SEAT ON A HORSE. 39 



activity, crawl, jump, or vault from their saddles to 

 descend on foot, which they soon find very little im- 

 proves their case, for the heels of their boots not being, 

 like horse-shoes, concave, take insufficient hold of the 

 turf; and thus while they are slipping, sliding, and 

 tottering in the descent, each linked to a quadruped that 

 is bothering him to death, if, feeling a little alarmed, 

 they resolve to stop for a moment or two, their impatient 

 horses, unable to advance and unwilling to stand still, 

 often compromise the matter by running round their 

 masters, with the chance of rolling them, like ninepins, 

 down the hill. 



In galloping for many hours, and especially for many 

 days, as soon as the muscles of the rider, by getting tired, 

 lose their obstinacy, it becomes impossible for him, if he 

 sits upright, to prevent his body undulating, to the infi- 

 nite relief of both parties, with every movement of the 

 horse ; whereas, if, like an English jockey, whose seat is 

 well adapted for galloping at the utmost speed for a few 

 minutes, he rides like a frog on a shovel, he inflicts upon 

 his whole frame, as well as upon the poor animal that 

 carries him, an amount of unnecessary fatigue which pre- 

 maturely tires both. 



For the foregoing reasons if gentlemen sportsmen who 

 occupy on the road and the hunting-field this false posi- 

 tion, would but allow Mr. Calcraft, in his peculiar way, 



