Strangely enough, in out-of-door sports, where it would seem that
convention would rest practically at the zero point, the bugbear of
good form, although mashed and disguised, rises up to confuse the
directed practicality. The average man is wedded to his theory. He has
seen a thing done in a certain way, and he not only always does it that
way himself, but he is positively unhappy at seeing any one else
employing a different method. From the swing at golf to the manner of
lighting a match in the wind, this truism applies. I remember once
hearing a long argument with an Eastern man on the question of the
English riding-seat in the Western country.
"Your method is all very well," said the Westerner, "for where it came
from. In England they ride to hunt, so they need a light saddle and
very short stirrups set well forward. That helps them in jumping. But
it is most awkward. Out here you want your stirrups very long and
directly under you, so your legs hang loose, and you depend on your
balance and the grip of your thighs--not your knees. It is less tiring,
and better sense, and infinitely more graceful, for it more nearly
approximates the bareback seat. Instead of depending on stirrups, you
are part of the horse. You follow his every movement. And as for your
rising trot, I'd like to see you accomplish it safely on our mountain
trails, where the trot is the only gait practicable, unless you take
for ever to get anywhere.
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