8 Horse and Man. 



in the absence of stirrups, may be suffered to 

 hang down in the postures assigned by their 

 weight. 



Now this position may be perfectly natural 

 to a strong well-made young man, thoroughly 

 inured to athletic exercise ; but it will prove 

 exceedingly irksome to a middle-aged gentle- 

 man of sedentary habits, long accustomed to 

 divide his existence between lying in a bed, 

 stooping over a desk, lounging in a chair, and 

 plodding along a pavement. The position 

 which such a person will find the most easy 

 and comfortable, when first placed on horse- 

 back, will be very different from that just de- 

 scribed. He will probably rest his weight 

 upon his seat behind the thighs, with his back 

 curved, his shoulders drooping forward, his 

 knees elevated, and his feet advanced. And, 

 if induced by his instructor to assume a better 

 attitude, he will go home with his spine and 

 thigh-joints aching as if dislocated, and with 

 his mouth full of indignation at the pedantry 

 which forbids him to use his limbs and mus- 

 cles in the manner designed by Providence. 



The mistake made by such a pupil is easily 

 explained. He objects to the position on 



