Balance 55 



correct as far as the horse's jumping is concerned, 

 but the rider will in all probability fall off if the 

 animal makes a mistake. Even if he were going at 

 top speed, so much deviation from the perpendicular 

 would make balance impossible ; the rider can, how- 

 ever, maintain his seat by firm grip if all goes well, 

 as his body is poised in the direction in which the 

 horse's body is being propelled, and not as in Plate 

 VII. Another disadvantage of this show jumping 

 posture is, that increased weight comes on the fore- 

 hand on landing. 



Hayes, in " Points of the Horse," and in his arti- 

 cle on riding in the " Encyclopaedia of Sport," says 

 that the body should be leant back when the horse 

 rises at a fence in order to lighten the forehand and 

 assist the horse in the rearing up which is his first 

 movement in jumping; he can never have experi- 

 mented without reins, or he would have found out 

 the evils of the practice. Mechanically, with refer- 

 ence to the horse only, his statement is open to seri- 

 ous argument, as apparently he had neglected the 

 force of propulsion, and the angle of its application. 

 In negotiating a " drop," the force of gravity makes 

 the angle of descent of the horse steeper, and the 



