294 



HORSEMANSHIP. 



mand of temper ; and, lastly, he should have the 

 abstinence of a Brahmin. 



The seat of the jockey may be described in a few- 

 words. He should sit well down in his saddle 

 when he walks his horse to the post, with his stir- 

 rups of moderate length, so as to enable him to 

 clear his pummel, and have a good resisting power 

 over his horse. No man can make the most of a 

 race-horse with long stirrup leathers, because, when 

 he is going at the top of his speed, he sinks down 

 in his fore-quarters, in his stride, to the extent of 

 several inches. It was calculated that Eclipse, na- 

 turally a low fore-quartered horse, sank nearly eight 

 inches. The circumstance, then, of the use of the 

 stirrup, in ancient racing, being unknown, fully 

 accounts for racing on horseback, as we now race, 

 being, comparatively with chariot-racing, but little 

 resorted to ; and the excellency of a jockey in the 



