MHI Copy 3 J FM 25-5 WAR DEPARTMENT BASIC FIELD MANUAL ANIMAL TRANSPORT _/5Jo lE 1955 U,S. Army Military History Insfitfut (,· $FM 25-5 J C 1 BASIC FIELD MANUAL ANImAL TRANSPORT CHANGES WAR DEPARTMENT, No. 1 I WAsINGoON, September 30, 1940. FM 25-5, June 15,. 1939, is changed as follows: * 8. MILITARY SEAT.-a. The correct military seat permits the rider to remain master of his equilibrium whatever may be the actions of his horse. It must be secure in itself and pro- vide ease and comfort for both horse and rider. Such a seat is dependent upon balance, augmented by suppleness, muscular control of the body, and use of the legs. b. The military seat, while obligatory in the Army, is also admirably adapted to all kinds of riding such as hunting, polo, and jumping. For certain of these activities, a different adjustment of stirrups may be necessary. c. Without a properly constructed saddle, the deepest part of which is approximately in the center, it is extremely diffi- cult to acquire or, retain the correct military seat. The McClellan saddle is properly designed. Many fiat saddles are too low at the cantle or at the pommel. These faults place the deepest part of the seat of the saddle too far to the rear or too far to the front, making it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to assume the correct seat. Usually all issue flat saddles may be altered by changing the amount of padding at the cantle or pommel so that the deepest part will be correctly centered. d. The principal elements to be considered are the rider's upper body, his base of support, his legs, and his equilibrium or balance. (1) The upper body means that part of the body from the hip joints up. (2) The base of support is formed by those parts of the rider's body in contact with the saddle and the horse, from the points of the buttocks down along the inside of the thighs, to and including the inner knees, legs, and stirrups. The fleshy parts of the buttocks are forced to the rear and in no case form part of the seat. 260593'--40-- 1 1 U.S. Army ilitary Hstoty Institute ANIMAL TRANSPORT (3) The leg is that part of the limb between the knee and the ankle. (4) Since the rider is constantly receiving impulses from the moving horse, he is frequently in danger of losing his equilibrium and can retain it only by the clinging of the knees and thighs reinforced by a sufficiently strong leg grip. Bal- ance obviates the necessity for continuous leg grip, saves the legs from undue strain and fatigue, and is the principal requisite of a secure seat. Balance requires that the center of gravity of the upper body remain as nearly as possible over the center of its base of support. With the horse in motion, the center of gravity must be farther advanced than when at the halt in order to compensate for the force of inertia which tends to overbalance the upper body to the rear and leave the rider "behind his horse." When the center of gravity passes outside the limits of its base of support, the rider's balance is in danger of being lost and he must maintain it by gripping with his legs. A rider with a poor seat makes the grave mistake of pulling on the reins. Balance must be entirely independent of the hands and reins. a 9, POSITION MOUNTED.-a. The rider sits with his crotch squarely in the center of the saddle, his weight distributed forward from the points of his buttocks into his crotch and down onto the inner thighs, knees, and stirrups. (1) At the halt the upper body, due to a slight forward in- clination from the hip joints, is slightly in front of the per- pendicular. Thus its center of gravity is placed in front of the points of the buttocks. This facilitates correct placing of the thighs and proper distribution of weight. (2) To be in balance when in motion, the upper body is inclined farther forward from the hips. The lower thighs, knees, and legs remain in close contact with the horse. The knees, ankles, and heels sink at each stride, absorbing part of the shock and fixing the rider securely in the saddle. Inclining the upper body to the rear or convexing the loin to the rear places the center of gravity of the upper body in rear of the center of its base of support and causes the rider to sit on the fleshy parts of his buttocks. This faulty position tends to raise the thighs and knees, weakens the seat, concentrates 2 ANIMAL TRANSPORT the weight toward the cantle, and is unmilitary in appearance. It is fatiguing 'to the horse and often injurious to his back. The rider is "behind his horse." b. The thighs extend downward and forward, their inner sides resting without constraint on the saddle. (1) With the buttocks to the rear and the upper body in- clined to the front, the thighs are naturally forced down and the center of the saddle comes well up into the rider's crotch. The large fleshy muscles of the inner thighs are thus forced to the rear and the flat of the thigh is permitted without muscular constraint to envelop the horse. Thus seated, a proper propor- tion of the rider's weight is distributed down his thighs and the tendency to grip with them is avoided. (2) If the thighs are turned outward excessively, contact of knee and lower thigh with the saddle is lost and the rider has neither the correct distribution of weight nor the proper base of support. Instability and lack of security result. c. The knees are forced down as low as the adjustment of the stirrups will permit without causing the stirrup straps to hang in rear of the vertical. Knees are neither limp nor stiff, nor is there normally any effort to "pinch" with them. Flexed and relaxed, they rest with their inner sides in continuous contact with the saddle. (1) Properly placed thighs, as described in (b) above, natu- rally and correctly place the knees. Knees excessively turned out produce the same faulty results for similar incorrect posi- tions of the thighs. (2) Knees excessively turned in force the heels out and cause the calves of the legs to lose proper contact. (3) Knees too high cannot form a proper part of the base of support. They place the rider behind his horse. Such a fault is an indication of the fact that either stirrups are too short, the rider is sitting back on his buttocks, or that the forward inclination of the upper body is insufficient. (4) If knees are stiffened or straightened, the calves of the legs lose proper contact with the horse and the rider's seat is forced out of the saddle. (5) If knees are limp, the legs go too far to the rear and the stirrup straps are no longer vertical. The heels come up and the crotch and buttocks slip too far forward in the saddle. 3 ANIMAL TRANSPORT (6) Thus a faulty position of the knee is an indication of the fact that the entire seat is incorrect. d. The legs, ankles, feet, and stirrups are disposed as follows: (1) The legs extend downward and backward with the calves in light, elastic contact with the horse. The calves naturally fall into this position if the knees are flexed and relaxed. This contact of the calves is a means of communication between rider and horse and also assists security. When the legs are not in contact, communication is lost and their swinging con- fuses a well-trained horse, irritates a nervous one, and renders the seat insecure. Correct adjustment of stirrups assists ma- terially in preserving leg contact. (2) Stirrup leathers are approximately vertical. The length of stirrup is normal and approximately correct if the tread hangs opposite the lower level of the ankle bone when the rider is seated as described above, with his feet out of the stirrups and his legs hanging naturally, well down and around his horse. This is not a fixed rule as the conformation of both horse and rider call for slight modifications. (a) Stirrup leathers for special forms of riding may be longer or shorter than described. For schooling, a longer stirrup should be used. For show jumping, steeplechasing, and racing, the stirrups should be shortened. Too long a stir- rup diminishes the rider's base of support, renders balance from front to rear particularly difficult, and interferes with proper use of the legs. Too short a stirrup raises the knees excessively, makes the seat insecure as to lateral reactions, and causes undue fatigue when employed over long periods of time. With very short stirrups, unless the forward inclina- tion of the upper body is increased materially so as to keep the center of gravity of the mass over the horizontal distance between the knees and heels (diagram below), the rider is placed behind his horse with his weight toward the cantle of the saddle. (b) All requirements of military riding may be met by the normal adjustment of the stirrups. Short stirrups should not be used except for the special purposes given in (a) above. (c) The McClellan saddle is not suited for use with very short stirrups. Its high cantle prevents the buttocks from 4 ANIMAL TRANSPORT going to the rear as they must when stirrups are markedly shortened.