In relation to the thighs, the rider, sitting in the middle of the saddle, must rest chiefly upon their division, vulgarly called the fork, and very slightly upon the hips. The thighs, turned inward, must rest flat upon the sides of the saddle, without grasping; for the rider’s weight gives sufficient hold, and the pressure of the thighs on the saddle would only lift him above it. The knees must be stretched down and kept back, so as to place the thighs several degrees short of a perpendicular; but no gripe must be made with them, unless there be danger of losing all other hold. If the thighs are upon their inner or flat side in the saddle, both the legs and the feet will be turned as they ought to be. Thus turned, they must be on a line parallel to that of the rider’s body, and hang near the horse’s sides, but must not touch; yet they may give an additional hold to the seat, when necessary, and the calves must act in support of the aids of the hands. The heels are to be sunk, and the toes to be raised, and as near the horse as the heels, which prevents the heel touching the horse.
As to the body.—The head must be firm, yet free. The shoulders thrown back, and kept square, so that no pull of the bridle may bring them forward. The chest must be advanced, and the small of the back bent a little forward.
The upper parts of the arms must hang perpendicularly from the shoulders, the lower parts at right angles with the upper, so as to form a horizontal line from the elbow to the little finger. The elbows must be lightly closed to the hips, and, without stiffness, kept steady, or they destroy the hand. The wrist must be rounded a little outwards. The hands should be about three inches from the body, and from the pommel of the saddle, and from four to six inches apart; the thumbs and knuckles pointing towards each other, and the finger nails towards the body.[65]
[65] When in motion round the manège, or the circle, the inward hand, or that towards which we turn, is to be a little lower than the outward one.
When the rider is in the proper position on horseback without stirrups, his nose, breast, knee, and instep are nearly in a line; and, with stirrups, his nose, breast, knee, and toe, are in a line.—([Pl XXXVI.]) The man and the horse throughout are to be of a piece. When the horse is at liberty, or disunited, as it is termed, the rider sits at his ease; and, as he collects and unites his horse, so he collects and unites himself. There must, however, be no stiffness of manner, more than in sitting on a chair; for it is ease and elegance which distinguish the gentleman.
THE BALANCE.
The balance in riding preserves the body from that inclination to one side or the other which even the ordinary paces of the horse, in the trot or gallop, would otherwise occasion. It accompanies and corresponds with every motion of the animal, without any employment of strength, and consequently, the rider sits so firmly that nothing can move his seat. His skill consists essentially in balancing himself on the horse in such a manner as not to fetter the animal’s movements. To illustrate this, if the horse work straight and upright on his legs, the body must be in the same upright direction: as the horse moves into a trot, the body must be inclined a little more back; in the gallop, also in leaping, or in any violent movements, the body must chiefly be kept back; and, when the horse bends and leans, as he does when on a circle, or trotting briskly round a corner, the body must lean similarly, or the balance will be lost. Throughout the whole, the figure must be pliant to every action of the horse; for the balance can be maintained only by as many different positions as he is capable of working in.
To help his balance, the rider must never take the slightest assistance from the reins. Whatever the position of the body, the hand must be fixed, and the reins of such a length as to feel and support the horse, but never to hold on. To acquire the balance, the practice on circles, or the longe, is useful; working equally to both hands, and not using stirrups till the pupil has acquired the balance without them. Experience proves that the body, if in the manège seat and fundamental position, almost involuntarily takes the corresponding motion, whether the horse stumbles, rears, springs forward, or kicks.
THE REIN-HOLD.
There are various methods of holding the reins, according to the style of riding, the design of the rider, and the propensities of horses.