142 THE AET OF TAMING HORSES. 



mels between her legs at that angle which gives her the 

 most power. 



Ladies' saddles ought invariably to be made with what 

 is called the hunting-horn, or' crutch, at the left side. 

 The right-hand pommel has not yet gone out of fashion, 

 but it is of no use, and injurious to the security of a 

 lady's seat, by preventing the right hand from being put 

 down as low as it ought to be with a restive horse, and 

 by encouraging the bad habit of leaning the right hand 

 on it. A flat projection is quite sufficient. This will be 

 quite clear to you, if, when sitting in your chair, you put 

 a cylinder three or four inches in diameter between your 

 legs, press your two knees together by crossing them, in 

 the position of a woman on a side-saddle. Besides, when 

 a man clasps his horse, however firmly, it has a ten- 

 dency to raise the seat from the saddle. This is not the 

 case with the side-saddle seat: if a man wishes to use a 

 lance and ride at a ring, he will find that he has a firmer 

 seat with this kind of side-saddle than with his own. 

 There is no danger in this side-pommel, since you can- 

 not be thrown on it, and it renders it next to impossible 

 that the rider should be thrown upon the other pommel. 

 Tn case of a horse leaping suddenly into the air and 

 coming down on all four feet, technically, " buck in r/,'' 

 without the leaping-horn there is nothing to prevent a 

 lady from being thrown up. But the leaping-horn 

 holds down the left knee, and makes it a fulcrum to 

 keep the right knee down in its proper jDlace. If the 

 horse in violent action throws himself suddenly to the 

 left, the upper part of the rider's body will tend down- 

 wards, to the right, and the lower limbs to the left: 

 nothing can prevent this but the support of the leaping- 

 horn. The fear of over-balancing to the right causes 

 many ladies to get into the bad habit of leaning over 



