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do so if, when settling down in her seat, she 

 throws her right shoulder well back and 

 looks, for a moment, to her right rear. 

 This will bring her into a straightforward 

 position in the centre of the saddle, which 

 she should endeavour to maintain, keeping 

 body and head erect. 



The shoulders should be thrown well 

 back, and be kept level. There should 

 be the breadth of a finger between the 

 calf of the right leg and the crutch, 

 the right heel should be a little drawn back, 

 and the toes of each foot should point to 

 the front. The stirrup will be the right 

 length if the rider can insert the palm of 

 her left hand between her leg and the crutch 

 when the knee is bent. If the stirrup 

 leather is shorter, the knee is likely to be 

 bruised, and if longer there will be an extra 

 bearing on the off side, which means a bad 

 seat, and a probable sore shoulder for the 

 horse. The weight of the rider should be 

 in the middle of the saddle, and by no 

 means on the back part of it. This is a 

 most necessary warning, because the backs 

 of ladies' horses are more frequently injured 

 by the weight which their riders place 

 far back in the saddle, than by any other 



