174 MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING. 



side with the foot ; they place the right hand on the pommel ; 

 and after a tentative effort or two, they glide into the 

 saddle almost before the horse is aware of the intention. 

 Placing the right hand on the pommel when mounting, is less 

 liable to disarrange the position of the saddle, and conse- 

 quently to make the animal fidgety (which is specially to be 

 avoided when trying to mount an unbroken animal), than 

 putting it on the cantle, as is usually done. It has, however, 

 the disadvantage of rendering the mounting more difficult for 

 a man who is not very active, than the method of placing the 

 hand on the cantle. These rough-riders, to prevent the horse 

 from seeing what they are doing, frequently before mounting, 

 cover the animal's near eye with a soft hat, cap, or other 

 suitable object, which they insert on the near side, between the 

 cheek piece of the bridle and the side of the horse's head 

 (Fig. 173), and remove it as soon as they are in the saddle. 

 They also, sometimes use a surcingle placed over the pommel 

 in order to prevent the saddle moving forward, in the event of 

 the animal bucking. I do not know which to admire most, 

 the cleverness with which these men mount fractious brutes, or 

 the skill with which they " remain." 



With horses which have acquired the unpleasant trick of 

 trying to move on, or of " playing up," the moment the rider, 

 after having placed his left foot in the stirrup, attempts to 

 mount ; the plan of placing the right hand on the off side of 

 the cantle gives the rider a much firmer support, supposing 

 that he has only the left foot in the stirrup and has not 

 brought his right leg over, than the method of placing the 

 right hand on the pommel when mounting. Hence it is to be 

 preferred in all cases, except in that of horses which are 

 unaccustomed to a saddle. Experience teaches us that 

 among horses which have been ridden several times, very 

 few of them will be irritated by the right hand being 

 placed in mounting, on the cantle, especially on its off 



