SEAT OF THE JOCKEY. 298 



mals, or to the plants which grow around him, is 

 such as a regard to his conveniency would have 

 pointed out. A giant or a pigmy could not have 

 milked goats, reaped corn, or mowed grass ; could 

 not haise rode a horse^ trained a vine, or shorn a 

 sheep, with the same bodily ease as we do, if at all/^ 

 Previously to describing the proper seat of the 

 jockey, we will now endeavour to exhibit him in 

 the most likely form to acquire that seat. In height 

 he should be about five feet five inches. We are 

 aware there are several excellent jockeys under this 

 standard ; but they do not look so well on their 

 horses, neither can they be so firm in their seat 

 from want of a better clip, which the firm grasp of 

 a longer thigh gives them. He should be rather 

 long in the fork for his height, with low shoulders, 

 rather long arms, moderate length of neck, small 

 head, and a very quick eye. He should be of a 

 naturally spare habit, to save the expense to his 

 constitution by wasting ; but he should have as 

 much muscle in his arms and thighs, as his dimi- 

 nutive form will admit of ; in short, to ride some 

 horses at such very light weights, he should be a 

 little Hercules. But there must be nothing like 

 rigidity in his frame. On the contrary, there 

 should be a great degree of pliability about his 

 arms, shoulders, and back-bone, to enable him to 

 be in perfect unison with his horse. He should 

 have very free use of his hands, so as to change 

 his reins from one to the other in a race, and to 

 whip with the left, as well as with the right, when 

 occasion requires it ; he should possess much com- 



