Horse and Man. 



i . Position on Horseback. - As the art of 

 riding is divisible into the art of sitting your 

 horse and the art of controlling him, so the 

 art of sitting your horse is subdivisible into the 

 art of taking your seat and the art of keeping 

 it. Begin by finding out the safest and firmest 

 position which the human frame can assume 

 upon horseback. Place yourself in this posi- 

 tion, and exercise yourself until it has become 

 perfectly comfortable and familiar to your body 

 and limbs. Persevere in quitting and renew- 

 ing it until you drop into it as naturally as 

 into an easy chair. When you have done this, 

 you may proceed to enquire how you can 

 best prevent the position thus acquired from 

 being disturbed by the movements of the 

 horse. 



It is commonly said that the best and firm- 

 est position on horseback is the most natural ; 

 and this is in one sense perfectly true. But 

 the word natural is often loosely used, and 

 therefore easily misunderstood. The best and 

 firmest position on horseback is undoubtedly 

 that which is natural to the human frame 

 when in its proper state, and therefore that 

 which ought to be natural to every human 



