130 SADDLERY. 



the awl. Some saddlers consider that if a serge-covered 

 panel is stuffed with horse hair, the ends of the hairs are 

 apt to work through the serge and irritate the horse's back. 

 " Best flock " is made from white all-wool serge cuttings, 

 old government powder bags, and the waste of Whitney 

 blankets. Inferior flock consists of shoddy that generally 

 contains a large percentage of cotton and other vegetable 

 fibres, which are less elastic than hair or wool, especially 

 when exposed to the action of damp. A very fine kind of 

 flock is composed of curled hair, which is about half the 

 thickness of horse hair. 



Instances are not unfrequent of horses getting sore backs 

 from incompetent or dishonest saddlers re-stuffing good 

 saddles with inferior flock, which quickly becomes caked, 

 and thus causes unequal pressure. 



The possession of a high degree of softness by the panel 

 necessitates the panel being comparatively thick, and is 

 imperative only when the saddle has to be kept on the 

 horse's back for several hours. Also, the thicker the panel, 

 the less close will be the rider's grip. Therefore, although 

 curled horse hair or the best flock is necessary for the 

 stuffing of a saddle required for hunting, campaigning or 

 similar work ; felt will do for polo and steeple-chasing, at 

 which sports the saddle bears weight for a much shorter time. 

 It is manifest that the harder the condition and the less 

 jumping there is, the less liable will the back be to suffer. 



Generally, the covering of panels is serge, leather or linen. 

 Serge is used for both kinds of panels; and leather, as a 

 rule, only for short ones. 



For convenience of discussion under this heading, we may 

 divide panels into absorbent panels and leather covered 

 panels. The chief advantages of the latter are that they 

 remain dry, and require for their preservation only the 

 application of a little grease from time to time. If they are 



