THE SADDLE. 51 



on the line Q P ; in other words, Tie transmits the shock 

 from the hind legs to the fore ones through the medium 

 of the stirrups (this, by the way, is the reason why 

 stirrup-leathers are broken), of course shoving the 

 saddle constantly forward, and these men's girths can 

 never be drawn tight enough to prevent the saddle 

 tilting up in front. Thirdly, of course his weight is 

 not distributed equably over the whole under surface 

 of the saddle. This is the man that manufactures sit- 

 fasts, or, at the very least, transforms his horse's back 

 from its natural colour into a strange pattern of white 

 and grey blotches. 



Some men would find it inconvenient to sit otherwise 

 than well back in their saddles, and some kinds of 

 riding seem to be more easily done in this form than in 

 any other. Now it is evident enough from the foregoing, 

 that if the part of the saddle occupied by the rider be 

 placed over the line E F, fig. 4, the horse's balance is 

 not necessarily deranged or the centre of motion inter- 

 fered with so long as the rider keeps this position ; but 

 there always remains the difficulty about the unequal 

 distribution of the weight, and the saddle slipping. 

 Most English gentlemen ride more or less in this fashion, 

 and, from our way of rising in the stirrups whilst 

 trotting, are constantly transferring their weight from 

 one end of the saddle to the other. Of course the 

 horse's balance is thereby subjected to constant changes, 

 and not unfrequently a misunderstanding between horse 

 and rider ensues, terminating in a disaster ; but we must 

 not anticipate. 



There is another consideration of great importance 

 with regard to the place of the saddle namely, that it 

 should interfere the least possible with the action of 



