226 BRIDLES AND SADDLES. 



The dip in the seat of the saddle should be exactly in 

 the centre. No leather is equal to hogskin, although the 

 quality of it has deteriorated a great deal of late years, 

 in consequence of pigs being bred finer, and coming 

 earlier to maturity, than formerly. Common low-priced 

 saddles, whether machine or hand-made, are expensive 

 in the end. They look bad, wear indifferently, and are 

 comfortable neither to the horse nor to the rider. At 

 the same time, men are such creatures of habit, that 

 they will get fond of, and swear by, an old saddle to 

 which they have become accustomed, although it may 

 be faulty, both in construction and quality. An amusing 

 instance of this occurred lately. An officer of a crack 

 cavalry regiment, who has a great reputation for horsey 

 knowledge, went to a saddler to get a favourite saddle 

 copied exactly, as he said it was the best and most com- 

 fortable one upon which he had ever sat. Upon inspec- 

 tion, the pattern was found to be the most worthless 

 thin"- imaginable. The tree was out of all proportion. 

 It had spread in front, wide enough for a dray horse. It 

 was bowed in the centre, so that only about three inches 

 of the saddle could rest upon the horse's back ; while 

 the seat was so devoid of setting and stuffing, that the 

 rider sat in a dip on the hogskin and boards. When the 



