Seats 33 



found it " most elegant and graceful " in peace. 

 Manege riding of a high order formed one of the 

 principal recreations of the gentlemen of the six- 

 teenth and seventeenth centuries, who were encour- 

 aged to excel by the interest of the fair sex. In 

 this they closely resembled the young Romans, who 

 were accustomed to ride before the ladies merely to 

 display their equestrian skill and address, in the 

 hopes of thereby winning their favor. 



There can be no doubt that, with the improve- 

 ment in English agriculture and the consequent en- 

 closing of the country, a more natural school of 

 riders arose amongst gentlemen sportsmen and yeo- 

 men, who discovered the difficulties of negotiating 

 fences if they rode with a straight leg, the principal 

 one being that, unless the knee is farther to the front 

 than the body, the latter will pitch forward when the 

 horse lands. Not only was the seat less secure when 

 jumping with long stirrups, but if the horse pecked 

 the rider was liable to injury, as he could not clear 

 the pommel. Xenophon's directions for jumping are 

 interesting in this connection. He advocates catch- 

 ing hold of the mane to avoid giving the horse a job 

 in the mouth, which goes to prove that his method 



