96 Scats and Saddles. 



ter.* All we propose saying for the present is, that the 

 wash-ball seat is evidently not the proper thing for mili- 

 tary purposes, while, perhaps, " tongs across a wall" may 

 be, in reality, nothing more or less than the progeny of 

 a liaison with that respectable old lady the haute ecole 

 — in fact, a mule seat. 



Let us pass in review the points of resemblance and 

 of difierence between the two kinds of riding. The 

 former are but few in number, the latter very numer- 

 ous. The hunting man rides his own horse for his own 

 pleasure, and does not mind spoiling a steed or two for 

 the sake of maintaining his character as a forward rider. 

 Cavalry soldiers must ride together almost always ; 

 what regulates their speed is the average of a whole 

 regiment, and not the swiftness of a single animal. 

 The Oriental national cavalries won't understand this, 

 and get beaten by riders who, taken singly, are very 

 inferior. Again, the hunting man's proper work is all 

 done at full gallop ; cavalry does at least five-eighths of 

 its work at a walk (route marching), perhaps two- 

 eighths in trot (manoeuvring), and certainly not more 

 than one-eighth at full gallop (in charging). The con- 

 clusions to be drawn are, that even supposing the so- 

 called " hunting seat" to be the best for high speed, no 

 government can afford the waste of horse-flesh it in- 

 volves, nor would there be the slightest use in doing so. 

 On the contrary, this style of riding can only lead to 

 loose and broken charges, or to a voluntary abandon- 

 ment of full gallop in charging. Further, the fox-hunter 

 does not require sharp turning, and he has both his 

 hands at his disposal ; while the cavalry soldier's life 



* The father of a young cornet, recently gazetted, told the author 

 that his son had been advised by a brother officer to conceal the 

 fact of his being a "'cross-country" rider on joining his regiment, 

 as otherwise the riding-master would keep him twice as long under 

 his hands. 



