i 7 8 MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING. 



ference of the circle described by the horse. When the rider 

 has his left foot in the stirrup, his left hand well up on the 

 crest and holding the mane, and his right hand on the cantle; 

 he should be able to get into the saddle if he is at all active, or 

 rest himself, foot in stirrup, even if the horse moves forward, or 

 begins to " dance about." 



2. Australian rough-riders, when preparing to mount a 

 difficult horse, as a rule bring the animal's head round by 

 taking (as already described) a shc^rt grip of the near rein, 

 which they hold in the left hand, along with a handful of the 

 mane. They then put the left foot in the near stirrup with 

 the aid of the right hand, taking care not to touch the animal's 

 side with the foot ; they place the right hand on the pommel ; 

 and after a tentative effort or two, they glide into the 

 saddle almost before the horse is aware of the intention. 

 Placing the right hand on the pommel when mounting, is less 

 liable to disarrange the position of the saddle, and conse- 

 quently to make the animal fidgety (which is specially to be 

 avoided when trying to mount an unbroken animal), than 

 putting it on the cantle, as is usually done. It has, however, 

 the disadvantage of rendering the mounting more difficult for 

 a man who is not very active, than the method of placing the 

 hand on the cantle. These rough-riders, to prevent the horse 

 from seeing what they are doing, frequently before mounting, 

 cover the animal's near eye with a soft hat, cap, or other 

 suitable object, which they insert on the near side, between the 

 cheek piece of the bridle and the side of the horse's head 

 (Fig. 173), and remove it as soon as they are in the saddle. 

 They also, sometimes use a surcingle placed over the pommel 

 in order to prevent the saddle moving forward, in the event of 

 the animal bucking. I do not know which to admire most 

 the cleverness with which these men mount fractious brutes, or 

 the skill with which they " remain." 



With horses which have acquired the unpleasant trick of 



