10 INTRODUCTION. 



them, never desired so simple an expedient for 

 assisting the horseman to mount, to lessen his 

 fatigue, and aid him in sitting more securely in 

 his saddle. Ancient sculptors prove that the horse- 

 men 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 some- 

 times 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, how- 

 ever, 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 con- 

 trivance, more like the howdahs placed on the backs 

 of elephants than the light and elegant saddle of 

 modern times. Side-saddles for ladies are an inven- 



