ndent 'Ion,' who is, I
believe, an excellent horsewoman, told me how she made an essay at
riding on a man's saddle, with the result that she had a very bad fall."
I believe both of us would have done better if we had had no previous
experience of riding, and had acquired the art of hanging on to the
reins. A lady who is well known with the Devon and Somerset Staghounds
asked my husband's advice about a suitable saddle, as she desired to
ride astride, and he helped her to procure one with large knee pads,
made on the principle of Australian buck-jumping saddles, which appears
to have answered her purpose very well; but I do not know how she would
get on in Leicestershire. Mrs. Tweedie rode astride in a Mexican saddle,
which, like those used by natives in India, are something after the
pattern of an easy-chair. William Stokes, in an old work on riding which
was published at Oxford, tells us that in Mexico "the _pisana_, or
country lady, is often seen mounted before her _cavaliero_, who, seated
behind his fair one, supports her with his arm thrown round her waist."
This was much more gallant than the old English method, for the lady,
after being seated sideways on the horse's croup, had to run the risk of
being knocked off by her cavalier, who vaulted into the saddle in front
of her. The plate illustrating this nice performance shows that the man
had to stand with his left leg in the stirrup and put his weight on the
saddle with his hands, while he raised his right leg over the lady's
head. Having lived in the East, I am aware that Oriental women ride
astride, but I have not seen any of them voluntarily go out of a walk.
It is not difficult to trot and canter in a man's plain hunting saddle,
but I think our conformation requires the assistance of knee rolls for
jumping. We may see even fair horsemen thrown by a horse suddenly
stopping dead at a fence, an accident that rarely occurs to a woman in a
side saddle, as the grip afforded by her crutches gives her greater
security of seat.

A large number of men's saddles have recently been purchased in London
for the use of American ladies who desire to adopt cross-saddle riding.
They intend wearing frock coats and breeches made exactly like men's
hunting breeches, and top boots; but as the frock coats are
tight-fitting and follow the contour of the figure, I do not think that
the costume will enhance the elegance of the wearer. In the Tiergarten
at Berlin I saw a German lady rid