154 THE SEAT. 



ation are comparatively short, when we are looking to 

 the front. Even when walking at ease, the direction of 

 the shoulders, which alters at every step, in no way 

 affects that of our line of sight ; and it certainly would 

 not do so, when we are riding. The continued main- 

 tenance of a perfectly square seat entails so much 

 muscular rigidity, that it is unsuitable for 'cross-country 

 work, or for the riding of " difficult " horses. In any 

 case, it causes the body to assume a twisted and there- 

 fore an unnatural position ; because the fact of the 

 right hip joint being more advanced than the left one, 

 will prevent the lower and posterior part of the trunk 

 (the pelvis) from being parallel, as it ought to be, with 

 the line connecting the shoulders. To facilitate the 

 attainment of a ''square seat," some saddlers incline 

 the upper crutch a good deal towards the off side, 

 and thus curtail the space between that crutch 

 and the near side of the horse's shoulder and neck 

 so much, that the rider is unable to get her right 

 leg into proper position, and is consequently obliged to 

 " hook it back." I need hardly say that such saddles 

 do not suit good horsewomen. 



An absurd fallacy of some of the " square seat ' 

 school is that the right thigh (from hip joint to knee) 

 should be kept parallel to the horse's backbone, a 

 position which would put a great deal more weight on 

 the near side of the saddle than on the off, and would 

 consequently be liable to give the horse a sore back. 

 On the contrary, the even distribution of the rider's 

 weight is an essential condition of comfort to the 



