In mounting, the horse should always be approached quietly on the near (or left) side, and the reins taken up steadily. The snaffle (or bridoon) rein first, then pass this rein along the palm of the left hand, between the forefinger and thumb. The curb rein must now be drawn over the little finger, and both reins being held of an equal length, and having an even pressure on the horse’s mouth, must be laid over each other, being held firmly in the hand, the thumb pressing hard upon them to prevent them slipping through the fingers. Be particular that the reins are not taken up too short, for fear it might cause the horse to rear or run back; they must be held neither too tight nor too slack, but having an equal feeling of the horse’s mouth. Next take up a handful of the mane with the right hand, bring it through the full of the left hand (otherwise the palm), and twist it round the thumb. Take hold of the stirrup with the right hand, the thumb in front. Place the left foot in the stirrup as far as the ball of it, placing the right hand on the cantle (or back part of the saddle), and, by a spring of the right foot from the instep, the rider should raise himself up in the stirrup, then move the hand from the cantle to the pummel, to support the body while the right leg passes clearly over the horse’s quarters; the rider’s right knee closes on the saddle and the body falls gently into it. The left hand now quits the mane, and the second stirrup must be taken without the help of eye or hand.
The left hand (the bridle hand) must be placed with the wrist rounded outwards, opposite the centre of the body, and about three inches from it, letting the right arm drop unconstrained by the side of the thigh.
POSITION IN THE SADDLE.
The rider must sit upright, and equally balanced in the middle of his saddle, head erect, and his shoulders well thrown back, his chest advanced, the small of his back bent forward, but without stiffness. The hollow part of the arm should hang down straight from the shoulder, the lower part square to the upper, the thighs well stretched down, the flat part to the saddle, so that the fore part of the knees may press and grasp it. Let the legs hang down easily and naturally, close to the horse’s sides, with the feet parallel to the same, and the heels well depressed; the toes raised from the instep, and as near the horse’s sides as the heels; the feet retained in the stirrups by an easy play of the ankle and stirrup, the stirrup to be kept under the ball of the foot, the joint of the wrist kept easy and pliable, so as to give and take as occasion may require. A firm and well-balanced position on horseback is of the utmost importance, it affects the horse in every motion, and failure in this proves one of his greatest impediments, and will naturally injure him in all his movements.
In riding, the hands and legs should act in correspondence in everything, the latter being always held subservient to the former.
It is easy to discover those who have been thoroughly instructed in the manége, by their firm, graceful, and uniform position in the saddle, and their ready and skilful application of the aids or motions, and the correct appliance of the bridle, hands, and legs; such being indispensable to the skilful guidance and control of the horse.
