The principles and rules which have hitherto been given for the
horseman's seat are various, and even opposite, according as they have
been adopted by different masters, and taught in different countries,
almost by each master in particular; and every nation having certain
rules and notions of their own. Let us see, however, if art has
discovered nothing that is certain and invariably true.--The Italians,
the Spaniards, the French and, in a word, every country where Riding is
in repute, adopt each a posture which is peculiar to themselves: the
foundation of their general notions is the same, but each country has
prescribed rules for the placing the man on the saddle.
This contrariety of opinions which have their origin more in prejudice
than in truth and reality, has given rise to many vain reasonings and
speculations, each System having its followers; and as if truth was not
always the same, and unchangeable, but at liberty to assume various and
even opposite shapes; sometimes one opinion prevailed, sometimes
another, insomuch that those who understand nothing of the subject, but
yet are desirous of being informed, by searching it to the bottom, have
hitherto been lost in doubt and perplexity.
There is nevertheless a sure and infallible method, by the assistance of
which it would be very easy to overturn all these systems; but not to
enter into a needless detail of the extravagant notions, which the Seat
alone has given rise to; I will here endeavour to trace it from
principles by so much the more solid, as their authority will be
supported by the most convincing and self evident reasons.
In order to succeed in an art where the mechanism of the body is
absolutely necessary, and where each part of the body has its proper
functions, which are peculiar to that part; it is most certain that all
and every part of the body should be in a natural posture: were they in
an imperfect situation they would want that ease and freedom which is
inseparable from grace; and as every motion which is constrained being
false in itself, and incapable of justness, it is clear that the part so
constrained and forced would throw the whole into confusion; because
each part belonging to and depending upon the whole body, and the body
partaking of the constraint of its parts, can never feel that fixed
point, that just counterpoise and equality, in which alone a fine and
just execution consists.
The objects to which a master, anxious for the advancement of his pupil,
should attend, are infinite. To little purpose will it be to keep the
strictest eye upon all the parts and Limbs of his pupil's Body; in vain
will he endeavour to remedy all the defects and faults which are found
in the posture of almost every scholar in the beginning, unless he is
intimately acquainted with the close dependance[+] and connexion there
is between the motions of one part of the body with the rest; a
correspondence caused by the reciprocal action of the muscles, which
govern and direct them: unless, therefore, he is master of this secret,
and has his clue to the labyrinth, he will never attain the end he
proposes; particularly in his first lessons, upon which the success of
the rest always depend. These principles being established we may reason
in consequence of them with clearness.
In horsemanship, the Body of man is divided into three parts; two of
which are moveable, the third immoveable.
The first of the two moveable parts is the Trunk or Body, down to the
Waist; the second is from the Knees to the Feet; so that the immoveable
part is between the waist and the knees. The parts then which ought to
be without motion are the Fork, or Twist of the horseman, and his
thighs; now that these parts should be kept without motion, they ought
to have a certain hold and center to rest upon, which no motion that the
horse can make can disturb or loosten; this point or center is the basis
of the hold which the horseman has upon his horse, and is what is called
the SEAT; now if the seat is nothing else but this point or center, it
must follow, that not only the true grace, but the symmetry and true
proportion of the whole attitude depend upon those parts of the body
that are immoveable.
Let the horseman then place himself at once, upon his Twist, sitting
exactly in the middle of the saddle; let him support this posture, in
which the Twist alone seems to sustain the weight of the whole body, by
moderately leaning upon his buttock.
Let the Thighs be turned inward, and rest flat upon the sides of the
saddle; and in order to this let the turn of the thighs proceed directly
from the hips, and let him employ no force or strength to keep himself
in the saddle, but trust entirely to the weight of his body and thighs;
this is the exact equilibrio: in this and this only consists the
firmness and support of the whole _building_; a firmness which young
beginners are never sensible of at first, but which is to be acquired,
and will always be attained by exercise and practise. I demand but a
moderate stress upon the buttocks, because a man that sits full upon
them can never turn his thighs flat to the saddle; the thighs should
always lay flat to the saddle, because, the fleshy part of them being
insensible, the horseman would not otherwise be able so nicely to feel
the motions of his horse: I insist that the turn of the Thigh must be
from the Hip, because it can never be natural, but as it proceeds from
the hollow of the hip bone.
I insist farther that the horseman never avails himself of the strength
or help of his thighs, except he lets his whole weight rest upon the
center, as before described; because the closer he presses them to the
saddle, the more will he be lifted above the saddle on any sudden or
iregular[+] motion of the Horse.
Having thus firmly placed the immovable parts, I now pass on to the
first of the _Movables_, which is as I have already observed the body
as far as to the waist. I comprehend in the Body, the Head, the
Shoulders, the Breast, the Arms, Hands, Reins and Waist of the Horseman.
The head should be free, firm and easy, in order to be ready for all the
natural motions that the horseman may make in turning to one side or the
other. It should be firm, that is to say, strait, without leaning to the
right or left, neither advanced nor thrown back; it should be easy
because if otherwise it would occasion a stiffness, and that stiffness
affecting the different parts of the body, especially the back bone, the
whole would be without ease and constrained.
The shoulders alone influence by their motions that of the breast the
reins and waist.
The horseman should present or advance his breast, by that his whole
figure opens and displays itself; he should have a small hollow in his
reins, and push the waist forward to the pommel of the saddle, because
this position corresponds and unites him to all the motions of the
horse.
Now only throwing the shoulders back, produces all these effects, and
gives them exactly in the degree that is requisite; whereas if we were
to look for the particular position of each part seperately[+] and by
itself, without examining the connection that there is between the
motions of one part with those of another, there would be such a bending
in his reins that the horseman would be, if I may so say, hollow backed;
and as from that he would force his breast forward and his waist towards
the pommel of the saddle, he would be flung back, and must sit upon the
rump of the horse.
The arms should be bent at the elbows, and the elbows should rest
equally upon the hips; if the arms were strait, the consequence would
be, that the hands would be too low, or at too great a distance from the
body; and if the elbows were not kept steady, they would of consequence,
give an uncertainty and fickleness to the hand, sufficient to ruin it
for ever.
It is true that the _Bridle-hand_ is that which absolutely ought to be
steady and immoveable; and we might conclude from hence, that the left
elbow only ought to rest upon the hip; but grace consists in the exact
proportion and symmetry of all the parts of the body, and to have the
arm on one side raised and advanced, and that of the other kept down and
close to the body would present but an aukward and disagreeable
appearance.
It is this which determines the situation of the hand which holds the
whip; the left hand being of an equal heighth with the elbow; so that
the knuckle of the little finger, and the tip of the elbow be both in a
line, this hand then being rounded neither too much nor too little, but
just so that the wrist may direct all its motions, place your right
hand, or the whip hand, lower and more forward than the bridle hand. It
should be lower than the bridle hand because if it was upon a level with
it, it would restrain or obstruct its motions; and were it to be higher,
as it cannot take so great a compass as the bridle hand, which must
always be kept over against the horseman's body: it is absolutely
necessary to keep the proportion of the elbows, that it should be lower
than the other.
The legs and feet make up the second division of what I call the
moveable parts of the body: the legs serve for two purposes, they may
be used as aids or corrections to the horse, they should then be kept
near the sides of the horse, and in a perpendicular line with the
horseman's body; for being near the part of the horse's body where his
feeling is most delicate, they are ready to do their office in the
instant they are wanted. Moreover, as they are an apendix[+] of the
thighs if the thigh is upon its flat in the saddle, they will by a
necessary consequence be turned just as they ought, and will infallibly
give the same turn to the feet, because the feet depend upon them, as
they depend upon the thighs.
The toe should be held a little higher then[+] the heel, for if the toe
was lowest the heel would be too near the sides of his horse and would
be in danger of touching his horse with his spurs at perhaps the very
instant he should avoid such aid or correction.
Many persons notwithstanding, when they raise their toe, bend and twist
their ankle as if they were lame in the part. The reason of this is very
plain; because they make use of the muscles in their legs and thighs,
whereas they should only employ joint of the foot for this purpose,[+]
Such is in short the mechanical disposition of all the parts of the
horseman's body.
These ideas properly digested the practitioner will be able to prescribe
rules for giving the true and natural Seat, which is not only the
principles of justness, but likewise the foundation of all grace in the
horseman, of course, the first endeavour of those who wish to become
horsemen, should be to attain a firm and graceful seat: the perfection
of which, as of most other arts and accomplishments depend upon the
ease and simplicity with which they are executed, being free from
affectation and constraint as to appear quite natural and familiar.
Therefore the immoveable parts as before observed ought to be so far
without motion as not to wriggle and roll about so as to disturb the
horse, or render the seat weak and loose: but the thighs may be relaxed
to a certain degree with propriety and advantage, when the horse
hesitates and doubts whether he shall advance or not; and the body may
likewise, upon some occasions, become moveable and change its posture to
a certain degree, as when the horse _retains_ himself, it may be flung
back more or less as the case requires; and consequently inclined
forward when the horse rises so high as to be in danger of falling
backwards; what keeps a ship on the sea steady? BALLAST, by the same
rule, what keeps the horseman STEADY? trusting to the weight of his
body: it is for this reason that beginners are first made to ride
without stirrups; for were they allowed to use them before they had
acquired an equilibrio and were able to stretch their legs and thighs
well down, so as to set firmly in the saddle, and close to it, they
would either loose their stirrups by not being able to keep their feet
in them; or the stirrups must be taken up much too short, in which case
the rider would be pushed upwards from the saddle, and the Seat
destroyed throughout; as the parts of the body like the links of a chain
depending upon one another, safety likewise requires they should ride
without them at first, as in case of falling tis less dangerous.
It is the general practice of those who undertake to teach horsemanship,
when they put a scholar upon a horse, to mix and confound many rules and
precepts together, which ought to be distinct and seperate;[+] such as
making him attend to the guidance of the horse, demanding an exactness
of hand, and other particulars, which they croud[+] upon him before he
is able to execute, or even understand half of them. I would recommend a
slower pace at first being likely to gain more ground at the ending
post, and not to perplex the scholar with _Aids_, of the effects of the
_Hand_, and more nice and essential parts of the ART: till the SEAT is
gained and CONFIRMED.
For this purpose let the seat alone be cultivated for some time, and
when the scholar is arrived at a certain degree of firmness and
confidence so as to be trusted, I would always advise the master to take
hold of the longeing rein and let the pupil intirely leave the governing
of his horse to him, going sufficiently to both hands holding his hands
behind him.
This will, I insist upon it very soon settle him with firmness to the
saddle, will place his head, will stretch him down in his saddle, will
teach him to lean gently to the side to which he turns so as to unite
himself to his horse and go with him and will give that firmness ease,
and just poize of body, which constitute a perfect _Seat_, founded in
truth and nature and upon principles so certain, that whoever shall
think fit to reduce them to practise will find them confirmed and
justified by it. Nor would it be improper to accustom the scholar to
mount and dismount on both sides of his horse, as many things may occur
to make it necessary, as well as that he cannot have too much activity
and address, for this reason tis a pity that the art of _Vaulting_ is
discontinued.--And there is another duty too essential to be omitted,
but hitherto not performed by matters, which is to instruct their pupils
in the _principles_ and theory of the _Art_, explaining how the natural
paces are performed, wherein they differ from each other, and in what
their perfection consists; which, by not joining theory with practice,
are unknown to many, who may shine in a menage, but work as mechanically
and superficially as the very horse thay[+] ride.
Having thus far said what with practice will be sufficient to form the
seat of the Horseman, I shall next endeavour to describe the use of the
bridle hand and its effects, &c.