The Military Seat. 105 



The same principle applies exactly to civilian saddles. 

 If you know yourself how 3'ou want to sit, you must tell 

 this to the saddler before he has constructed the seat, as 

 that depends on him and not on the saddle-tree maker. 

 It is also evident that, if the stirrups of a given tree hap- 

 pen to be hung too far forward, the defect can only be 

 remedied by bringing the lowest point of the seat of the 

 saddle nearer to them, for the tree itself must remain as 

 the rule of thumb turned it out of the workshop. Civil- 

 ians fancy that a cavalry seat must be stilf and con- 

 strained ; to be good // 7uust be perfectly easy and un- 

 constrained, and then it will not only answer its purpose, 

 but be really graceful. 



One of the great difficulties is about the pack. There 

 is no use in putting the saddle in the middle of the 

 horse's back, and the stirrups and rider in the middle of 

 the saddle, unless you, at the same time, distribute the 

 weight of the pack equably before and behind the latter ; 

 the component parts of the dead weight must be accu- 

 rately balanced against each other. As regards the form, 

 it should be made as Jiat as possible^ instead of being 

 built up into two great mountains in front and rear of 

 the rider's seat, and this for the following reasons : 

 First, the nearer the pack is to the perpendicular line 

 falling through the centres of motion and gravity the 

 less will it incommode the horse by its vibrations, tend 

 to displace the saddle, or be liable to break the straps 

 and shake loose itself; and the centre of gravity is most 

 undoubtedly under the rider's seat ; therefore, on this 

 account alone, the lower and flatter the pack the better. 

 Secondly, if the pack be high in rear of the rider, as 

 shown by the English hussar, Plate VII., the difficulty 

 of getting into and out of the saddle is greatly enhanced, 



bearing-strap and the way in which it is laced that the form of the 

 seat will depend. Of course all the edges of these wooden saddles 

 must be nicely beveled off. 



