254 



PRINCIPLES OF 



P. IX. 



good riding are firmly established, the ease 

 and liberty he assumes will not exceed pro- 

 priety, risk his security, nor neglect the horse 

 -—his hand will keep its situation and pro- 

 perties, though the body be turned to any 

 extreme for the purpose of viewing, con- 

 versing, and the like. Nor will the body, by 

 any freedom it takes, throw itself out of 

 balance, nor take liberty at a period when it 

 cannot be done with safety. 



Since the rider's ease and convenience is 

 the principal consideration in riding on the 

 road, it is admissible, when the trot is ex- 

 tended to an unpleasant roughness, to ease 

 the jolting by rising in the stirrups. This is so 

 soon learned that it scarcely needs a descrip- 

 tion, since there are none in the habit of riding 

 who do not actually accomplish it ; and it is 

 generally the first thing the young untutored 

 horseman aims at, though a ridiculous awk- 

 wardness frequently attends some at their first 

 attempt, and many imbibe unseemly habits 

 which they cannot easily abandon. 



