THE MILITARY SEAT. 103 



which throws the weight all to one end, and produces 

 sore backs much more frequently than a well-arranged 

 wooden or Hungarian saddle with a proper seat. 

 Several modifications of the Hungarian saddle have 

 been adopted, amongst others, a Danish model ; but it 

 is quite absurd to attempt to retain, as has been done 

 in many instances, the chair-seat of the heavy cavalry 

 saddle in a wooden one better far stick to the old 

 form : however, the difficulty will probably be ended 

 by heavy cavalry being gradually abandoned, for which 

 there are many other reasons than merely the technical 

 ones we have had to deal with. 



We cannot wind up this portion of our work better 

 than with a few remarks on the following passage from 

 the ' Handy Horse-Book,' p. 48, 49 : Altogether it 

 might be desirable that commanding officers of some 

 cavalry regiments would study the pose on horseback 

 of Marochetti's sculptured dragoons, or those of other 

 eminent artists. The result would probably be a marked 

 improvement in the position of the saddle, and, conse- 

 quently, in the general coup d'ceil of our cavalry," &c. 

 Now, if it were merely for appearance' sake, we should 

 say that no real advantage of other methods should be 

 sacrificed to this ; but, after all, what is Marochetti's 

 pose, and why have he and other eminent artists suc- 

 ceeded in producing works that please the eye of 

 such judges of horsemanship as "Magenta" and other 

 sporting men ? and why are our public places dis- 

 figured by absurd equestrian statues ? Simply because 

 Marochetti perfectly understood the equilibrium of the 

 horse and rider, and was bound to do so, as otherwise 

 he could never have got the weight of material to 

 balance on a pair of legs, but must have had recourse, 

 like others, to a post growing out of the ground and 



