68 The Art erf Biding. 



chafe very much under it. Another good practice 

 is to place a stick across the shoulder blades, 

 or a little below them, and hold it there by the 

 arms, pinning them back. Both these practices, 

 however, present some danger of falling off, 

 especially the latter, if the balance is lost ; and for 

 that reason I do not recommend them ; though 

 they are, without doubt, the most valuable aids in 

 making a good and fearless horseman. 



We may now begin with the saddle, which 

 the learner will be fully able to appreciate. No 

 sooner will he find himself seated in a good com- 

 fortable saddle than he will acknowledge the 

 necessity, and the value of the bare-backed 

 exercises, through which he has so laboriously 

 passed. There are several kinds of saddles in use, 

 some of which have been specially devised for the 



