RIDE. 



that have not elfewlicre been introduced, and clofe the 

 article with fuitable references for the direction of the 

 reader. 



The pofture of the body is an object of primary confidera- 

 tion in the art of riding. In reference to this object, the 

 body may be divided into three parts, two of which are 

 moveable, and the other immoveable. Of the two moveable 

 parts, the firft is the trunk or body, down to the waift ; the 

 fecond is from the knees to the feet ; and the remaining im- 

 moveable part is that between the waift and the knees. The 

 parts which ought to be without motion are the fork or 

 twift of the horfeman, and his thighs ; and for this purpofe, 

 thev ought to have a certain hold or centre upon which 

 to reft, To that no motion of the horfe may difturb or loofen 

 them ; this point or centre is the bafis of the hold which 

 the horfeman has upon his horfe, and is called the " feat ;" 

 and hence it muft appear, that not only the grace, but the 

 fymmetry and true proportion of the whole attitude depends 

 upon thofe parts of the body that are immoveable. Let 

 the horfeman then place himfelf at once upon his twift, fitting 

 exactly in the middle of the faddle ; let him fupport this 

 pofture in which the twift alone feems to fuftain the weight 

 of the whole body, by moderately leaning upon his buttock ; 

 let his thighs be turned inward, and reft flat upon the fides 

 of the faddle ; and in order to this, let the turn of the 

 thighs proceed directly from the hips, and let him employ 

 no force or ftrength to keep himfelf on the faddle, but truft 

 to the weight of his body and thighs : this is the exact cqui- 

 libre : in this confifts the tirmnefs of the whole building, a 

 firmnefs which young beginners are never fenfible of at firft, 

 but which is to be acquired, and will always be attained, by 

 exercife and practice. A moderate ftrefs upon the buttocks 

 is ncceflary, becaufe a perfon that fits full upon them can 

 never turn his thighs flat upon the faddle ; and the thighs 

 ihould always lie flat, becaufe the flefhy part of the thigh, 

 being infenfible, the horfeman would not otherwife be able 

 to feel the motions of his horfe ; the turn of the thigh (hould 

 be from the hip, becaufe this turn can never be natural ; but 

 aa it proceeds from the hollow of the hip-bone, the horfeman 

 never avails himfelf of the ftrength or help of his thighs, 

 becaufe, befides their being then lefs fteady, the clofer he 

 prefted them to the faddle, the more would he be lifted above 

 the faddle ; and with refpect to his buttock and thighs, he 

 ought always to be in the middle of the faddle, and fit 

 down full and clofe upon it. With regard to the pofition of 

 the body or trunk, which is the firft of the moveable parts, 

 and which comprehends the head, the fhoulders, the breaft, 

 the arms, the hands, the reins, and the waift of the horfeman, 

 wc (hall begin with the head. This (hould be free, firm, and 

 eafy. and thus prepared for all the natural motions which 

 the horfeman may make in turning it to one fide or the 

 other. The fhoulders only influence, by their motions, that 

 of the breaft, the reins, and the waift. The horfeman 

 mould prcfent or advance his breaft, by which his whole 

 figure is opened and difplayed ; he fhould have a fmall 

 hollow in his reins, and pufh his waift forwards to the 

 pommel of the faddle, becaufe this pofition correfponds, and 

 unites him to all the motions of the horfe. The mere 

 throwing of the fhoulders back produces all thefc effects in 

 the degree that is rcquifitc ; whereas if we were to look for 

 the particular pofition of each part fcparatcly, and by itfelf, 

 without examining the connection fubfifting between the 

 motions of one part with thofe of another, there would be 

 fuch a bending in the reins, that the horfeman would be 

 hollow-backed ; and by forcing his breaft forward and his 

 waift towards the pommel of the faddle, he would be 

 flung back, and muft fit upon the rump of the horfe. The 



arms mould be bent at the elbows, and the elbows fhould 

 reft equally upon the hips. It is indeed the bridle-hand 

 which ought to be fteady and immoveable, and hence it 

 might be concluded, that the left elbow only ought to reft 

 upon the hip ; but grace confifts in the exact proportion and 

 fymmotry of all the parts of the body ; and having the arm 

 on one fide raifed and advanced, and the other kept down 

 and clofe to the body, would prefent an aukward and dif- 

 agrecable appearance. It is this which determines the 

 fituatior. of the hand which holds the whip, the left hand 

 being of an equal height with the elbow ; fo that the 

 knuckle of the little finger and the tip of the elbow be both 

 in a line ; this hand then being rounded neither too much nor 

 too little, but fo that the wrift may direct all its motions, 

 the right hand, or the whip-hand, fhould be placed lower 

 and more forward than the bridle hand. It fhould be lower 

 than the other hand, becaufe if it were on a level with it, 

 it would reftrain or obftrutt its motions, and if it were 

 higher, it could not take fo great a compafs as the bridle- 

 hand, which muft be always kept over-againft the horfe- 

 man's body ; it is abfolutely ncceflary to keep the propor- 

 tion of the elbows, that it fhould be lower than the other. 

 The fecond divifion of the moveable parts includes the legs 

 and feet. The legs ferve for two purpofes ; they may be 

 ufed as aids or corrections to the animal ; they fhould there- 

 fore be kept near the fides of the horfe, and in a line with 

 the rider's body ; for being near that part of the horfe's 

 body where his feeling is moft delicate, they are ready to 

 perform their office at the moment when they are wanted. 

 Befides, as they are an appendage to the thighs, if the 

 thigh is upon its flat in the faddle, they will neceft'arily be 

 turned jult as they ought, and will infallibly give the fame 

 turn to the feet, becaufe the feet depend upon them, as 

 they depend upon the thighs. The toe fhould be held a 

 little higher than the heel, for the lower the toe is, the 

 nearer will the heel be to the fides of the horfe, and muft be 

 in danger of touching his flank. Many perfons, however, 

 when they raife their toe, bend and twift their ankle, as if 

 they were lame in that part. The reafon is plain ; it is be- 

 caufe they make ufc of the mufcles in their legs and thijhs, 

 whereas they fhould employ only the joint of the footfor 

 this purpofe ; a joint given by nature to facilitate all the 

 motions of the foot, and to enable it to turn to the ri^ht or 

 left, upwards or downwards. Such, according to Mr. 

 Bcrenger, is the mechanical difpofition of all the parts of the 

 horfeman's body. 



The hand, in horfemanfhip, admits of five different po- 

 fitions, in order to guide and govern the motions of a horfe. 

 The firft is that general pofition from which proceed, and 

 indeed ought to proceed, the other four. 



Hold your hand three fingers breadth from your body, as 

 high as your elbow, in fuch a manner that the joint of your 

 little finger be upon a right line with the tip of the elbow ; 

 let your wrift be fufficicntly rounded, fo that your knuckles 

 may be kept directly above the neck of your horfe ; let 

 your nails be exactly oppofite your body, the little finger 

 nearer to it than the others, your thumb quite flat upon the 

 reins, which you muft fcparate by putting your little linger 

 between them, the right rein lying upon it : this is the tirll 

 and general pofition. 



Does your horfe go forwards, or, rather, would you have 

 him go' forwards ? Yield to him your hand, and, for thai 

 purpofe turn your nails downwards, in fuch a manner as to 

 bring your thumb near your body ; remove your little 

 finger from it, and bring it into the place where your 

 knuckles were in the firft pofition, keeping your Dull 

 directly above your horfe's neck : this is the fecond. 



Hhz Would 



