CHAPTER II. 



THE SADDLE, AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE SEAT. 



IF it were merely a question of riding bare-backed, we 

 might at once go on to apply the principles of equili- 

 brium of the horse in motion, as developed in the fore- 

 going chapter, to the various kinds of seats. It would 

 be only reasonable, one should suppose, to accommodate 

 our saddles to our seats, just as we do every other 

 instrument to the purposes for which it is intended ; 

 but this is precisely what is very seldom done, and in 

 the great majority of instances the rider sits his horse 

 just in the fashion his saddle allows, or perhaps compels, 

 him to do. Three-fourths of the time and trouble that 

 are devoted in military riding-schools to endeavour- 

 ing to get the men to sit in a uniform manner might 

 be spared, and the desired result much more certainly 

 attained, by properly adjusting the saddle to the horse 

 and man, instead of forcing the latter into a contest 

 with a mechanical difficulty that requires a constant 

 exertion of muscular power ; and this latter, being 

 limited in extent and duration, is sure to succumb in 

 the contest, leaving the horse's back to bear the punish- 

 ment. It is therefore a matter of some importance to 

 understand clearly the mechanical principles applicable 

 to this piece of horse furniture, as it will enable every 

 rider to ascertain exactly what he wants, and how to 



