THE SEAT. 271 



it is eas}-, to dismount by simply reversing tlie first direc- 

 tions given for mounting, — thus : having the reins and 

 whip in the left hand, take hold of the mane, withdraw 

 the right foot from the stirrup, lay the right hand on the 

 pommel of the saddle, and throw the right leg backward 

 over the horse's rump, being careful not to touch him with 

 the spur. As the leg descends to the horse's side, move the 

 right hand from the pommel of the saddle to the cantl® ; 

 lower the right leg to the ground and take the stirrup in 

 the right hand, so that the foot may be withdrawn without 

 throwing the stirrup against the horse's flank. 



A less dignified but more graceful mode of dismount- 

 ing is the following : disengage both feet from the stirrups, 

 place both hands on the pommel of the saddle, lean slightly 

 backward, and then throw the bod}?: forward, bringing the 

 weight on the wrists ; continue the spring, so as to bring 

 either leg over the horse, landing on either side at pleas- 

 ure, dropping close by his side and keeping hold of the 

 reins over his withers. 



The Seat. — On this subject Nimrod says : "It wcs Avell 

 observed by Don Quixote, in one of his lectures to Sancho, 

 that the seat on a horse makes some people look like gen- 

 tlemen, and others like grooms ; but a wonderful improve- 

 ment has taken place Avithin the last half century in the 

 seat on horseback of all descriptions of persons, effected 

 chiefly by the simple aci> of giving the rider a few more 

 inches of stirrup-leather. No gentleman now, and very 

 few servants, are to be seen with short stirrups, and, con- 

 sequently, a bent knee, which, independently of its un. 

 sightliness, causes uneasiness to the horse as well as to his 

 rider, — whose knees being lifted above the skirts of the sad- 

 dle deprive him of the assistance of the clip hy his thighs 

 and legs. The short stirrup-leather, however, was ado[)ted 

 with the idea of its giving relief to the horse, although a 



