The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-21
SEATS IND SADDLES.

Major Dwyer, an Irish officer, who left the
English service for the Austrian, has written
book entitled "Seats and Saddles, Bits and
ness in Horses" which is reviewed at some
longth in Blackwood for Janu Try. Major
Dwyer was very distinguished officer; held
high and confidential rank, and was soldier
because he loved the business. he has writ
ten a book, not to lay down rigid rule for
general application, but to state principles, so
that each person may discover what will suit
his own case, aud be put in position 10 make
the best and most Of whatever horse he may
have to ride. and in the safest manner. or
course no ono resents the imputi tion Of
want of skill or knowledge so quickly as q
horseman; and most people would sooner lis
ten to doubts of their mental or moral qualifi-
cations than to doubt of their thorough
familiarity With the horse and all his surround
ings Still even such may read this work pro-
fitabIy and with good assurance that some of
it's hints will be quietly adopted. At Solferino,
out of 10, 2O6 French cavalry horses, there we're
only $500 available. All the rest were rend er-
ed unserviceable by the saddle and portions Of
the equipment, OF 1900 mounted mon in the
Austrian army who had made q severe winter
Journey of many miles, only twenty had unser-
yiceable horses.
Major Dwyer has simple remedy for the ir-
iuries done By saddles. 1t is to substitute the
surcingle for the girth, placing the former
fright over the middle of the saddle" Of not
less importance are the stirrups. and these he
would have placed directly under the riders
seat. Hesays:
ssWhat is the legitimate use Of the stirups,
besides enabling us to mount our horses! Ihe
first and most obvious one is to give the rider
lateral support, to prevent his slipping on TO
the right or left by his seat revolving around
the horses body as O wheel does round On
axle. In riding barebacked, or on a saddle
without stirrups, if the rider falls it is most
generally to one side. and not directly for
wards or backwards; and it is very evident that
the more directly under the riders seat the
stirrups be suspended, tho more efficlei thy
will they perform this duty, the resistance
offered by them being perpendicularly up
wards, or precisely in the opposite direction to
that IN which the weight falls; which is per-
pendicularly downwards whereas, If the stir
rups DO suspended at o distance from the
riders seat, they act at an angle to the line OF
fall they may and always do, in such posi-
tion, change the direction OF the Toll, but they
cannot meet and prevent it 30 efficiently as
when placed under the seat. The second use
of these contrivances is to enable the rider, for
various purposes, to, rise in his saddle by
standing in the stirrups. And here distinc-
tion must be drawn as to whether it is tbe
riders object to transmit his own weight
indirectly through the stirrups to the sad
die at the same point at which he
previously applied it directly with his
seat, or at some other point. In the
first case it is very obvious that the stir
rups are best placed exactly under the riders
seat; for, putting aside any changes OF the po,,
sition OF his own body from the hips upward
he may please to make, everything remains as
before. and the equilibrium OF tho horse is not
disturbed. In the second case, on the contra
ry supposing the stirrups to be placed faI for
ward, and the rider Tar back in the saddle,
etrrupe will ot orrcU throw tue
weight from one end OF the saddle to the other,
mako this press partially on the horses back
instead of equally, as in tho frat case, whicf
seesawiug must tend to make the saddle shift,
and must also alter the equilibrium of the
horse, throwing its weight moro forward, conse.
auenty rendering the animal incapable OF turn
ing sharply and handily, and, if dono suddenly
frequently even bringing it to dead halt"