The Seat. 13 



balancing your body according to the move- 

 ments of the horse. This, however, is not 

 my opinion. I acknowledge that there are 

 horsemen who, by the help of a perfect balance 

 and a perfect hand, can ride almost any horse 

 with almost perfect safety. They can do this 

 because their exquisite tact enables them to 

 foresee any movement which the horse can 

 make, and to prevent or follow any move- 

 ment which they can foresee. But few men can 

 acquire such skill as this, and even those who 

 possess it may occasionally be caught off 

 their guard. I therefore advise the equestrian 

 novice to take some pains for the purpose of 

 acquiring a kind of seat which will enable 

 him to resist such shocks as he may be un- 

 able to foresee. 



The celebrated Assheton Smith is said to 

 have been a horseman of this kind. He is 

 described as galloping across country, his 

 body perfectly poised, and his legs flapping 

 loose with his horse's stride. The conse- 

 quence was, that a blunder at a fence was 

 pretty sure to throw him from his saddle, and 

 that, when taken unawares, he was sometimes 

 unhorsed by a start or a plunge. It is true 



