouthed horses, either a leather curb or a curb chain sewn in leather will be found the best. A good hint given by an experienced horseman is to drop the snaffle and ride lightly on the curb when going home after a long day, as this by relieving the horse will be less tiring to his rider. Another thing to remember is, that while in the morning when hacking to the meet you will naturally choose the soft sidings of the roads, on returning at night you should keep your horse on the crown of the road, as this will be easier going for him and he will be less liable to stumble.

As samples of high-class hunters that have been ridden well up to hounds in different countries, I would point to the horses reproduced in these pages, and the choice between the speedy thoroughbred and the clever Irish or provincial horse, must be dictated by the form of the chase and the country over which he is to carry you, and by the depth of purse to be reckoned with in the purchase.

Frances E. Slaughter.

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