42 HORSEMANSHIP. 



is dragging himself aloft. The reader will please to ob- 

 serve that the hands placed on the horse's neck and saddle 

 are merely to guide the body, and are not to be used as 

 lifts. 



The above is secundiun arte/ii, but for the rough-and-ready 

 horseman the following method is equally effective. Being 

 proficient at the art of riding, and having the fear of the 

 horse's heels before his eyes, he, as a matter of course, goes 

 straight up to his head without any of the studied mannerism 

 indicative of the riding-school. The reins are caught up 

 in the right hand, which rests on the saddle, the left being 

 engaged in guiding the left foot into the stirrup. The rider's 

 back, in contradistinction to the practice of the viaftege^ will 

 be towards the horse's tail. The left hand then relieves the 

 right of the reins, and by giving the body a swing so as to 

 bring the chest against the horse's side and at the same time 

 springing from the ground, the rider gains position No. 4, 

 as in the first manner of mounting. The lock of the mane 

 is gripped by the left hand, along with the reins, as he pre- 

 pares to rise. 



A third and very general practice of mounting, is for the 

 rider to walk quietly up to the horse, take up the reins in 

 the left hand, and, with his front facing the horse's side, to 

 put the foot on the bottom or tread of the stirrup, which so 

 hangs that this can be done without laying hold of the eye 

 or leather with the right. The left still holding the reins 

 grasps a lock of the mane, the right being placed on the 

 cantle. One spring places his body in position No. 4 (which 

 should be upright and not leaning over the withers, as repre- 

 sented in the illustration) and he, as usual, lightly swings 

 himself into his saddle. 



If the tyro's too solid flesh and inactivity prevent his 

 adopting any one of the above three saltatory methods. 



