FIRST-HAND BITS OF STABLE LORE 



to say, " One, two, three," one count at each 

 step or cadence, and as you feel the impulse 

 upward press in the stirrup with the left foot; 

 on the off-pommel with the hand ; and use the 

 right knee as a fulcrum — as if the thigh were a 

 jackknife blade that hinged at the pommel of the 

 saddle. By these means and by this counting — 

 each count (as " one ") marking the rise, and 

 return, in readiness for the next cadence — the 

 " posting " is very easy to acquire, and in three or 

 four trials you will rise steadily and without effort 

 at the trot. Always remember to lean well to 

 the right, watch your horse's off forefoot and re- 

 member that your knee on the pommel, and not 

 your foot in the stirrup, must be regarded as the 

 lever which enables you to thus rise and fall. 



Do not try to begin to rise the moment 

 the horse starts to trot ; " sit close " until 

 he is underway and stepping evenly ; do not 

 try too hard to rise, but let the horse put you up ; 

 " sit close " again a few strides before he comes 

 back to a walk. In pulling up lean back from the 

 waist and never forward over your hands, as so 

 many do. 



To canter, sit still and erect ; raise your left 

 heel, until your left knee is up snugly under the 



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