The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-10
HOW TO RIDE A HORSE.
WHAT MUST BE DONE TO HAVE A
CORRECT SEAT AND SADDLE.

Have So Mach Trouble with Their
stirrups-A Riding Master Gives some
Excellent Eules and suggestions-
A saddle is constructed right il Is
gives the rider the greatest possible COM
| fort and the most secure seat, with al
most total absence Of exertion Of mus
cles Of his legs in order to maintain his
balance. Almost every riding master
| prefers certain make of saddle. and
teaches a certain style of seat as the best,
and his pupils, taking perhaps little or
no trouble to study others and To in
vestigate further, have to accept his
But, irrespective of the science of rid
ing. there is one shape of saddle which
is the most comfortable. viz, the saddle
which Is so constructed that, in accord
| ance with the laws of gravity, the riders
body will and must sit in balance with
out trying to do so.
Much has been said and written about
'how you should sit on the horse" Per-
haps you have been told to grasp the
saddle or the horse firmly with thighs
or knees, to have your toes higher than
your heels, to keep the heels away from
the horse. to bend your back to be
springy or to straighten yourself to sit
firmly, etc. Perhaps your teacher has
made great efforts and exhausted all re-
sources of his knowledge to impress
upon you how you should sit, and yet at
trot you lose the stirrups, you lose
your balance, and unless trotting very
slowly, and unless your horse has an
easy trot. you have to bring him to
walk to regain the stirrups.
If you are not experienced, and your
horse trots roughly, you are in discom-
fort and in danger of losing your seat
II your horse Is nervous and not well
broken to the touch of ths heel the flap
ping Of the stirrups against his TANKS
renders him uneasy and prolongs the
task of getting your foot in the stirrup"
WHERE THE TROUBLE LIES.
Examine your saddle; IL seems nice, |
soft and comfortable: the stirrups as /
heavy as should be-even their tread Gov |
cred with leather or rubber TO prevent |
slipping from your foot; but slip they |
will. Why? Look at the shape of your
saddle, at the positions which the saddler
has assigned for your seat. thighs, knees
and feet, and see where he has attached
the bars for the stirrup feathers on the
saddle tree Your saddle is perhaps too
long and, as most English style saddles,
fiat; its lowest point, instead as near as
possible to the center, is back toward the
end; you are almost sitting on the cantle.
In order to bring your knees to the knee
puffs, which are too far front. you have
to stretch your legs forward. This
obliges you TO carry your STRIPS for
ward with your feet away from and in
front of the place where they would hang
by their own weight. and in orde. 20
keep them at your feet you have TO
shorten the stirrup feathers and bear
heavily on the stirrups, otherwise they
will slip back.
What is the result? As soon az your
foot hoses the stirrup the latter, accord
ing 10 the law Of gravity, returns TO the
lowest position which the length Of stir
rup leather allows far behind your foot;
then your foot, too, having lost Its sup
port, and with nothing 70 bear against,
together with your leg. according 70 the
law of gravity, tines 20 slip back IN order
10 hang as near a. possible 70 the center
Of gravity; and then your legs VIII hang
far back the Knee pufs. perhaps On The
hare horse almost behind the saddle !
skirts
To avoid this by muscular e1ertion
rou try 20 force your legs up and front
INTO q position very tireSome 20 main
ain Bat IL you. according 70 the Law
u gravity, have the lowest point Of the
Iaddle in its center; II yo1 have this
enter a. Close As poszisls 20 the horse's
,ack by reducing the thickness Of the
Iaddle 20 minimum; IL yofz drop your
elf into this lowest point Of The saddle
o Etzy there: Il you drop your leg. TO
rbsre they viii stay by their oxn weight
instead Of holding them forward and
zaang them By muscular eIerrson; Il
'ou have the stirrup leather bars
.ttached far enough bzrk 20 Be II = Line
nth tcAs place where yeur feet meet the
Grrups, with stirrup feathers 20 long a.
0 raise your tees high enough 20 give
OF an elastic tread On the strrrup vita
c; crznpng sns muscles q your thighs
nd knees, then ys1r body, legs, fss.
I'D s-iTups VIII MAINTAIN their r<<s-
Icns by their own weights according 20
&c lag Of gravity; AFTER each essyszoe-
aeut resulting f-On the movement q
be hsrss ycur body VIII tail back Into
os lowest psy1 o. The sadie. you-
highs, knees and feet win not become
red becs1=e yoo are ID: Esang Z 1sru-
y exertsos 70 bold they. in tteir pIAees. =
By the lsw Of gravity they always fzI !.
.ck into insrn Your sssrrur= and teet =
ven il dssenszgsi from each otner. VIII. a
} it were. meet automatically ~ thazr >