CHAPTER XIII. 



A LESSON ON HORSEMANSHIP.* 



A Real Horseman able to Control any Controllable Horse — The Essentials — The Right Shape — Sound Instruction — Practice — 

 Courage — Temper — For Military Horsemanship Military Master Indispensable — The First Lesson in Riding, a Firm Seat — 

 The Next to Use the Reins — Drill and Gymnastics the Best Preparation for Horse Exercise — Impatience and Conceit 

 the Great Obstacles to Improvement — The Horseman's Lower Limbs to be Attached to the Horse like a Centaur — The Trunk 

 Balanced and Flexible — The Place on the Horse over the Fourteenth Dorsal Vertebra — For Proper Seat see Diagram of 

 Skeleton — Anatomical Description of — Seat Dependent on Shape of Thighs — Turning out the Toes often Essential — Archbishop 

 Harcourt and Canon Sydney Smith — The First Lesson on a Rough Saddle— The Trussed Chicken Lesson — Stirrups or no 

 Stirrups, that is the Question — The Length of Stirrup-leathers — The Length of Reins — Reins in Both Hands — The Lesson 

 on Guiding — By Hand and by Leg — Walking a Horse — The Head to be felt, but free — Three Indications : Restraining, 

 Urging, Guiding — The Hands Restrain and Guide — The Legs Guide and Urge — The Importance of Collecting a Horse 

 before he Moves — Walking an Important Pace — How to Walk Fastest — How with Most Action — Trotting an English Pace — 

 The Military — The English Style — -The Canter a Luxury with Sound Horses — A Resource with Screws — The Gallop — 

 Requires Practice for Horse and Man — When to Stand Up —When to Sit Down — How to Turn — How to Stop — How to 

 make a Horse Back. 



In the preceding pages an attempt has been made to assist grown men desirous or compelled, 

 when no longer flexible and young, to learn to ride on horseback, by a series of suggestions 

 in the nature of makeshifts. It has throughout been assumed that the adult pupil would be 

 provided with a well-broken, docile animal, and that the pupil Jiimself will take the shortest 

 and quickest road to horsemanship, by sacrificing nothing to the conventional elegance of the 

 riding-school, and adopting any and every means that will secure him safe conveyance. 



In the paragraphs devoted to the pony-riding of children of tender years, the main object 

 has been to warn parents, governesses, and nurses, against the dangers of ill-considered attempts 

 to make children ride, either when they are too young for the exercise, or when neither the 

 animals or fittings are suitable for the purpose. In this chapter it is proposed to collect 

 and arrange as many useful hints as possible, for the benefit of those who aspire to be horsemen 

 in the best sense of the term — able to train and control any horse that a civilised man should 

 ride, with as much grace and elegance as the rider's shape and make will permit. It is scarcely 

 necessary to repeat that the most docile and intelligent pupil can no more learn the art of 

 horsemanship from a book than the art of playing the violin ; but the young man who 

 learns nothing from the collected experience of the finest horsemen of the present and past 

 generations must be a very poor or a very conceited creature. 



To acquire the highest excellence in horsemanship requires well-shaped, well-proportioned 

 limbs, education on sound principles, constant practice, calm courage, and an even temper. 

 No man can correct his shape, many cannot enjoy the practice required for very fine horsemanship; 

 but all may start on sound principles, all may control their temper in dealing with an unreasoning 

 animal, and all who begin to ride when young may accjuire the courage of average skill. Between 



* In this chapter I had the assistance of Mr. D. Seffert, Messrs. George and Thumas Rice, aiul Mr. FrcdLrick Allen, uf the 

 .Seymour .Street Kiding-bchool. 



