SADDLE TREES. 117 



the usual result being that inflammation is set up, and a 

 tumour appears. A repetition or two of this process increases 

 the evil ; pus is formed ; and the horse may be laid up 

 for a month or more with an abscess, which is called a 

 ' sitfast ' when it occurs in the position mentioned, and 

 when it assumes a chronic form ; it being either a sac of soft 

 matter, or an unhealthy sore with a hard margin of skin 

 round it. I have seen so many cases of these injuries having 

 been produced by the saddles in question, even after the 

 stuffing had been altered several times, that I am confident 

 I am right in saying that saddle galls behind the cantle are 

 more often caused by the shortness of the tree, than by the 

 cantle touching the back. We should bear in mind that the 

 correct length of the tree depends principally on the length of 

 the thighs of the horseman. The tendency to such an injury is 

 naturally increased by the unworkmanlike practice some riders 

 affect of sitting far back in the saddle, and of sticking their 

 toes out in front of the horse's shoulders ; the consequence 

 being that the weight is thrown on the cantle at each stride, 

 instead of on the centre of the saddle." 



An average length for the tree of a hunting saddle with 

 a "straight head" (Figs. 122 and 120) would be about 18^ 

 inches, measured down the centre from pommel to cantle. 

 This length is about an inch longer than that of the bars, 

 which is unaffected by the shape of the head. 



2. The tree should be sufficiently wide, not only to dis- 

 tribute the weight, but also to afford comfort to the rider. 

 Hence we find that the width of a tree measured across the 

 broadest part of the seat, will vary from about io}4 to 14 

 inches. It is evident that the broader a man is " in the 

 beam," the wider must the bellies of the tree be. 



3. The weight bearing surfaces of the under part of the 

 tree should accurately correspond with those of the back, 

 with respect to shape. Not only should the top of the 



