4 2 4 RACE RIDING. 



of going true, is labouring in his stride from the fact of 

 too much weight being on his fore-hand, he should sit 

 down in the centre of his saddle with his seat as much 

 under him as possible ; supposing that his stirrups are fairly 

 long. He should catch a good hold of the horse's head 

 so as to collect him at each stride ; should lean slightly 

 back ; grip the flaps of the saddle tightly with his knees, 

 and draw his feet well back so that the weight at each 

 stroke of the horse's hind legs may not come with a jerk on 

 the stirrups, which would cause it by re-action to be thrown to 

 the rear, and would thus increase the work the horse has to 

 do. The hands and arms should yield to the extension of the 

 horse's neck at each stride, without, however, slackening the 

 reins in the slightest. The rider should avoid the unsightly 

 trick of working his hands in a circle round and round ; and 

 should carry them in the direction the horse is going, without 

 any side motion. The hands should be brought within four 

 or five inches of each other, and should be kept low, say not 

 more than two or three inches above the withers. 



The rider having assumed this position, should conform to 

 the movements of the horse, so that the weight may impede 

 the animal as little as possible. The seat and thighs of 

 the rider should appear as if they were glued to the saddle, 

 and there ought not to be the slightest approach to 

 any bumping up and down. Whether the jockey can, or 

 cannot, relieve the horse of weight, by giving a forward 

 impulse to his body when the hind legs are on the ground, is 

 a question which does not concern us here, nor is it one of 

 practical application. We know that "dead weight," over 

 which the muscles of the jockey cannot exercise any 

 influence, is particularly disadvantageous at a finish, how- 

 ever well placed it may be. We are also aware that if 

 a man be tired or weak, however "still" he may sit, his 

 horse will not be able to gallop by any means as fast as 



