THE SEAT ON HORSEBACK. 117 



strapped upon the back of a pack-horse. She 

 will appear mclolent and manimate, besides rid- 

 ing heavily, and thus distressing and discour- 

 aging her horse ; for a well-trained horse will 

 always prefer to keep in unison with the move- 

 ments of his rider, but will find it impossible to 

 do so, wdien she adopts this constrained, un- 

 yielding seat. The rider will also be made mis- 

 erable, for the constant effort to keep steady by 

 a continuous pressure of the left knee against 

 the third pommel will not only prove weari- 

 some, but wall be apt to bruise her knee, as well 

 as strain the muscles of the upper part of the 

 leg, and the next day she will feel very stiff and 

 lame. In addition to which it will be impossi- 

 ble for her to rise in the English trot, or to move 

 her body to the right in the gallop or canter 

 when the horse leads with his left leg;. More- 

 over, should the lady wdio thus hangs upon the 

 pommel be rather heavy, her horse's back will 

 be sure to receive more or less injury, no matter 

 how well the saddle may be made and padded. 

 Although the second pommel should be firmly 

 grasped by the right knee, and the left knee be 

 strongly pressed up against the third one, when 

 the horse is unruly or trying to unseat his rider, 

 these supports should not be habitually em- 

 ployed, but kept for critical situations^ and even 



