X36 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



to the good horseman are being brought into play. 

 Those who have done the exercise before beginning 

 to ride will tire less quickly, but even they are very 

 far from comfortable with so little idea of balance. 

 I have tried to give the beginner confidence and les- 

 sen his fatigue by the use of a roller-pad with han- 

 dles, placed over the numnah, but it does not answer 

 for the following reasons. The rider works for- 

 ward on to the pad and is liable to become galled. 

 If the horse checks, and he grasps the handles, the 

 upper part of the body pitches forward, as illustrated 

 in Fig. 2, and when jumping begins he is apt to rely 

 on his hands alone and instinctively to loosen the 

 grip on his legs. I would by no means recommend 

 holding on at all with the arms, but if it must be 

 done let the hold be at the back of the seat for any- 

 thing but jumping,^ which will more or less preserve 

 the balance of the bodyy, the forward movement of 

 the shoulders being at once checked. It will also be 

 found easier to pull than to push in this particular 



1 In jumping the body must always be on the forward side of 

 the perpendicular, therefore it is best to hold on by the mane if 

 at all. The Italians recommend this. The system of teaching 

 I shall advocate makes holding on by the hands absolutely un- 

 necessary. 



