Page:Horsemanship for Women.djvu/103

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ETIQUETTE IN THE SADDLE.
89

the saddle pocket, and if a veil is worn, it must be short and black. The hair should be so securely put up that it will not shake down, and that the hair-pins will not work out. In the matter of the hat more freedom of choice is allowed, and in the country almost anything may be worn, but wherever there is any pretence of dressing, the only correct thing is the regulation silk "cylinder," which, by-the-bye, usually looks better rather low in the crown, and which is every way a pleasanter and more serviceable hat than ladies who have never worn one are apt to imagine. About the cutting of a riding-habit, it may be remarked, there is nothing mysterious, although one might think so from the way it is often talked about, especially in the advertisements of fashionable tailors, and there is no reason in the world why any clever young girl should not make one for herself if she chooses. The only eccentricity about it, from the dress-making point of view, is the shaping out of a place for the right knee, so that the skirt may hang straight and not ruck up, and this can easily be managed at home by improvising a horse with a couple of chairs and a rolled-up rug, putting the saddle on it, and trying the effect in place. Be careful to leave plenty of room across the breast. A couple of straps should be sewn inside in the proper place, so that the toe or heel of each foot may be inserted to prevent the skirt from rising and exposing the feet; and these straps should not be strong, but, on the contrary, like all other parts