The Seat and Balance. 75 



neither leaning to the right nor to the left. The 

 bust should be elegantly developed, by throwing 

 back the shoulders, advancing the chest, and bend- 

 ing the back part of the waist inward. The elbows 

 should be steady, and kept in an easy, and appa- 

 rently unconstrained position, near the sides. 

 The lower part of the arm should form a right 

 angle with the upper part, which ought to descend 

 almost perpendicularly from the shoulder. The 

 position of the hands, when both are occupied with 

 the reins, or when the reins are held in one only, 

 we have already noticed : the right arm and hand, 

 in the latter case, may depend, easily, from the 

 shoulder, and the whip be held in the fingers, with 

 the lash downward, between two fingers and the 

 thumb. The whip may also be carried in the right 

 hand, in the manner adopted by gentlemen : the 

 lady is not restricted to any precise rules in this 

 respect, but may vary the position of her whip 

 arm as she may think fit, so that she do not per- 

 mit it to appear ungraceful. She must, however, 

 take care that the whip be so carried, that its 

 point do not tickle or irritate the flank of the 

 horse. 



The stirrup is of very little use except to support 

 the left foot and leg, and to assist the rider to rise 

 in the trot : generally speaking, therefore, as we 



