Seats. 79 



bone comes to be perpendicular over the sitting-bone 

 at the same side, the rider's weight will rest on this 

 triangular basis, which, being the largest available 

 for the purpose, affords the greatest degree of stability 

 to the seat. If, however, the perpendicular from the 

 hip-bone falls to the reai' of the sitting-bone, the leg 

 and thigh are immediately thrown forward to the horse's 

 shoulder, the rider's back is converted into the segment 

 of a circle, and his weight sways about unsteadily on 

 the Monboddo corner of the triangle. Finally, if the 

 aforesaid perpendicular fall in front of the sitting-bone, 

 the fork-seat is achieved, the thighs come back toward 

 the horse's tail, the rider's body is carried forward by 

 every movement of the animal, because it rests only on 

 two points instead of three, and this may be styled the 

 " muff school of equestrianism." 



Whatever difference of opinion may exist as to where 

 the rider should sit in his saddle, or however necessary 

 it may be to vary the exact position of the seat accord- 

 ing to the object in view, there can be no doubt what- 

 ever that the only firm and steady seat is on the tri- 

 angle; the Monboddo bone must neither be over- 

 weighted nor made too conspicuous. 



The seat, therefore, as such, depends on balance or 

 poise, on the amount of surface brought into contact 

 with the saddle, both of which in their turn depend on 

 whether the rider's weight rests on three, two, or only 

 one corner of a triangle, and all this is necessarily modi- 

 fied by the position of the stirrup. We have endeav- 

 ored to show the relative value of each element in 

 succession, and now leave the reader to make such a 

 combination of them as best suits his purpose, remind- 

 ing him merely that although he may safely modify first 

 principles, he never can totally despise them without 

 committing an absurdity. 



A question presents itself here which, although ap- 



