Seats. 8 1 



stirrups from the beginning ; and when he has acquired 

 a certain amount of confidence and balance you may 

 take away the stirrups to perfect the latter, without 

 running the least risk of destro3'ing the former. 



To return from this digression, and at the same time 

 bring our investigation of the general conditions on 

 which a safe seat depends to a conclusion, let us recall 

 to mind the final result of Chapter II. as it affects the 

 seat. Whatever the form of this may be in a state of 

 rest, from the moment action ensues the lever power 

 transmitted through the hind and fore legs respectively 

 will constantly tend to disturb the rider's seat nioj'e or 

 less everywhere, but least of all when this is exactly 

 over the perpendicular line passing through the centre 

 of motion (the line E /% fig. 4), whereas it will be 

 most felt by the rider the more his seat is placed away 

 from this line, especially in rear of it. 



Here are two scraps of newspaper correspondence : 

 " He never seemed to move in his saddle from the start- 

 ing-post till he had won the race ;" and again — " They 

 still ride as if they formed part and parcel of their 

 horses: it is the old Centaur-like form." 



English gentlemen like to ride with ease, and will 

 have probably no objection to grace. The former pre- 

 cludes the idea of all visible muscular exertion, and 

 presupposes a feeling of security ; the latter is equally 

 incompatible with slovenliness, affectation or stiffness; 

 moreover, steadiness of the hand depends on solidity of 

 the seat, and this, as we have seen, depends to a great 

 extent on the not being exposed to conflicting move- 

 ments derived from the horse. 



The fockefs Saddle a?id Seat. — English jockey- 

 riding is universally acknowledged to be perfection ; it 

 is, in fact, a specialty in which the English character 

 is strongly reflected ; for although its mere mechanism 



F 



