44 SEATS AND SADDLES. 



weight of the rider lie, from his mode of sitting, across 

 this perpendicular for instance, towards the shoulders 

 the force coming from this direction will be met more 

 directly and consumed in proportion, that coming from 

 the other being spared. 



The two forces of the hind and fore legs may not be, 

 however, and in many horses, in consequence of want of 

 symmetry, are not, equal in intensity. In untrained 

 horses they seldom are. Judicious handling and riding 

 are nothing else in fact than finding a proper balance of 

 forces, as well for the untrained well-built horse as for 

 one that is defective in symmetry. 



It would carry us too far to go into the detail of the 

 various modes in which the forces exerted by pairs of 

 the hind and fore legs respectively cross each other as 

 also the centre of gravity itself in walk, trot, canter, &c. 

 The proper methods of shifting the rider's weight from 

 right to left, so as to favour the diagonal action of the 

 pairs of feet, may be easily deduced from the study of 

 these. But it is not our object to write a treatise on 

 equitation ; and for intelligent riders, what has been 

 already said will suffice to clear up the doubts that 

 may arise in practice. Indeed, the scope of the whole 

 of this chapter has been to set men thinking for them- 

 selves, instead of working by rule of thumb, and not to 

 dictate any particular method to them. 



