93 THE FAMILY HORSE. 



the horse, he takes the stirrup in his left hand and places it in his 

 right arm-pit, with the arm and palm of the right hand lying length- 

 wise of the leather. If the bar in which it rests just touches the 

 first joints of the middle finger, the leathers will be fotmd about 

 the right length for a man of average proportions. 



MOUNTING AND BIDING. 



Approach the horse on the near side quietly, but without show- 

 ing trepidation, speak to him and pat his neck. Then draw on the 

 reins until you feel the horse's mouth, but do not puU on them, take 

 them in the last three fingers of the left hand ; with the same hand 

 seize a lock of the mane, take the stirrup by the right hand and 

 insert the left foot ; then seize the pommel of the saddle, passing 

 the fingers under it with the thumb outside ; press the left knee 

 slightly against the horse's side, to avoid kicking bim with the left 

 foot ; then spring lightly upward, until the left leg is nearly straight ; 

 then throw the right foot over the pommel without bending the 

 knee, and settle into your seat. Some riding-masters prefer to place 

 the right hand upon the cantle, rather than the pommel of the 

 saddle. This makes it easier to spring from the grotmd, but the 

 hand must be changed to the pommel before the right leg can swing 

 into place. In dismounting the same movements are reversed. If 

 a spin: is worn, care must be used not to touch the horse with it 

 when swinging the right foot across the horse's back. 



The rider must sit erect, weU down in the saddle, square to the 

 front, with the chest well thrown out and the shoulders back. The 

 thighs and knees grip the saddle, and the legs below the knees hang 

 free. The toes must be turned neither out nor in, but straight for- 

 ward, leaving the feet parallel with the horse's side. It is the grip 

 of the knees that enables a good rider to maintain his seat under aU 

 conditions. The reins are to guide the horse, and not in any degree 

 to assist the rider in holding on. The arms rest with the elbows 

 just touching the sides, without stiffness. From the elbows outward 

 the arm§ are horizontal. For ordinary riding the reins are held in 

 the left hand, being brought through between the fingers, the ends 

 folded back over the top of the first finger, and kept there by the 

 thumb, which points towards the horse's ears. The right hand rests 

 by the right hip, with the whip hanging down. In riding across 

 country, or where it is diflacult, both hands are employed to hold 

 the reins. "The legs," says Herbert, '-are no less important in 

 guiding and assisting the horse in his movements, than are the 

 hands. A uniform pressure of both legs tends to bring the horse's 



