unnecessary to describe, which combines strength and vigour with lightness and dexterity; and must possess in all cases that happy admixture of courage, prompt decision, patience, and perseverance, that constitute the rider's temperament, and which arrive at their greatest perfection when coupled with an unselfish love of that noblest and most beautiful animal the horse. It is only necessary to put a man of this sort into the saddle and he becomes at once a rider; just as another becomes a good shot, and a third an expert angler, almost from the moment a gun or a rod is placed in their hands.

But all men are not so gifted; whole nations, indeed, have been at various periods of the world's history characterised as born riders; but it will be found, on examination, that in these instances unmixed race, resulting in great uniformity of stature, build, and temperament, combined with what we are pleased to term a low degree of civilisation, prevailed to a much greater extent than amongst ourselves. It would be invidious, and moreover unnecessary, for the object we have in view, to enter into a minute comparison in this respect of our own population with others of ancient or modern times. As regards most if not all of those moral qualities that we have stated to be typical of the rider temperament, we stand confessedly very high in the scale, leaving altogether aside all that England has done for the breeding of horses: moreover, we have amongst us a much greater proportion of men who can ride tant bien que mal than any other civilised nation ; in fact, the class of men that ride for pleasure or convenience is with us very large, whereas everywhere else it is very small, almost minute; for the equestrian

nations that still exist in different parts of the world mount their horses as a means of gaining and maintaining their existence much more frequently than for mere pleasure.

This is, however, precisely what brings into the saddle a great number of people who do not belong to the class of born riders, or have perhaps neither the time, opportunity, nor desire to do more than enjoy a pleasant ride when they can, and who are therefore content to depend on others, who are paid for doing it, to put this within their reach. That this luxury is, however, not always attainable even to a long purse, many a man can testify; and the causes of failure are frequently sufficiently obvious to professional riders, although seldom pointed out by them, for very cogent reasons. It must be confessed, indeed, that it is most usually a very thankless office to offer any man that rides anything like advice, however well meant and sound, on anything concerning his horse, bridle, saddle, or seat. The great majority would much more patiently tolerate very decided expressions of doubt as to their mental or moral qualifications, if only conveyed with a certain amount of tact, than the slightest imputation of want of knowledge or skill in things pertaining to horsemanship.

And yet there exist very incontestable evidences that a great amount of unskilfulness, to use a mild term, in the matter of riding does really exist amongst us. We have the best horses in the world, and those whose build and temper are most peculiarly adapted for riding purposes; notwithstanding which, the proportion of animals with broken knees and other injuries to their limbs is infinitely greater than anywhere else

that we know of. No doubt we demand a greater amount of hard work from our horses than other people; still broken knees are the opprobrium of the rider, and point very evidently to great ignorance or total disregard of the very simple mechanical principles that govern the motion of a quadruped with or without a burden on its back. Every one knows that the bestconstructed form or chair may be upset by sitting awkwardly on it and setting the laws of gravitation at defiance; whilst few people who have knocked down their valuable horses by precisely the same process seem to be in the least aware of what they have really done: "the brute stumbled and broke both his knees," is the only explanation they are capable of affording; of course it is never their own fault.

Again, how many horses, especially young ones, are made restive, and become plungers, bolters, or rearers, through the intolerable pain occasioned by bits that are wholly unsuited to their mouths, and sometimes fitter for a rhinoceros than so sensitive and delicate an animal as the horse. Many a curb, stringhalt, and spavin, are originated by the use, or rather abuse, of bits whose lever power is so excessive that it is impossible to regulate their action, not to mention the very numerous instances in which bits are placed in such a position in the horse's mouth as to act on the animal's head in exactly the opposite direction to that intended by the rider, as shall be hereafter explained, and thus, in conjunction with the misplaced burden of the rider, assist in throwing down the bearer.

It is well known that a very great and constantlyincreasing number of English saddle-horses are annually exported to Berlin, Vienna, Paris, and other

great Continental cities, and many of these are there sold at prices perfectly remunerative to the dealers, but which are much lower than animals of equally good figure and proportions command with ease in the English market. This was for a time a puzzle to the Continentals, and even to some amateur dealers, who made bad speculations in consequence. By-and-by it was discovered that a great majority of these splendid animals were either more or less restive, or at least "difficult," as the phrase goes. Being frequently purchased by military officers of superior rank, they were naturally put into the riding-schools, where they gave so much trouble that many professionals were led to believe that English horses were incapable of any high degree of school-training. Others who were more judicious found it impossible to reconcile the well-known docility of the English breed with the fractiousness and intractability of these exported specimens, and came to the very sound conclusion that the fault lay, not in the breed, but in the previous injudicious handling of these individuals. Baucher, the French ridingmaster, founded his great reputation,-which, by the way, has been much exaggerated,-on his successful conversion of the celebrated Partisan-an English horse that was sold for a song, because nobody could manage him-into a first-rate and most docile school-horse. Some of the Germans, however, decided the question in a still more positive manner, by buying young highbred horses in England that had never been backed; and Seeger, Von Oeynhausen, and other first-rate authorities, now all state that English horses are just as capable of high training as all others, and more so than the Arabians, who have a very peculiar trot.

It is incontestable that the English, as a nation, possess in a high degree the physical and moral qualifications that go to make good riders. Where, then, can the fault lie? Evidently in something connected with the mechanism employed in enabling the horse to carry its rider, and the rider to maintain his seat and preserve the mastery over his bearer; in other words, something peculiar in saddles and seats, bits and bitting.

It will perhaps seem to many persons impossible, or at least improbable, that mere saddles and bridles, or the manner in which they are adjusted to the horse's body, can produce such very material results as those suggested here. Well, it does seem strange; but let us listen, before passing judgment on the case, to some documentary evidence bearing upon it. On the 20th May 1859, the French cavalry had in Piedmont 9008 effective horses, increased subsequently by the arrival of a whole brigade (Perouse), so that on the 24th June (Solferino), the total number borne on the lists was 10,206.* But it subsequently transpired, from the report of the Cavalry Commission ordered by Marshal Randon to inquire into the causes of the tear and wear of horses during the campaign, that, on the day of that decisive battle, not more than about 3500 horses were really fit for service, the remainder having been disabled by less than one month's marching; for, with the exception of one or two squadrons that fought at Magenta, the French cavalry was never under fire up to the 24th June, and an immense proportion of these had been rendered unserviceable by the saddle and other portions of the equipment.

* Campagne de l'Empereur Napoleon III. en Italie en 1859' (official).