Now try the two movements at once--that is, while the one leg is being brought back the other is to be passed through forward. You will thus always have one leg on each side of the horse.
Stand in front of the horse, hands on pommels, then spring up into the saddle into a kneeling position (as in Fig. 53). Then, throwing the arms up, give a good spring forward, alighting on your feet the other side (Fig. 54). You will feel rather awkward at first in attempting the spring, as the legs seem to be glued to the saddle, but it is very easy after having once been accomplished.
Jumping exercises on the horse, when neatly performed, are very effective.
Take a short run up to the board (described above), and jump--off both feet at once--over the back, passing the legs through the arms, and assisting yourself by the hands one on each pommel (Fig. 55).
When in this position shoot out the legs in front of you, and, leaving go of the pommels, come down neatly on the other side. Be careful to gather up the legs well when passing through, or you may catch your feet against the back of the horse, and come down on your nose. There are several forms of this exercise. Fig. 56 shows one of them.
It is rather more difficult than the last, from the legs passing _outside_ the hands. A much greater spring is required to raise you high enough to pass over, and you must be careful to let go with the hands at the proper time, otherwise you will lose command of yourself and pitch forward on to the ground. In practising this movement we recommend your having a friend to stand in front of the horse, to catch you in case of such an emergency.
Get on to the horse as in Fig. 57, sitting across, outside the pommels, then catch hold of the pommels as shown, and, throwing the whole weight of the body upon the arms, throw the legs right up, and, with a kind of twist, bring yourself round on to the horse the opposite side of the pommels, retaining your hold all the time. You will then face the opposite direction to the position from which you started. Practise the exercise from right to left, and _vice versa_.
There are many other forms of saddle-vaulting possible of practice, some of them very difficult, but it is not needful to describe them.