Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-03-14
HOW TO RIDE A HORSE.
WHAT MUST eE DONE TO HAVE A
CORRECT SEAT AND SADDLE.


Have So Much Trouble with Their
stIrrups-A Riding Master Gives sOnre
Excellent Rules and suggestions.
A saddle is constructed right IL it
gives the rider the greatest possible COM
tort and the most secure seat. with al
cost total absence of exertion of mus
eles of his legs in order to maintain his
balance Almost every riding master
prefers a certain make Of saddle, and
teaches 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
anee with the laws of gravity. the riders
body will and must sit in balance with
put trying to do so.
Much has been said and written about
rhow you should sit on the horse" Per
Aaps you have been told to grasp the
saddle or the horse firmly with thighs
OF knees, to have your toes higher than
your heels, to keep the heels away from
the horse. to bend your back to be
springy OF 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
a trot you lose the stirrups, You lose
your balance. and unless trotting very
~
easy trot. You have to bring him to a
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
If your horse is nervous and not wen
broken to the touch of the 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; it seems nice,
soft and comfortable; the stirrups as
heavy us should be-even their tread COW
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,
fat; its lowest point. instead as near as
possible to the center. is back toward the
end; you are almost sitting on thecantle.
la order 10 bring your knees to the knee
puts. 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 wherethey would hang
by their own weight, and in order to
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 as your
foot loses the stirrup the latter, accord
ing to 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 it's sup
port. and with nothing to bear against.
together with your leg. according to the
law Of gravity, tries to slip back in order
to hang as near as possible 20 the center
Of gravity: and then your legs viii hang
far back the knee puffs, perhaps on the
bare horse almost behind the saddle
skirts
To avoid this by muscular exertior
you Try 10 force your legs up and front
into a position very tiresome to main
tain But il gou, according to the Law
of gravity, have the lowest point of this
saddle in its center; if you have thu.
center as close as possible to the horses
back by reducing the thickness Of the
saddle to minimum; if you drop your
self into this lowest point of the saddle
to stay there; il you drop your legs t.
where they will stay by their own weight
instead OF holding them forward and
raising them by muscular exertion: il
you have the stirTup leather barr
attached far enough back to be in line
with THAI place where your feet meet the
stirrups. with stirrup feathers so long a.
to raise Your toes high enough to give
you an elastic tread on the stirrup with
out crampipg the muscles Of your thighs
and knees. then your body. legs, feet
and stirrups will maintain their posi-
tions by their own weights according t.
the law of gravity; after each displace
tnent resulting from the movement Of
the horse your body will fan back into
the lowest part of the saddle: you
thighs. knees and feet win not becom,
tired because you are not using muscu
lar exertion TO hold them in their places
By the law of gravity they always fal
back into them Your stirrups and feet
even if disengaged from each other. will
as II were. meet Internationally at thei
places. If turning your toes slightly to
ward the horse the stirrup will by it
own weight try to find its place and slil
on your foot. The displace1nents from
their positions Of your body, thighs
knees, teetand etirrups win be followe,
by theff Involuntary movements accord
lpS ~ tbs law Of gravity to fall bacl
into the places which their weights as
sign to them.
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