1 3 6 RIDING 



any length, long or short, never using his legs except to hold 

 on with, or to give his horse a kick to make him go faster, and 

 not knowing any other use for them. This sort of rider 

 would not of course be so likely to ruin a young horse as the one 

 last mentioned, but he would never break one, that is, make 

 him a pleasant handy horse for any one else to ride, nor, if he 

 got one that had been well broken, would he keep him up to 

 his work afterwards. 



The first thing requisite, then, is a firm seat, but it is not 

 enough that the strength of seat is sufficient to enable the rider 

 to sit on his horse's back. It must be in the proper place, that 

 is in the middle of the saddle. If a man sits too far back, it 

 will have the effect of pushing the legs too far forward, and 

 although he may from long practice be able to sit on his horse 

 in this fashion, yet he would never be able to use his legs properly, 

 which, in the case of horses that are sluggish, encourages them 

 to lean on the hand for the want of leg to keep them up to the 

 bridle, or in the opposite case allowing them to shirk their 

 work and get behind the hand. 



It will be apparent to any one, whether he ride or not, that 

 a man who leans his body too far forward must ride to a cer- 

 tain extent on his fork, and is almost entirely at the mercy of 

 the horse. The man who has good hands and seat and they 

 go very much together is he who sits well down in the middle 

 of his saddle in an easy natural position, the upper part of his 

 body over his hips, or, if inclined either way, a little back ; his 

 thigh well down the flap of the saddle, and the lower part of 

 his leg about covering the girth ; the body supple, not resisting 

 the motion of the horse. The elbows should always be under 

 the shoulders, without stiffness, and the hands should give and 

 take, so as not at any time to have a dull hard feeling on the 

 horse's mouth. The leg should work in unison with the hand, 

 it will be found that the man who rides in the position 

 described will, in applying the leg, draw it a little back, so that 

 the horse feels the pressure just behind the girth. The man 

 who has good hands and seat will not, if his horse throw his 



