30 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



saddle and not ride on his fork. The two " sitting 

 bones " in front, and the sacrum behind the pelvis, 

 form the triangular base of the seat, as Sidney so 

 graphically explains, and the angle of the thighs 

 depends on their make and shape and on the width 

 of the pelvis. The Eastern nations have persisted 

 in this seat, and I will endeavor to show why Euro- 

 peans adopted the straight-legged seat for a period, 

 and why they have now returned to riding shorter. 



War has always influenced the art of horseman- 

 ship, especially in the West. It is, therefore, not 

 surprising to find the great warrior and student of 

 equitation Xenophon, who was born 430 B. c, writ- 

 ing as follows in his treatise on riding: 



" Whether he uses a cloth ^ or rides upon the bare 

 back we should not have him sit as one who drives 

 a chariot, but as if he were standing erect with his 

 legs somewhat astride, for thus his thighs will cling 

 closer to his horse, and being upright, he will be 

 better able to wield his lance and shield with more 

 force." 



This " war seat " did not become common in 

 Europe for some time. A statue of Caligula on 



1 The Greeks used " clothes " or housings, and not saddles. 



