THE MILITARY SEAT. 91 



cavalry that rides positively well may or may not 

 prove superior in combat to one that rides only com- 

 paratively so, this much is quite certain, that the for- 

 mer will bring into and retain in the field a much 

 greater proportion of serviceable horses than the latter, 

 which is in itself an element of success that may be 

 indeed squandered away like all others, but must, if 

 properly taken advantage of, confer great superiority. 

 In fact, what we would say to every cavalry officer of 

 whatever nation is this : Your cavalry is very fine : it 

 has done wonders, and beat all other cavalries in the 

 world; but it would do still greater miracles, and beat all 

 the rest if you only improved your seat, &c., a little more ; 

 besides which it would cost less — a matter of some im- 

 portance — and perhaps look quite as well as at present. 

 No one, we suppose, will contend that the jockey 

 style of riding can serve as a model for the cavalry 

 soldier : the kind of work to be done and its duration 

 are totally different. Perhaps the hunting seat deserves 

 more consideration. This much is certain ; it is of 

 great advantage to cavalry to be able to get across a 

 difficult country, and much of its utility will depend 

 on its being able to do this cleverly, and in an orderly 

 manner. This has been recognised and acted on of 

 late years to a much greater extent than formerly, and, 

 as we think, very wisely too. Up to a certain time 

 the haute ecole dominated cavalry riding exclusively, 

 and, no doubt, very reasonably, in the then existing 

 semi-cultivated state of Europe, and under the condi- 

 tions of combat then prevalent. But both of these 

 have undergone great modifications : and first of all, 

 what the Germans call the " campaign school," was in- 

 troduced for cavalry purposes ; and more recently still, 



