igo THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



But on this subject let an old writer speak. 

 In a quaint little Book called Rules for Bad 

 Horsemen ^ the case is well put. '' There is in 

 this country, more than in any other, an almost 

 universal fondness for horses, and the exercise 

 of riding them, yet few, in comparison, out of this 

 multitude, make even tolerable horsemen, and a 

 still less number do the thing as it ought to 

 be done. 'Tis in vain that the generality of 

 persons endeavour to shift off this reproach 

 from themselves to their animals ; for the fre- 

 quent complaints we hear, of horses become 

 ungovernable or performing ill, generally arise 

 from the unskilfulness of the actual riders or 

 ill temper and unsteadiness of those who 

 have had the breaking in the individual so 

 depreciated." 



A constant source of difficulty to the beginner 

 is the length of his stirrup leathers. When his 

 horse is standing still or merely walking the tyro 

 will probably have them unduly long — when the 

 horse is moving at a faster pace he is inclined 

 to place too much dependence on them. The 

 subject is an important one because on the 

 length of the stirrup leathers depends the 

 security of a man's seat. This is a question on 

 which there can be no hard-and-fast written rule, 

 but roughly an estimate may be formed of the 

 approximate length the stirrups ought to be by 



1 My edition (1830) has additions by John Hinds. The book was 

 originally written by C. Thompson, and according to Mr. Hinds was 

 plentifully copied by John Lawrence and others. 



