68 Horse and Man. 



and you will sit him with perfect ease; stiffen 

 or round your spine, and you will feel your- 

 self more or less shaken in your saddle. Pro- 

 ceed by degrees to raise the bar, until it is as 

 high as the horse will consent to jump with- 

 out a rush ; and then place another bar at the 

 distance of seven or eight feet beyond the 

 first. You will soon find that, if you are but 

 cool enough not to alter your position, you 

 are perfectly secure in your seat. 



When you can sit a double jump of toler- 

 able height, you are not likely to be displaced, 

 if on your guard, by any succession of kicks 

 or plunges which an ordinary horse is able to 

 execute. But you are still liable to be taken 

 by surprise. It is one thing to retain a posi- 

 tion which you have deliberately assumed, and 

 quite another to catch a particular position 

 instinctively, when startled by the sudden re- 

 bellion of a vicious horse. This all vicious 

 horses know perfectly well ; and therefore they 

 seldom assail their rider's seat without first try- 

 ing to disturb his self-possession by a half-rear, 

 a side start, or some other manoeuvre of the 

 same kind. You will consequently never be 

 secure upon such a horse, until you have 



