RIDING AND TRAINING. 



CHAPTER III. THE SEAT. l 



THE security of the rider's seat depends upon the 

 perpendicular application of his weight, the grasp of 

 his thighs, and the friction of the parts touching the 

 saddle. He must therefore have a seat that will 

 permit him to bend the upper part of the body with 

 the motions of the horse, that will permit him to 

 have the best use of the muscles of the thighs, and 

 that will give him as many points of contact with 

 the saddle as these other conditions make possible. 



A man can have but one seat for all kinds of 

 riding, for any change from that which is above 

 described must be for the worse. 



To obtain his seat, the rider will, upon reaching 

 the saddle, take his weight upon his buttocks, keep 

 the body erect, the loins slightly hollowed, the 

 shoulders back, and the chin drawn in ; with the 

 inner or flat surfaces of the thighs, he will take 

 every point of contact possible from the knees up, 

 with such a result that about one-third of his weight 

 will be taken by those parts, the remainder being 



1 See Figure 4. 



