PARK RIDING. 53 



THE AET OF RIDING. 



THE UNITED SEAT 



This position was considered by all the old 

 masters to be the one which offered the rider the 

 greatest security, in dressing and breaking a 

 horse. It is still taught in the schools and the 

 cavalry, and means sitting upright upon the fork 

 or twist, the toe raised and the heel lowered as 

 much as possible, leaving your dependence in the 

 preservation of your seat and balance to rest upon 

 the action of the muscles of the thighs. It may 

 be described as the medium position from which 

 all others proceed, and in which the rider sits 

 when the horse works straight. Pupils should be 

 taught to ride without stirrups — more by their 

 balance than by the pressure of their legs. The 



