212 THE PLEASURE SADDLE 



After that I went to the best horseman I could 

 find in England and asked him to explain the 

 merits of his saddle. " The English saddle," 

 said Lord Lonsdale, " is made for falling off. 

 You see it throws the rider clear of a falling 

 horse." 



This really explained the English saddle in 

 terms of sport, which any fellow ought to 

 understand. So I tried the saddle again, and 

 found that one could ride straight leg at any 

 gait quite easily by merely dispensing with the 

 stirrups. It was almost as good as bareback. 

 But with the leathers shortened, riding bent- 

 leg, one could actually use the stirrups. Since 

 then I have put my stock saddles away, and 

 taken recruit lessons in the riding school. A 

 little powdered resin on the leather straps of 

 one's breeches makes them look quite smart 

 and deceives the Instructor in Equitation. 

 Still, I am a novice, trying in vain to rise at 

 the trot with that poke forward of the head 

 which so beautifully imitates the movement of 

 a hen as she enquires for worms. 



It is only by practical testing that I learned 

 the qualities of the English saddle, and so 

 brought it into comparison with that of the 

 stock range. It is not easy to free one's mind 

 from bias, to realise that perfectly sane men 



