The only horses bciginners should ride are those which have easy paces and very good tempers. One cannot take too much pains to give confidence to a novice. It is only the confidence which he gets in his first lessons that will enable him later on to ride with entire absence of stiffness. A man whose movements on horse-back are stiff, may remain on the outside of his mount, but does not ride him. Stiffness of arms, legs and body makes fine horsemanship impossible. How can contracted or stiff limbs keep in touch with the horse while they are occupied in holding the body on the saddle? When they become supple, and when the body maintains its position in the saddle by balance, they will acquire a delicate feeling with the horse, which they had not at first. Flexibility of the limbs and a good seat are indispensable conditions for attaining "equestrian tact."

Being merely stuck on a saddle is not riding. Generally the pupil gradually gets out of this faulty position only by acquiring confidence in his seat. I need hardly say that a man may be very brave and yet have no confidence in the saddle.

Slight horses are best for the first lessons, especially in the case of boys and men who have short legs. A too great separation of the legs might have grave results, and it fatigues the groins without benefiting the rider in any way. I have seen malformations of the hips caused by this practice. Later on, the rider becomes accustomed to this form of gymnastics, and he will be able to ride a horse of any shape without discomfort.

I think that beginners should not ride with a double bridle, and that it is better for them to use an ordinary snaffle, with a rein in each hand. If they are at first given a double bridle, the body will probably follow the movements of the hands, because, at the beginning, they almost always carry the hands and also the arms either to one side or the other.