194 THE COMPLETE HORSEMAN 



the thing is done by the grasp of the knees and 

 thighs." 



In order to secure a good seat then it will be 

 seen that it is essential that the saddle shall fit 

 both horse and rider as has been previously in- 

 sisted upon, and when this is the case the rider 

 should drop into his seat naturally the moment 

 his leg is over the saddle. Nor should his 

 stirrups require much adjusting. When a rider 

 is seen constantly altering his stirrups it may 

 safely be inferred that amongst other things 

 which are not right, his saddle fits neither his 

 horse nor him. 



Two kinds of seat should be carefully avoided. 

 Both unfortunately are too much seen. The 

 first of these is the forward seat, the rider sitting 

 more or less on his horse's neck and getting his 

 own head as near the latter's ears as he can. 

 A man who adopts this seat can have no proper 

 control over his horse. The other is sitting 

 right back, nearly on the cantle of the saddle, 

 with the feet thrust out in front of the horse's 

 shoulders, a seat that is tiring to the horse, very 

 conducive to sore backs, and apt to result in 

 spurring a horse in the shoulders. 



When the rider is seated on the saddle the 

 first thing which calls for attention is the slope of 

 his thighs, for it must be insisted upon that any- 

 thing approaching a perpendicular position of 

 the thighs is wrong. It is necessarily impossible 

 to give the exact slope which they should take, 



