MOUNTING. 225 



force of ills knees alone, shaking his arms and 

 hands, although he rides his distance in the same 

 period of time that the good rider would, yet he 

 cannot be said to ride his horse, or to have any 

 part of his body in the proper equilibrium ; but 

 the man who rides his horse with a light, steady 

 hand, and elastic body (which, when disturbed 

 even, has the power of restoring itself to its former 

 seat,) in unison with the horse's action, may be 

 truly said to ride in the proper equilibrium."' 



It would much exceed the limits of this article, 

 were we to enter into the detail of the military 

 riding-school ; neither is such a task necessary, 

 from the number of works that have been published 

 on the subject, and also from the various changes 

 in the system that are perpetually occurring, ac- 

 cording with the fashion of the day. We shall 

 proceed, then, at once to the general principles of 

 horsemanship, as applicable to the road, the hunt- 

 ing-field, and the race-course, commencing with the 

 road. 



Mounting. — The act of mounting may be called 

 the first step in practical horsemanship. With 

 horses perfectly quiet, it matters little in what man- 

 ner we approach them ; but in every thing that 

 relates to horses, a certain precaution is necessary. 

 Let the person who is about to mount, then, walk 

 up to his horse, not directly in his face, lest he may 

 alarm him, nor behind him, lest he may strike at 

 him, which he would thus give him an opportunity 

 of doing. Let him rather approach him on the 



