So I've stumbled across the phrase while reading Agatha Christie's Five Little Pigs:
"Our firm, of course, has known many generations of the Crales. […]
Country squires, all of them, thought more about horses than human
beings. They rode straight, liked women, and had no truck with
ideas. […]"
I've looked the word "ride" up but I'm still confused. Does it have something to do with their personality or it's just simply about riding horses (in a straight line)? I'd really appreciate it if you guys could help me figure this out, and yes, English is not my first language.
Best Answer
I believe this is a vestige of hunting lingo, to ride straight to hounds, hunting being a typical sport of the country squire. It means to ride to the hounds (in a fox hunt) without taking a circuitous path in order to avoid obstacles such as ditches and hedges; riding straight to the action is emblematic of a robust forthrightness of character. It is analogous to being a straight shooter in American English.
Compare this excerpt from an 1865 story: