AND HOKSK THAININ*; S? 



about tlie sides of the horse and act will. iHiil.. r ^trm^th 

 nor accuracy. 



When the stirrups are too short, th«y support nion- 

 than the weight of the legs; they raise the knees and thi^lis 

 and force the seat back. The trooper is then said to be 

 hung up, and, although he has a stronger su]iport in the 

 stirrups, he is less secure because he is not so far down in 

 the saddle. Moreover, the legs necessarily V)econie rigid: 

 they lose all freedom of movement and in (•onsequ<'nce all 

 nicety (of action as aids). 



The stirrups then, should be neither too long nor to<> 

 short. But of the two faults the latter is the more serious; 

 a trooper can shorten his stirrups without anxiety, whereas 

 he feels a certain reluctance about lengthening them. It is 

 to be noticed that the man who loses his suppleness or his 

 confidence always has a tendency to diminish the length of 

 his stirrup straps. 



Position of the Foot in the Stirrup. At least one third of 

 the foot should be inserted into the stirrup; the heel should 

 be slightly lower than the toe; the part of the sole of the 

 foot included between the joint of the great toe and the 

 little toe (ball of the foot) should rest upon the tread. 



The support should be secured mainly on the inside 

 portion of the foot; this method results in closing the knee 

 and holding the lower leg in proper position. 



