4



seen in England was made for Anne of Bohemia, wife of Rich-
ard the Second, and was probably more like a pillion than the
side-saddle of the present day. A pillion is a sort of a very
low-backed arm-chair, and was fastened on the horse's croup,
behind the saddle, on which a man rode who had all the care
of managing the horse, while the lady sat at her ease, support-
ing herself by grasping a belt which be wore, or passing her
arm around his body, if the gentleman was not too ticlklsh.
But the Mexicans manage these things with more gallantry than
the ancients did. The "1 pisanna," or country lady, we are told
is often seen mounted befbre her " cavalera," who take the more
natural position of being seated behind his fair one, supporting
her by throwing his arm around her waist, (a very appropriate
support if the bent position o' the arm does not cause an occasional
contraction of the muscles.) These two positions may justly
be considered as the first steps taken by the ladies towards their
improved and elegant mode of riding at the present day.
  At an early period when the diversion of hawking was prev-
alent, they dressed themselves in the costume of the knight,
and rode astride. Horses were in general use for many cea-
turies before anything like a protection for the hoof was thought
of, and it was introduced, at first, as a matter of course, on a
very simple scale. The first foot defense, it is said, which was
given to the horse, was on the same principle as that worn by
mars, which was a sort of sandal, made or leather and tied to
the horse's foot, by means of straps or strings. And finally
plates of metal were fastened to the horse's feet by the same
simple means.
   Here again, as in the case of the sturrupless saddle,when we
reflect that men should, fbr nearly a thousand years, have gone
on fastening plates of metal undler horses' hoofs t'y the clumsy
means ot straps and strings, without its ever occurring to them
to try so simple an improvement as nails, we have another
remarkable demonstation of the slow steps by which horse-
manship has reached its present state.
   In the forgoing remarks I have talien the liberty of extracr-
ting several facts from a valuable little work by Rolla Spring-
field.  With this short comnient on tne rise and progress of
horsemanship, from its commencement up to the present time, I
will proceed to give you the principle; of a new theory of tam-
Ing wild horses, which is the result of many experiments and4
thorough investigation and trial of the differeunt methods of
horsemanship now in use.