28 SEATS AND SADDLES. 



more about the fore legs, which are, as has been said, 

 essentially bearers ; they are, however, to a certain 

 extent propellers, and must, at all events should, ex- 

 ercise a springy lever action, lifting the horse's body so 

 as to enable the propellers to shove it forwards. Now, 

 neither the propulsive nor lifting action of the fore legs 

 can be properly exercised unless their several com- 

 ponent levers (bones) form certain angles with each 

 other, and enable the hoof to touch the ground lightly, 

 and ready for a renewal of the action. The fore foot 

 should be placed on the ground as one places the 

 palm of his hand on a table ; if the leg come down 

 straight and stiff, end on, like the props x* x* of fig. 1 

 which may be as readily caused by a rider sitting too 

 far back on his horse, and being thrown by the action 

 of the hind quarter, with stiffened knees, into a stirrup 

 that is hung far forward in the saddle, as by one that, 

 sitting originally far forwards, comes down with a heavj r 

 thud directly on the horse's withers the fore legs must 

 suffer. They are not so constructed as to be thrust 

 against the ground, end on like a pole, with impunity ; 

 and if either of these forms of riding be carried to an 

 extreme, it prevents these legs from lifting the fore- 

 hand in proper time or sufficiently; and the propellers 

 acting meanwhile, down comes the poor brute on his 

 head, and alas for the knees ! Sooner or later horses 

 are educated into stumbling in this way, the fore legs 

 being by degrees deprived of their elasticity. 



And now as to the question of the mode in which 

 action affects equilibrium or balance. The first point 

 to be observed is, that in walking and trotting the 



adopted, especially by that class of riders who sit far back and still 

 manage to ruin their horses' fore legs, of which more anon. 



