eches buttons on the shin bone. Fashionable
bootmakers who build boots for ladies on the pattern of those worn by
men, seem to be unaware of the fact that a woman's grip in a side-saddle
is entirely different from that of a man in a cross-saddle, and many
ladies suffer unnecessary discomfort by meekly accepting what they are
told is "the proper thing." Our friend Mr. James Fillis, in his
interesting work, _Breaking and Riding_, says that for ladies' wear he
prefers "ordinary boots to long boots, which are too hard, and are
consequently apt to cut the wearer under the knee, and to prevent her
feeling the horse with her leg;" but as ordinary boots would not be
considered sufficiently smart for hunting, or even hacking in the Row,
the compromise I advocate will be found to answer all requirements. In
ordering a pair of riding boots we should go to a good maker and have
them of patent leather, which is smarter and cleaner than blacking
leather. For wear in tropical countries, I found that boots which have
the foot part of patent leather and the leg of morocco, with a thin
leather lining to stiffen and keep the leg part in place, are cooler and
more comfortable than any other kind. A pair of boot-hooks will be
required for putting them on, and a boot-jack for taking them off. A
little Lucca oil used occasionally prevents patent leather from
cracking. The dry mud should be brushed off soiled boots with a soft
brush that will not scratch the leather, and they should then be sponged
over with a damp sponge and polished with a selvyt or chamois leather.
Patent leather, which has lost its brightness from wear, can be polished
with Harris's Harness Polish or any similar preparation which does not
cake on the leather or injure it in any way. We should remember that
boots will last much longer and retain their shape to the end if they
are always kept, when not in use, on trees. It is best to wear new
riding boots in the house before they are ridden in, so as to make them
pliable to the "tread" in walking, and to work off their stiff and
uncomfortable feeling.

[Illustration: Fig. 64.--Top of boot catching on safety bar flap.]

GLOVES.

Antelope-skin or dog-skin gloves are, I think, the best for hunting. I
prefer the former, as they are very soft and pliable. Whatever kind of
gloves are chosen, care should be taken to have them sufficiently large
to allow perfect freedom to the hands; for tight gloves make the hands
cold, and gr