ANCIENT MODES OF MOUNTINa. 3 J. 



securely in his saddle. Ancient sculptors prove that 

 the horsemen of almost every country were accustomed 

 to mount their horses from the right side of the animal, 

 that they might the better grasp the mane, which hangs 

 on that side, a practice universally changed in modern 

 times. The ancients generally leaped on their horses' 

 backs, though they sometimes carried a spear, with a 

 loop or projection about two feet from the bottom, which 

 served them as a step. In Greece and Rome, the local 

 magistracy were bound to see that blocks for mounting 

 (what the Scotch call loupin-on-stanes), were placed 

 along the road at convenient distances. The great, 

 however, thought it more dignified to mount their horses 

 by stepping on the bent backs of their servants or 

 slaves, and many who could not command such costly 

 help, used to carry a light ladder about with them. 

 The first distinct notice that we have of the use of the 

 saddle, occurs in the edict of the Emperor Theodosius 

 (a.d. 385), from which we also learn that it was usual 

 for those who hired post-horses, to provide their own 

 saddle, and that the saddle should not weigh more than 

 sixty pounds — a cumbrous contrivance more like the 

 howdahs placed on the back of elephants than the light 

 and elegant saddle of modern times." 



