262 THE HORSE 



the mistaken idea of saving two or three pounds in 

 weight. 



A horse necessarily sweats very considerably underneath 

 a saddle, and any practical contrivance to minimise this is 

 worthy of notice. A saddle which certainly fulfils this 

 condition has been largely used of late years in Yorkshire 

 hunting-fields, which admits air into the tree through several 

 apertures, and it should therefore be an important aid in 

 keeping the skin dry, and thereby lessen the liability to 

 a sore back. It is on the market as Kobson's Patent 

 Ventilated Saddle. 



Bridles. 



Of bridles there is an endless variety : they differ as much 

 as the hands of the rider and his capacity for making 

 the best use of the " key to the horse's mouth." It is 

 absolutely necessary that full control should be possessed by 

 the rider, but so long as this is attained humanity urges 

 that no severer bit should be used than is necessary to 

 achieve that object ; and the easier the bit the more 

 pleasantly will the animal carry itself and its rider, when 

 a better mutual understanding will be established between 

 them. Bits should always be sewn on to the bridles, for 

 buckles and straps are less neat in appearance, and if a 

 martingale is necessary — and in many cases it is — the rings 

 are apt to catch on the buckles, and the rider may have an 

 awkward moment or two until they are released. 



The reins should be broad, as then they are more 

 comfortable to hold, and the leather should be thin enough 

 to be pliable, but not so thin that the reins double up in the 

 hand ; at the same time if they are very stiff they do not 

 afford the same delicacy of touch — although this may not 

 make much difference to those who are heavy-handed, or, as 

 frequently designated, mutton-fisted. Various contrivances 

 have been tried to afford a better grasp in wet weather, when 

 a hard-pulling horse causes the reins to be continually 

 slipping through the fingers, and an excellent plan is to 

 have the forepart of the rein made quite narrow, till it nears 

 the point where the rider is accustomed to take hold when 



