MAN'S SEAT. 19 



months, has ridden horses that were Hvely and difficult, with- 

 out being- dangerous, will of necessity acquire a firm seat. 

 He will hold his head in a free and unconstrained position, 

 so that he can move it with ease in every direction. He will 

 keep it high in all ordinary paces and when jumping, and will 

 lower it a little, with the chin towards the breast, when going 

 fast. His eyes should preserve their mobility, and should not 

 become fixed in any one direction, so that they may take 

 notice of all the inequalities of ground, fences and other diffi- 

 culties which the horse may meet. He should keep his neck 

 supple, and his shoulders down and without contracting them, 

 as is often done. His arms should hang naturally down to 

 the elbows, which should be kept close to the sides, and 

 should on no account be turned outwards ; for the hands 

 cannot be kept light if the elbows are in this position. 

 Lightness of hand is absolutely necessary for using the reins 

 with precision and without jerking them. With the elbows 

 firmly fixed to the sides, it is easy to prevent the hands from 

 moving about. 



A rider who has a good seat will keep his elbows at the 

 height of his waist, the insides of the wrists facing each other 

 and the fingers turned inwards. He should avoid rounding 

 the wrists, which would tend to bring the elbows away from 

 the sides, and would prevent him having a straight line of 

 communication with the horse's mouth. The action of the 

 bit on the mouth of the horse should be produced only by 

 the tightening and slackening of the fingers on the reins. A 

 rider who works his hands a good deal, does not know how to 

 use them ; but a man with good hands produces the necessary 

 effect by a simple movement of the wrist and fingers. 



The rider ought to keep his body upright, but without any 

 stiffness, which prevents the independent action of the " aids " 

 (hands and legs). Stiffness in one part produces muscular 

 contraction of the whole body, which is a condition entirely 



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