45 



APPENDIX "B" 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES AND EECEIPTS FROM VARIOUS INDIAN 



SOURCES 



1. — The Seat 



There are three different kinds -of seat. One in which the rider 

 throws his weight on his buttocks ; one in which he throws his weight 

 on the stirrups ; and the third, an admixture of the two, in which he 

 grips with all his leg. The best seat is the second, with the weight on 

 the stirrups, for this seat eases the horse. The rider should spur with 

 his heels, paying no attention to the pommel of the saddle ; ^ he should 

 sit lightly but firmly on the horse's back, so that the horse may move 

 freely and unencumbered.- 



2, — To Mount 



To mount, the rider should stand close to his horse and seize the 

 reins and a lock of the mane in the left hand and quickly throw his leg 

 over the hoi'se's back, gripping with his thighs and knees, and throwing 

 his weight on the stirrups so that his buttocks do not press on the 

 saddle.^ He should keep his temper and never worry the horse. The 

 whip should only be used occasionally for purposes of chastisement. 

 He should not wear his horse out by furious riding. 



To break in a horse properly, it should be ridden without a saddle, 

 the body of the horse being protected by the body-piece only. 



To teach a horse the ehiya, tie weights * to its feet. 



To teach this pace, the rahwdr or chaqiir, take forty bullets and bore 

 a hole in them ; divide the bullets into two equal parts and make two 

 necklaces of them, and tie these round the foi^e-legs. Shoe the horse 

 well and then lead it at a walk. The teacher should know his work 

 and be a good rider ; he can then make his horse adopt any pace he 

 chooses. 



3. — On Breeding 



The stallion should not have a yard like a IdtM nor the mare a 

 vulva like a drain. 



1 Qdsh-i zm, P., or hannd, H. : the pommel of the saddle. The old pattern 

 saddle has a handle in front. 



- " The central Indian idea is that the rider should appear to sit at ease, 

 languidly controlling the movements of a restive steed. In reality every action is 

 as measured as the swing of a wooden rocking-horse, while a touch of tlie thorn 

 bit suffices to check any tendency to genuine spirit." — Man and Beast in India. 



^ The only way to ride on a modern Persian saddle is to stand upright in the 

 stirrups. 



^ Ebiya, one of the kinds of qadaiii or ambling ; vide vocabulary. 



