SADDLING-. 91 



till the tongue is out of the hole, and then, by 

 pressing on the stirrup with your foot, you should 

 lengthen the leather till it is past the hole you wish 

 it to be at, and then draw it back again to the re- 

 quired hole. 



Everyone should accustom themselves to take up 

 and let down their stirrups easily with one hand, 

 while the horse is going on, and should know when 

 their stirrups are the right length by the feel of 

 them, without having to count the holes. If you can- 

 not find out whether the stirrups are the same length 

 without looking to see, it will not much matter 

 whether they are the same length or not. A rider 

 should also accustom himself to ride with two or 

 three different lengths, so that if he gets into a fresh 

 saddle he should not feel helpless if the stirrups 

 happen to be an inch or two longer or shorter than 

 he wants them to be. 



I have dwelt somewhat minutely on this point of 

 adjusting the stirrup leathers, both because the com- 

 fort and often the safety of the rider are in a measure 

 dependent on it, and also because, as far as my own 

 observation has gone, men who are otherwise fairly 

 good riders often seem bewildered and helpless when 

 they have occasion to do anything to their stirrup 

 leathers. 



What can look more awkward than to see a man 

 sitting nearly sideways on his saddle, with his whip 

 in his mouth and one foot out of tlie stirrup, with 



