202 FIRST LESSONS IN RIDING. 



phases of the canter. It Is absolutely essential for 

 a lady to acquire a good strong seat at this pace, 

 because It Is practically the same as In the gallop 

 and jump, and must therefore be regarded as her 

 hunting seat. One of the first things to remember 

 In the canter Is to allow no movement of the seat, 

 which should remain nailed as It were to the saddle, 

 the hip joints supplying all the necessary motion to 

 the body, and, as I have already said, the legs should 

 be kept perfectly steady. To increase the adherence 

 of the left knee against the flap of the saddle, the left 

 foot should be carried a little outwards away from the 

 horse's side, and Its pressure chiefly applied to the 

 inner side of the stirrup-iron, which will consequently 

 be more depressed than the outer side. It has 

 been remarked that an ugly seat at the canter is 

 a sight that would spoil the finest landscape. In the 

 world, so a lady who desires to ride well should not be 

 satisfied if she can merely stick on, like the lady in 

 Fig. loi, but should try to ride correctly. Her head 

 will perhaps at first be jerked to and fro like a " vexed 

 weathercock," but practice will enable her to overcome 

 the tendency to fix the muscles of her neck and to allow 

 her head to follow the motion of her body. She 

 should take care that her elbows do not flap up and 

 down like the pinions of an awkward nestling learning 

 to fly, but should keep them close to her sides, where 

 they will be of more assistance to her In controlling her 

 horse. In cantering on a circle to the left, a horse 

 should of course lead with his near fore, for if he then 



