How I Learned To Ride

: STORIES FOR CHILDREN
: Fables For Children, Stories For Children, Natural Science Stori

When I was a little fellow, we used to study every day, and only on

Sundays and holidays went out and played with our brothers. Once my

father said:



"The children must learn to ride. Send them to the riding-school!"



I was the youngest of the brothers, and I asked:



"May I, too, learn to ride?"



My father said:



"You will fall down."
< r />

I began to beg him to let me learn, and almost cried. My father said:



"All right, you may go, too. Only look out! Don't cry when you fall off.

He who does not once fall down from a horse will not learn to ride."



When Wednesday came, all three of us were taken to the riding-school. We

entered by a large porch, and from the large porch went to a smaller

one. Beyond the porch was a very large room: instead of a floor it had

sand. And in this room were gentlemen and ladies and just such boys as

we. That was the riding-school. The riding-school was not very light,

and there was a smell of horses, and you could hear them snap whips and

call to the horses, and the horses strike their hoofs against the wooden

walls. At first I was frightened and could not see things well. Then our

valet called the riding-master, and said:



"Give these boys some horses: they are going to learn how to ride."



The master said:



"All right!"



Then he looked at me, and said:



"He is very small, yet."



But the valet said:



"He promised not to cry when he falls down."



The master laughed and went away.



Then they brought three saddled horses, and we took off our cloaks and

walked down a staircase to the riding-school. The master was holding a

horse by a cord, and my brothers rode around him. At first they rode at

a slow pace, and later at a trot. Then they brought a pony. It was a red

horse, and his tail was cut off. He was called Ruddy. The master

laughed, and said to me:



"Well, young gentleman, get on your horse!"



I was both happy and afraid, and tried to act in such a manner as not to

be noticed by anybody. For a long time I tried to get my foot into the

stirrup, but could not do it because I was too small. Then the master

raised me up in his hands and put me on the saddle. He said:



"The young master is not heavy,--about two pounds in weight, that is

all."



At first he held me by my hand, but I saw that my brothers were not

held, and so I begged him to let go of me. He said:



"Are you not afraid?"



I was very much afraid, but I said that I was not. I was so much afraid

because Ruddy kept dropping his ears. I thought he was angry at me. The

master said:



"Look out, don't fall down!" and let go of me. At first Ruddy went at a

slow pace, and I sat up straight. But the saddle was sleek, and I was

afraid I would slip off. The master asked me:



"Well, are you fast in the saddle?"



I said:



"Yes, I am."



"If so, go at a slow trot!" and the master clicked his tongue.



Ruddy started at a slow trot, and began to jog me. But I kept silent,

and tried not to slip to one side. The master praised me:



"Oh, a fine young gentleman, indeed!"



I was very glad to hear it.



Just then the master's friend went up to him and began to talk with him,

and the master stopped looking at me.



Suddenly I felt that I had slipped a little to one side on my saddle. I

wanted to straighten myself up, but was unable to do so. I wanted to

call out to the master to stop the horse, but I thought it would be a

disgrace if I did it, and so kept silence. The master was not looking at

me and Ruddy ran at a trot, and I slipped still more to one side. I

looked at the master and thought that he would help me, but he was still

talking with his friend, and without looking at me kept repeating:



"Well done, young gentleman!"



I was now altogether to one side, and was very much frightened. I

thought that I was lost; but I felt ashamed to cry. Ruddy shook me up

once more, and I slipped off entirely and fell to the ground. Then Ruddy

stopped, and the master looked at the horse and saw that I was not on

him. He said:



"I declare, my young gentleman has dropped off!" and walked over to me.



When I told him that I was not hurt, he laughed and said:



"A child's body is soft."



I felt like crying. I asked him to put me again on the horse, and I was

lifted on the horse. After that I did not fall down again.



Thus we rode twice a week in the riding-school, and I soon learned to

ride well, and was not afraid of anything.