132 Modern Riding and Horse Education 



time view on the subject, whilst Hayes and Dwyer, 

 all-round riders and authors whom no man can 

 ignore, would both have us commence with stirrups. 

 Hayes says : " In order to give the grown-up be- 

 ginner confidence I would strongly advocate that 

 ... he should have a broad-seated saddle covered 

 with buckskin and that he should be allowed to ride 

 at first with stirrups." 



Dwyer, of the Austrian Imperial Service, who 

 turned out many fine horsemen, writes : — " The ad- 

 vocates of beginning without stirrups say you must 

 first give a pupil a seat, and then, when he has ac- 

 quired balance and a hold on his horse, you can give 

 him the additional assistance of stirrups. Now, the 

 most difficult thing to attain is balance, and the stir- 

 rup was devised for the purpose of assisting in ac- 

 quiring and maintaining it ; and it is, therefore, just 

 as reasonable to act in this manner as it would be to 

 set a boy to learn swimming without corks and blad- 

 ders, and when he learnt to support himself to give 

 him artificial aids." 



When Hayes wrote the passage previously quoted 

 he no doubt had it in his mind that a fall would not 

 be such a set-back to a boy as to a man, his lighter 



