28 SEATS AND SADDLES. 



essentially bearers ; they are, however, to a certain 

 extent propellers, and must, at all events should, exercise 

 a springy lever action, lifting the horse's body so as 

 to enable the propellers to shove it forwards. Now, 

 neither the propulsive nor lifting action of the fore legs 

 can be properly exercised unless their several component 

 levers (bones) form certain angles with each other, and 

 enable the hoof to touch the ground lightly, and ready 

 for a renewal of the action. The fore foot should be 

 placed on the ground as one places the palm of his 

 hand on a table ; if the leg come down straight and 

 stiff, end on, like the props x s x s of fig. 1 w T hich may 

 be as readily caused by a rider sitting too far back on 

 his horse, and being thrown by the action of the hind 

 quarter, with stiffened knees, into a stirrup that is 

 hung far forward in the saddle, as by one that, sitting 

 originally forwards, comes down with a heavy thud 

 directly on the horse's withers the fore legs must 

 suffer. They are not so constructed as to be thrust 

 against the ground, end on like a pole, with impunity ; 

 and if either of these forms of riding be carried to an 

 extreme, it prevents these legs from lifting the forehand 

 in proper time or sufficiently ; and the propellers acting 

 meanwhile, down comes the poor brute on his head, 

 and alas for the knees ! Sooner or later horses are 

 educated into stumbling in this way, the fore legs being 

 by degrees deprived of their elasticity. 



And now as to the question of the mode in which 

 action affects equilibrium or balance. The first point 

 to be observed is, that in walking and trotting the 

 horse moves its diagonal legs simultaneously, or nearly 

 so that is to say, the off fore and the near hind leg 

 move together and alternate in this action with the 



