20 6 THE SEAT. 



should be that which will assist the horseman in assuming a 

 good seat, and cannot be determined by any fixed measure- 

 ment. If the rider finds that when he is riding a puller at a 

 gallop, he can get his knees well into the flaps of the saddle, 

 draw his feet back, and in this manner exert his strength to 

 the best advantage, he may rest assured that his stirrups are 

 of the right length. 



THE MILITARY SEAT. 



The position in the saddle is described as follows in the 

 " Cavalry Drill Book " : " The head and body erect and square 

 to the front ; upper arm hanging perpendicular ; forearm 

 nearly horizontal ; thighs flat on the saddle ; heels down 

 and toes slightly raised, pointing to the front ; a plummet 

 line falling from the point of the knee should drop directly 

 on the ball of the foot. The foot should be kept in its 

 place by the play of the ankle and instep, the stirrup being 

 under the ball of the foot. The lower edge of the bar is, 

 as a general rule, to be from two and a half to three and 

 a half fingers' breadths above the upper edge of the heel 

 of the boot, when the man is sitting in the proper position, 

 with his legs hanging naturally. The instructor must re- 

 member, however, that, though he should follow the general 

 rules in fitting the stirrups, a great deal depends on whether 

 the rider has a thin flat thigh or the reverse ; a man with 

 a thick thigh requires slightly shorter stirrups, otherwise, 

 when the horse is in motion and the muscles are brought 

 into play, he will not have a proper hold of the stirrup. 



" If a man standing in the stirrups can just clear the 

 pommel with his fork, the stirrups are about the right 

 length." 



Major W. H. King writes : " It will be seen that the 

 length of the stirrups as given here, and which has been 

 practised for many years, is exactly the same as in the 



