For civil purposes, the stock saddle, and a little guidance from horsemen will teach a man to ride, and the riding school would merely delay his progress. But Army purposes require a firm seat, a gentle hand to control the horse for military formations, and a perfect suppleness from the waist upwards for the use of weapons. These three vital needs involve a riding school. So the rookie is introduced to the riding school horse. Outside the school that horse is an iron-mouthed brute, who joggles, and cannot be induced to work apart from his comrades. Inside the school he understands the riding master's talk, goes through the drill with or without a rider, and tries to have some fun out of his rookie to pass away the boring hours until he gets home to stables and a meal. [Sidenote: The riding school] The first job is to give the rookie confidence in the horse. To inspire the rookie with confidence, the riding master flicks the horse's heels with a long whip. The rookie's confidence {238} that he will tumble off is nearly always justified, and in many instances his nerve is broken. Then the bully calls his victim a coward, and the rookie, made unfit for mounted work, drifts to some staff employment or transfers to a unit of foot. The use of dummy horse for beginners would develop the riding muscles without risk of spoiling the man. It would be reasonable also to tell the recruit that a little fuller's earth to absorb the moisture on his chafed skin will avert most agonizing pain. It is a curious streak in military character that there is a tremendous fuss over a horse gall the size of a sixpence, but that a man skinned from crotch to knee is blamed as a malingerer if he applies to the doctor for help. The saddle being worse than useless, the rookie is glad to be quit of such an obstacle to his progress in riding. Moreover, his puttees being worn with edges up, they catch in the horse's turned down hair, and so give him a chance to grip bareback. Leave out the saddle altogether and the plucky and intelligent recruits of the new armies are quick to gain confidence as horsemen. They learn by sensible methods taught to the Greek {239} rookies of Xenopohon's ever-glorious Ten Thousand. [Sidenote: Riding establishments]