MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING. 231 



horse's head, and the reins lying in front of the hand. Take up 

 the reins with the right hand, put the little finger of the left hand 

 between them, and draw them through until you feel the mouth 

 of the horse; turn the remainder of the reins along the inside of 

 the left hand, let it fall over the fore-finger on the off-side, and 

 place the thumb upon the reins. Twist a lock of the mane round 

 the thumb or fore-finger, and close the hand firmly upon the reins. 

 Take the stirrup in the right hand, and place the left toe in it as 

 far as the ball ; let the knee press against the flap of the saddle, 

 to prevent the point of the toe from irritating the side of the horse; 

 seize the cantle of the saddle with the right hand, and springing 

 up from the right toe, throw the right leg clear over the horse, 

 coming gently into the saddle by staying the weight of the body 

 with the right hand resting on the right side of the pommel of the 

 saddle; put the right toe in the stirrup." Now this is in the main 

 applicable to a man of five feet ten inches or six feet, but to a 

 shorter individual attempting to mount a horse of fifteen hands 

 three inches, it is an impossibility, simply because he cannot reach 

 the cantle from the same position which enables him to hold the 

 stirrup in the left hand. The Captain is also wrong, in my opinion, 

 in directing that the body should be raised into the saddle directly 

 from the ground, with one movement. This will always bring the 

 rider down into the saddle with a very awkward jerk; and the 

 proper direction is to raise the body straight up till both feet are 

 on a level with the stirrup-iron, and then with the left leg held 

 against the flap of the saddle by the left hand on the pommel, the 

 right leg is easily thrown over the cantle, and the body may be 

 kept in the first position until the horse is quiet, if he is plunging 

 or rearing. A short man can generally place his foot in the stir- 

 rup while held in his hand, but it should be known that all cannot 

 do this, because I have seen young riders much vexed at finding 

 that they could not possibly do what is directed. Most of our 

 writers on horsemanship are of the military school, and endeavor 

 to cut every one's cloth by their own coats. They are able to do 

 certain things easily, and so are their men, because they are mostly 

 of the height already specified, but as sportsmen and civil eques- 

 trians are of all heights, I shall endeavor to accommodate my re- 

 marks to all heights and classes. In all cases the rider should 

 stand at the shoulder, though with a short man it is much easier 

 to mount a tall horse from the hind-quarter, but the danger of 

 kicking is very great ; and even in mounting with " a leg," in the 

 jockey style, I have known the thigh very nearly broken by a 

 kick. If the hand can steady the stirrup it should do so, but if 

 the person is too short, the foot can be placed in the stirrup with- 

 out its aid; then taking the reins between the fingers, much as 

 directed in the passage already quoted, and grasping a lock of the 



