58 SEATS AND SADDLES. 



leaning on a reed the short stirrup that is relied on 

 for safety furnishing an admirable lever-point for the 

 equine catapult. 



And this brings us to the length of the stirrup. The 

 length of the arm is generally prescribed as being the 

 proper length for the stirrup. This might answer well 

 enough if stirrups were always suspended at the same 

 perpendicular distance from the upper surface of the 

 saddle, and also right under the rider's seat, and if 

 men's arms and legs always bore a fixed proportion to 

 one another; all of which " ifs " turn out on nearer in- 

 spection to be algebraical jc's that is, very variable 

 quantities. To adjust the stirrups precisely, the rider 

 had better first mount, and then, letting these instru- 

 ments loose altogether, shake himself down into the 

 lowest part of the saddle, wherever that may be situ- 

 ated ; his assistant may then adjust the stirrups to a 

 convenient length. There is no use in attempting to 

 ignore this loioest point, because every motion of the 

 horse tends invariably to throw him into it, and if he 

 does persist in ignoring it, he will find himself a mere 

 stirrup-rider, which is, in its way, quite as bad as a 

 rein -rider, the combination of both being the very 

 climax of bad riding in fact that monkey-like fashion 

 of clinging to your steed vulgarly termed " sticking a 

 horse." For the absolute length of the stirrup no 

 special rule can be given, applicable to all circum- 

 stances and to all kinds of riding ; in speaking of the 

 different kinds of seats in a subsequent chapter we 

 shall have to return to this point. The only general 

 rule that can be given is, never make your stirrups so 

 long as to render your tread on them insecure, nor so 

 short as to allow them to cramp up your legs and de- 



