rom an original drawing, "done from the life," a lady
and gentleman of Lima are represented on horseback. "I have
endeavoured," the artist says, in manuscript, on the reverse of his
sketch, "to depict the horses '_pacing_;' as they are almost universally
taught to do, in Peru: that is, to move both the legs, of one side,
forward together. It resembles an English butcher's trot in appearance;
but, it is so easy, that one might go to sleep on the horse: and, after
riding '_a pacer_,' it is difficult to sit a trotter at first. It is,
also, excessively rapid;--good _pacers_ beating other horses at a
gallop. The ladies of Lima do not always ride with the face covered:
but, only, when the sun is powerful. They, sometimes, ride in _ponchos_,
like the men: in fact, it is excessively difficult, at first sight, to
determine whether a person on horseback be male or female."

[Illustration]

The side-saddle introduced to this country by Ann of Bohemia, differed,
materially, from that now used by British ladies; having, no doubt,
been a mere pillion, on which the rider sate, as in a chair.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

At what period our fair countrywomen first began to ride with the knee
over the pommel, we are not enabled to state: it is, however, clear,
according to the original of the above sketch, which occurs in one of
the historical illustrations of equestrianism, given by Audry, that the
courtly dames of England did so, about the middle of the seventeenth
century. Our author describes the figure, as being that of the Countess
of Newcastle.

[Illustration]

It may be conjectured, that a single crutch, only, for the advanced leg,
was at first used; and this, it is not improbable, was fixed on the
centre of the pommel, as in the lady's saddle, now, or at least very
lately, common in some parts of Mexico; where the women, it would seem,
ride with the left hand towards the animal's head. This, also, appears
to have been, sometimes, the case, down to a recent period, in our own
country; for, in rather a modern description of the side-saddle, the
crutches are spoken of as being moveable, in order to afford a lady, by
merely changing their relative positions, the means of riding, as she
might please, on either side of her horse.[18-*] That a second crutch
was used about the middle of the last century (we are unable to state
how much earlier), in France, at least, is evident from a plate of the
lady's hunting saddle, at t