HOW TO RIDE. 19 



For military purposes the stirrups must be placed in the centre of the 

 saddle, directly under the rider's seat ; there is no alternative. The cavalry 

 soldier is often compelled in the use of his weapons to stand in his stirrups. 

 If by doing so the equilibrium of his horse be altered, he disables the animal 

 and himself at the most critical moment. 



We mentioned above that the man riding barebacked, or on a saddle 

 without stirrups, most frequently tumbles off to the right or left ; well, it 

 will be found that with stirrups, especially when the latter are very far for- 

 ward and very short, the catastrophe generally occurs by the performer 

 being thrown over his steed's neck, to the great damage of collar-bones. 



And this brings us to the length of the stirrup. The length of the 

 arm is generally prescribed as being the proper length for the stirrup. This 

 might answer well enough if stirrups were always suspended at the same 

 perpendicular distance from the upper surface of the saddle, and also right 

 under the rider's seat, and if men's arms and legs always bore a fixed pro- 

 portion to one another. To adjust the stirrups precisely, the rider had 

 better first mount, and then, letting these instruments loose together, shake 

 himself down into the lowest part of the saddle, wherever that may be situ- 

 ated ; his assistant may then adjust the stirrups to a convenient length. 

 There is no use in attempting to ignore this lowest point, because every 

 motion of the horse tends invariably to throw him into it ; and if he does 

 persist in ignoring it, he will find himself a mere stirrup-rider, which is, in 

 its way, quite as bad as a rein-rider, the combination of both being the very 

 climax of bad riding. For the absolute length of the stirrup no special rule 

 can be given, applicable to all circumstances and to all kinds of riding. 

 The only general rule that can be given is, never make your stirrups so long 

 as to render your tread on them insecure, nor so short as to allow them to 

 cramp up your legs and deprive them of the requisite power of motion, mak- 

 ing you depend on the stirrups and not on your seat for your position in the 

 saddle. 



With respect to the upper surface, or seat, of the saddle, we have to 

 remark, that as the under one must be large in proportion to the weight, so 

 this should be roomy in proportion to the bulk of the rider. The sum of 

 the whole matter is this — the larger the surfaces of the rider and saddle 

 brought into permanent contact, the firmer will be the seat, and the less 

 will it depend on the stirrups or the reins. 



