152 Landing on Hind Legs. 



You will find that when Nelly jumps, the 

 strong and quick extension of her hind legs will 

 throw you into the air and forward. To obviate 

 this settle down in your seat, in other words, 

 " curl your sitting bones under you," use your 

 legs (not your heels), and lean back just enough 

 not to get thrown from your saddle. Don't try 

 any of the fancy ideas about first leaning forward 

 to ease her croup while she takes off. You will 

 come a cropper if you do. Lean back. It will 

 not take you long to find out how much, and the 

 leaning forward will come of itself. 



XLV. 



It is often alleged by old cross-country riders 

 that the best hunters land on their hind feet. 

 Many no doubt land so quickly and so well gath- 

 ered that they give to the eye the appearance of 

 so doing. But I doubt if photography would 

 really show them to land other than on one fore 

 foot, instantly relieved by the second one planted 

 a short stride farther on, and followed by the cor- 

 responding hind ones in succession. Plate XIV. 

 shows what I mean, and the same thing appears 

 in all the Muybridge photographs. But your eye 

 can by no means catch Patroclus in this position. 

 His hind legs seem to follow his fore legs much 

 more closely ; and he always lands cleverly and so 

 well gathered as to make not the slightest falter 



