Perhaps I should not succeed, but I must try.

As I was endeavoring to adjust my mind to this unpleasant fact the Efficient Sister spoke.
"That horse is going to be ridden," she said firmly, "if I have to go upstairs and dress and ride him myself." That settled it.
"Now you hold him down," I said to the groom, and stepped forward.
As I did so Dr.Bell reared again, simultaneously drawing back sidewise and turning his flank away from me, but this time the Efficient Sister hit him with a crop she had found somewhere, and he came down hastily, and began to dance a sort of double clog with all four feet.
After several efforts I managed to get beside him.

Gathering the reins in my left hand I put my foot up swiftly, found the stirrup, and with a hop, managed to board the beast.
As I did so, the groom let him go.

Both stirrups were short, but it was too late to discuss that, for by the time I was adjusted to my seat we had traveled, at a run, over a considerable part of the lawn and through most of the flowerbeds.

The shortness of the stirrups made me bounce, and I had a feeling that I might do better to remove my feet from them entirely, but as I had never ridden without stirrups I hesitated to try it now.