Riding '''Home''' 99 



of just such length that, when you are in the mid- 

 dle of the saddle, on your seat, not your crotch, 

 with the ball of your foot in the stirrups, your feet 

 are almost parallel with the ground, the heel a 

 trifle lower than the toes. Your toes are below 

 your heels, you see. You should be able to get 

 your heels well down when you settle into your 

 saddle. The old rule of having the stirrups just 

 touch the ankle-bone when the foot is hanging is 

 not a bad one. The arm measure is unreliable, 

 and physical conformation, as well as different 

 backed horses, often require, even in a sound 

 man, odd lengths of leathers. 



You should not attempt to ride with your feet 

 " home " until you can keep your stirrup under 

 the ball of your foot without losing it, whatever 

 your horse may do ; and when you do ride 

 " home," you should occasionally change back to 

 the ball of your foot, so as to keep in practice. 

 Moreover, you can train a horse much more eas- 

 ily, riding with only the ball of the foot in the 

 stirrup, for you can use your legs to better advan- 

 tage. My disability obliges me to ride " home " 

 at all times, and I have always found it much 

 more difHcult to teach a horse the right leg indi- 

 cations than the left. I have to employ my whip 

 not infrequently, in lieu of my leg. Your stirrup 

 should be larger and heavier, for safety. I don't 

 like your fine, small stirrups ; and your saddle 



