92 



Seats and Saddles. 



be better to employ the " bobbing up-and-down system" 

 than English riding;. The Americans understand and 

 apply this in the training of their great trotters: few 

 English horses can compete with them, because their 

 trot is uneven. But, of course, there is no use in at- 

 tempting a combination of "■wash-ball," or " tongs across 

 a wall," with " bobbing ;" it will never succeed in any- 

 thing but shaking the rider's lungs out : the nearly per- 

 pendicular tread on the stirrup, with an elastic ankle 

 to break the jolt, is imperative. The Orientals, who 

 use shovel stirrups, and stand straight on the entire sole 

 of the foot, never attempt trotting — their paces are walk 

 or gallop. Arab horses have, however, a tremendous 

 trot if you can bring them to it ; but you must sit like 

 wax, and have the delicate hand of a first-rate pianist 

 to do the trick ; for nothing stronger than a single hair 

 from a fair lady's head is fit for a rein. 



There exists in many minds a strong prejudice on tlie 

 subject of its easing the horse to tuck up the rider's legs, 

 and that nothing tires it so much as a long dangling 

 weight unde?' its belly. In the first place, it comes to 

 this, that a giant should not mount a pony ; then, again, 

 why dangle the legs? They have a better chance of 

 lying close to the horse's body if the stirrup be placed 

 nearly under the seat, which does not involve their 

 being too long ; and further, how if the rider's body be 

 made to dangle in the air ove?' the horse's back^ in con- 

 sequence of the attempt to tuck up the legs? This is 

 still more dangerous: one sees everyday horses reeling 

 in trot under riders that adopt the very " lofty " English 

 style ; the centre of gravity gets a couple of feet farther 

 away from the basis, which is just equivalent to the 

 latter being decreased proportionately. Every one 

 knows that a man with a long back and short legs rides 

 heavier than a long-legged one. 



It is scarcely necessary, after what has been already 



