SEAT, LEGS AND SPURS 25 



in which his liorse is moving ; they should both be of 

 a piece. 



It should bo noted how freely horses move when 

 ridden by good horsewomen, and the probable reason 

 for this is that they cannot compress the sides, nor 

 confuse a horse by pressing a spur into each flank at 

 the same time ; certainly horses move best with men 

 if they open the thighs and let their whole weight 

 rest on the saddle, and only apply, as will be explained 

 later on, the effective spur, while a steady firm hand 

 keeps the head and neck properly placed. 



The secret of remaining on a horse when he " plays 

 up " is not to hang on like grim death, but to drop the 

 hands, press the heels and shoulders down, press in 

 the chin and sink well into the saddle ; to go with him 

 in all his movements, and to force him to move forward 

 with the legs and spurs. To prevent a horse from 

 playing up, we should raise his head as much as 

 possible by sinking well down on to the end of the 

 spine and raising the hands, as when the head and neck 

 are high he can neither rear nor kick. 



When first teaching a boy to ride I think he should 

 be told to keep his waist slack and his seat bones 

 tucked well under, and to keep his chin in and curl 

 well over his hands when the pony plays up, not to 

 press his chin up and straighten his back. 



Spurs are worn either for ornament or use ; but in 

 neither case need the necks exceed two inches in length, 

 except in the case of very long legged men ; and the 

 proper way to apply them is to drop the toes and press 

 the heels up. 



As regards the question of sharp or blunt rowels, 

 Baucher writes : — 



" If I, myself, obtained with a sharp spur all the 



