50 SEATS AND SADDLES. 



probably wound ; and then it is either the groom's, or 

 the saddler's, or the horse's fault, and the saddle is 

 thrown aside and some new patent contrivance adopted, 

 which of course does not remedy a defect that depends 

 on the rider himself. 



We may now go a step further. Suppose the saddle 

 be placed with its centre exactly over the combined 

 centres of gravity and motion (line E F, fig. 4), and the 

 rider in the centre of the saddle, there will be, first, an 

 equable distribution of the combined weight of horse 

 and rider on all four legs, both in a state of rest and 

 action ; secondly, the movements of the horse, centring 

 in this point, have the least possible tendency to disturb 

 the seat of the rider or the position of the saddle ; 

 thirdly, the weight of the rider being equably distributed 

 over the whole surface of the saddle, in contact with 

 the horse's back, is therefore less likely to injure any 

 one portion of this; nor does it convert the saddle 

 into a lever and shove it forwards or backwards. 

 Again, let us suppose the saddle as before, but the 

 rider sitting altogether at its hinder end for instance, 

 and there will be, first, the horse's equilibrium de- 

 stroyed ; secondly, the rider himself, being nearer to 

 the hind legs, will first receive an impulse from the 

 direction R S, and be thrown forward till he meets 

 that coming from the direction P Q, and these two 

 forces, instead of resolving each other from one common 

 point into their sum total, neutralise each other 

 partially in successive shocks at the expense of the 

 horse's legs. It will be said that the use of the 

 stirrups is to prevent the rider being thus thrown 

 forward. No doubt they do, and this kind of rider 

 always sticks out his legs towards the horse's shoulder 



