dismount and rest: all painful sensations, as I have before remarked, are danger-signals. Others suffer from the exterior of the body being chafed while trotting, and care should be taken to avoid or remedy this, as the irritation caused thereby sometimes considerably affects the health.
Owing to the strain on the internal fibres, of which I have spoken above, it is very desirable that the abdomen should be supported during horse-exercise. A number of belts intended to supply this support have been devised by corset-makers and others; but the majority are unsuited to the purpose for which they are intended, being stiffened with steel and whalebone, and merely encircling, and perhaps compressing the body without supporting the abdomen. The position of a lady on horseback also tends to push them up towards the waist.
Very much may be done to give comfort and safety in riding by the judicious shaping of the upper part of the trousers, which should follow the contour of the body sufficiently to give the upward support which is needed. As I have remarked,2[1] ordinary corsets press the abdominal organs downwards instead of supporting them, and hence they are particularly unsuitable for equestrian wear. Very good abdominal belts for riding may be shaped to the figure out of flannel, which should be doubled and bound at the edge with silk ribbon; they can be fastened like the baby's binder, described on p. 53; they may have a broad strip of elastic inserted
- ↑ 2 pp. 165-6 et seq.
