Seats 29 



that the bent knee came in with the stirrups : stirrups 

 were not invented until the fifth century, and were 

 not common till the twelfth, yet history proves 

 clearly that the ancient Eastern nations rode with 

 the leg bent. Bas-reliefs in the Assyrian section of 

 the British Museum show the seats in vogue in the 

 eighth and ninth centuries b. c, and further evi- 

 dence is furnished by the Parthenon frieze, tempo 

 440 B. c. In the relief which represents horsemen 

 flying before the Assyrians, the rider's knee is nearl}' 

 as high as it would be in the present-day racing seat. 

 Set a man who has never ridden before on to a 

 horse which is standing still, and you will find that 

 he sits in practically the same way as the warrior 

 in another of the bas-reliefs, of about 750 b. c. ; 

 which goes to prove that this position, which is 

 neither more nor less than the present-day hunting 

 seat, is a natural one, and that all others are ac- 

 quired. The early riders probably adopted it as be- 

 ing the most comfortable for both man and horse on 

 long-distance journeys, and when crossing rough 

 country. From an anatomical point of view they 

 were correct, that is to say, if the reader agrees 

 with me in thinking that a man should sit in his 



