52 SEATS AND SADDLES. 



with regard to the place of the saddle — namely, that it. 

 should interfere the least possible with the action of \ 

 the muscles of the horse's fore and back hand. Look- \ 

 inf at Plate II., we see the back covered with a broad 

 tendon, into which, as has been already pointed out, 

 the muscles of these two parts are inserted, and on 

 which their contractile action is exercised. The sad- 

 dle should not extend much, if at all, beyond the 

 limits of this flat tendon, because, b}^ doing so, it will 

 be sure to impede more or less the free action of the 

 muscles, whereas the tendon is rather assisted than 

 impeded in its functions by a weight being placed on 

 it ; and it is also evident that a rider sitting at one 

 end of his saddle instead of in the centre, will pro- 

 duce the same injurious effect. 



The next question to be determined is. To what part 

 of the saddle should the girths be attached 1 Now it 

 is very evident that, if the placing of the weight in the 

 centre of the saddle has the effect of transmitting an 

 equal amount of pressure to all that part of the horse's 

 back with which the latter is in contact, the attaching 

 the girths so as to act directly on the centre of the 

 saddle will have precisely the same effect; and the 

 friction that results — that is, the adhesiveness produced 

 by pressure — will be equable throughout, and of course 

 least likely to injure any one particular point. It was 

 a very prevalent idea some years ago, that " the point- 

 strap " — that is to say, the girth that was placed well 

 forward in the saddle — was the thing to depend on to 

 prevent the saddle slipping ; but experience has proved 

 this notion to be erroneous ; and Sir Francis Head, a 

 very good authority on these matters, has pointed out, 

 if we mistake not, that the proper place for attaching 



