SEATS. 81 



to the action of the hind legs, and nothing else remain* 

 for him than a speedy retreat when this becomes dan- ' 

 gerous. Something like this must be the key to this 

 difference of opinion ; for a rifle or other gun that kicks 

 will only hit your shoulder the harder the looser you 

 hold it, and perhaps knock you down if you hold it 

 quite clear, or at least knock the wind out of you. If*, 

 a man sits in the right place he does not need to rise..' 

 in his stirrups/or any s^ich purpose ; and if he does not, 

 the rising in the stirrups, and thereby abandoning his 

 whole seat, may or may not help him. 



Perhaps we should never have attempted writing a 

 single line about the hunting seat but for one consi- 

 deration — it is this : The majority of our cavalry, yeo- 

 manry, and mounted volunteers are hunting men, and 

 if there really were such an enormous difference between 

 a good cavalry and a good hunting seat, as many people . 

 seem to suppose, it would be simply a very hopeless 

 case. But is there this great difference 1 Mr. Apperley 

 says, *'Be assured that the military seat with very long 

 stirrups will not do here, however graceful it may appear 

 on a parade." Fortunately this great authority gives us 

 in his own book a drawing intended to represent this 

 graceful seat, which (see Plate V), on closer inspection, 

 turns out to be Harry Lorrequer's "tongs across a wall." 

 Well, no doubt, this won't do for hunting, nor indeed, 

 as far as we can see, for any other good purpose beyond 

 exhibiting the high polish of a man's boots, spurs, 

 and stirrup-irons, — the rider being in imiform scarcely 

 making his seat a good military one ; but of this more 

 anon. Mr, Apperley has, however, given us two other 

 figures representing his notions of good and had hunt- 

 ing seats, which are here presented to the reader. 



G 



