USUAL OR INSTINCTIVE EQUITATION 



swinging forward and backward and from side to 

 side without affecting the seat. It must be upright 

 for the sake of the balance. 



The shoulders should be kept down, else the 

 breathing will not be free, and the rider will tend 

 to round his back, draw in his waist, and so throw 

 his spine off the perpendicular. But if the shoulders 

 are forced too far back, they will hollow out and 

 impede the free action of the arms. 



The arms, likewise, should be kept free, so that 

 their movements may be entirely independent of 

 those of the body. Moreover, if the arms be stiff, 

 this stiffness will extend to the hands, which hold 

 the reins, and diminish their " intelligence." The 

 elbows should fall into an easy, natural position at 

 the sides. If they are kept too close to the body, 

 the position appears uncomfortable, and the wrists 

 cannot be raised or lowered without displacing the 

 arms and moving the upper part of the body. 



The head should be carried erect, easy, and free 

 from the shoulders. The head is itself heavy, and 

 being at the upper end of the spine and farthest 

 from the point of support, any change in its posi- 

 tion affects markedly the balance of both rider and 

 horse. I do not, however, mean to suggest any such 

 position as that of the soldier on parade, neck 

 immovable and eyes straight ahead. What I mean 

 is that the rider's head should move to the right or 

 left, freely, but without any stooping, the eyes 

 looking far ahead, since one cannot see distant 



iS 



