10 BIDING AND TEAINING SADDLE-HOESES. 



with bridle paths, and the pastime of horseback riding is 

 largely indulged in by residents of the town, who find 

 this one of the most delightful forms of exercise at their 

 command. It is not so difficult to learn how to ride 

 horseback properly as many people suppose. In most 

 countries school-riding has advanced with the age, and it 

 is now recognized, by the professors of the art, that each 

 man has a seat peculiar to himself, and those movements 

 only are practised that are necessary to give the rider 

 control over his horse under all circumstances. 



"When we see that school-riding, in one form or another, 

 is used in all armies, and, indeed, wherever bhe horse 

 must be under command, it is hardly necessary to argue 

 the importance of a knowledge of its laws by all who 

 desire to ride well. And although, in the extended 

 gallop of the hunting-field, it is impossible to retain the 

 equilibrium of the manage, the horse wUl be the more 

 amenable for his schooling, and the rider will always 

 have the resources of his art. 



Some writers upon horsemanship think it is a mistake 

 to place children of a tender age upon horseljack, while 

 others are of the opinion that a child is none too young 

 to learn as soon as it is able to sit upon a horse's back. 

 In the South, and many parts of the West, children are 

 often placed upon the back of some old and gentle horse 

 while yet very young. The result is, they become accus- 

 tomed to the movements of the animal, and gain a seat 

 at a very early age. There is little danger, or risk of 

 injuries, from such a course. As with the languages, 

 music, and dancing, a child can hardly begin to learn 

 how to ride horseback at too early an age. An active 



