8 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 



i 



which one must and can demand a great degree of uni- 

 formity, namely, cavalry. The necessity arises from 

 the existence of a special and narrowly-defined object 

 being to be attained the possibility, from the fact of 

 both men and horses being selected with reference to 

 this very object. But even here a certain margin is 

 inevitable. It is not possible to make the Indo-Ger- 

 nianic Prussians, Bavarians, French, English, or Irish, 

 sit on horseback exactly like the Mongolian Magyars 

 and Turks, or the Semitic Arabs. Professor Max Miil- 

 ler and the author of the Adamites seem to have 

 overlooked this interesting fact. Still, the mutual re- 

 lations of the frameworks of the man and of the horse 

 are such as to admit of one general principle being set 

 up, and this must be adhered to as closely as possible 

 if the real end and object are not to be sacrificed to 

 fashion or prejudice. 



It is more difficult to lay down anything like a prin- 

 ciple for the guidance of that large class of men who 

 ride simply for pleasure, convenience, or health. To 

 one considerable section of them the notion of sitting 

 their horses as a riding-master is supposed to do would 

 be simply disgusting; it would look like an affecta- 

 tion, a sort of thing to which well-bred gentlemen have 

 a great objection. They can afford to ride tolerably 

 safe horses, and depend on their saddles and groom to 

 a great extent for the convenience and comfort of their 

 seat. These important functionaries must be often 

 sadly puzzled how to insure this, and would be pro- 

 bably often delighted to find their employer capable 

 of giving them some intelligible hint on which they 

 might exercise their ingenuity arid savoir faire with a 

 decent chance of success. 



