92 SEATS AND SADDLES. 



form called the hunting seat, or rather what is supposed 

 to represent it, has been making considerable inroads 

 into the domains of the riding master/ 1 ' All we propose 

 saying for the present is, that the wash-ball seat is 

 evidently not the proper thing for military purposes ; 

 whilst, perhaps, " tongs across a wall," may be, in 

 reality, nothing more or less than the progeny of a liaison 

 with that respectable old lady the haute ecole in fact, a 

 mule seat. 



Let us pass in review the points of resemblance and 

 of difference between the two kinds of riding. The 

 former are but few in number, the latter very numerous. 

 The hunting man rides his own horse for his own 

 pleasure, and does not mind spoiling a steed or two for 

 the sake of maintaining his character as a forward rider. 

 Cavalry soldiers must ride together almost always : what 

 regulates their speed is the average of a whole regiment, 

 and not the swiftness of a single animal. The Oriental 

 national cavalries won't understand this, and get beaten 

 by riders who, taken singly, are very inferior. Again, 

 the hunting man's proper work is all done at full gallop ; 

 cavalry does at least five-eighths of its work at a walk 

 (route marching), perhaps two-eighths in trot (ma- 

 noeuvring), and certainly not more than one-eighth at full 

 gallop (in charging). The conclusions to be drawn are, 

 that even supposing the so-called "hunting seat " to be the 

 best for high speed, no government can afford the waste of 

 horse-flesh it involves, nor would there be the slightest 

 use in doing so. On the contrary, this style of riding can 



* The father of a young cornet recently gazetted told the author 

 that his son had been advised by a brother officer to conceal the 

 fact of his being a " 'cross-country " rider on joining his regiment, 

 as otherwise the riding-master would keep him twice as long under 

 his hands. 



