i6 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



tors). They rode in buckskin saddles, having rolls 

 in front of the flap, and a large roll behind the seat; 

 the lower part of the leg was drawn back, and in 

 many cases the knee was not touching the saddle. 

 The make of the saddle and the grip below the knee 

 maintained the rider's seat when the horse did vio- 

 lent and extravagant exercises such as the *' cour- 

 bette " (rearing) " croupade " (kicking out behind), 

 and the "cabriole" (Plate I) (jumping off the 

 ground and extending the fore and hind legs). The 

 French claim that this seat is necessary in order that 

 the " aids " may be applied delicately, but lady expo- 

 nents of the Haute Ecole perform the work just as 

 well on trained horses, although they cannot apply 

 the leg as a man does. 



I was not at all struck with the seat, and although 

 I was privileged to see no jumping, a careful exam- 

 ination of many photographs taken on the spot 

 proved that it is abandoned in favor of our hunting 

 seat for more practical work, and a very firm " as- 

 siette " they seem to have attained. 



This riding-school performance is frequently 

 carried out with the object of demonstrating to 

 embryo instructors to what a high pitch horse-train- 



