USUAL OR INSTINCTIVE EQUITATION
saddle, while with the left he grasps a handful of hairs of the mane. Rising on the toes of his right foot, he places his left foot in the stirrup, and, after two preparatory swings of the body up and down, by bending and straightening the right knee, on the third, he raises himself upon his left stirrup, assisting himself by both legs and by the left hand. He is now standing erect in the left stirrup, facing toward the horse's right. The right hand, always holding the reins, is next placed upon the right panel of the saddle, the wrist bearing upon the upper part, the upper part of the body is inclined forward, and the right leg is passed over the horse's croup and the rear part of the saddle. Finally, the rider, still supporting his body by the right hand, comes easily down into the saddle, abandons both panel and mane, brings his right hand with the reins in front of him, and without looking or any help, places his right foot in the stirrup.
All other methods of mounting are variations of this, necessitated by peculiarities of either man or horse.
If the horse is tall and the man short, the latter can best reach the stirrup by standing with his left side close to the horse's shoulder, and facing to the rear. Some riders, on the other hand, prefer to face forward, their right side at the horse's left flank, and the right hand, which holds the reins, on the cantle of the saddle.
Still another method, if proportions of man and
8
