Seats 29 



that the bent knee came in with the stirrups : stirrups 

 were not invented until the fifth century, and were 

 not common till the twelfth, yet history proves 

 clearly that the ancient Eastern nations rode with 

 the leg bent. Bas-reliefs in the Assyrian section of 

 the British Museum show the seats in vogue in the 

 eighth and ninth centuries b. c, and further evi- 

 dence is furnished by the Parthenon frieze, tempo 

 440 B. c. In the relief which represents horsemen 

 flying before the Assyrians, the rider's knee is nearl3' 

 as high as it would be in the present-day racing seat. 

 Set a man who has never ridden before on to a 

 horse which is standing still, and you will find that 

 he sits in practically the same way as the warrior 

 in another of the bas-reliefs, of about 750 b. c. ; 

 which goes to prove that this position, which is 

 neither more nor less than the present-day hunting 

 seat, is a natural one, and that all others are ac- 

 quired. The early riders probably adopted it as be- 

 ing the most comfortable for both man and horse on 

 long-distance journeys, and when crossing rough 

 country. From an anatomical point of view they 

 were correct, that is to say, if the reader agrees 

 with me in thinking that a man should sit in his 



