14 HORSEMANSHIP. 



ill his stirrups, his body bent gracefully over the pommel, 

 his hands well down, the points of his elbows near the 

 centre of his body, his head just a trifle inclined to the near 

 side. He is steady in his saddle as if nailed to the flaps, 

 is merely lightly feeling and steadying his horse, and his legs 

 dropped neatly down his sides into rather short stirrups are 

 motionless. The animal he is on is going well within himself, 

 smoothly, and with an even striding movement, devoid of 

 all impetuosity ; his head is in its proper place, with hand- 

 somely bent neck. At a mere indication from the bridle 

 he at once drops into a trot and so into a walk, cool, and 

 collected. The horse and man are on excellent terms, but 

 the exhibition, perfect of its kind, is out of place in the 

 Park, though just what one would expect from a crack 

 gentleman-rider at Sandown or Aintree. 



On another occasion we see the same horseman in a very 

 different attitude, one neither neat nor graceful. He is on 

 a resolute, lurching, leather-mouthed brute, carrying his head 

 low, and "fighting for his head." The evil eye and the 

 position of the ears, together with the frequent reaching 

 forward and downward of the head, shows that this time 

 the rider has " a handful " to deal with. He must give and 

 take with such a puller, or be hauled out of the saddle on 

 to the withers. He is sitting upright in his saddle, and his 

 arms pulled out nearly straight ; the feet thrust well home 

 in the stirrups are, in order to obtain a strong purchase, 

 placed in front of the girths as far forward as the horse's 

 elbow, and he is on the alert to yield the body forward to 

 give to those impatient snatchings at the bit and borings of 

 the head between the forelegs. To pull up such a brute he 

 has to throw himself back in the saddle till the whole body 

 from foot to head is in an inclined plane, and as straight as 

 animated clay can be. 



