CHAPTER YII. 



SADDLERY AND HARNESS. 



Importance of having Good Accoutrements — Choos^ing a Saddle — 

 Saddle-cloths — How to Treat a Sore Back — Small Knte- 

 Rolls Recommended — WJien to Use the Plain S/iaJl< — 77<e 

 Short Hunting Curb and Biidoon — Pelhanis — Gag-bits — 

 Breastplates — The Martingale, Rings on the Reins, 4'C. — 

 Girths — Ladies' Saddles — Sajety Stirrup Jj^ojis — 2'he 

 "Ladys Bridle " ; an Atrocity — The Ladys Modern Bridle 

 — T}ie Bit — Bridles without Blinkers — Bearing-reins — The 

 Collar — The Throat-lash — Loin-cloths — A Word of Caution. 



much of your horse's comfort depends upon his 

 accoutrements, that too much care can hardly be 

 exercised in their choice and fit. A few minutes' 

 pulling in a badly-fitting collar will cause a wring, the effects 

 of which will last for months; and many a horse has been 

 irritated into bolting by means of a bit improperly adjusted. 

 In choosing a saddle, have it placed properly on the back, 

 and girtlied\ it is only by so doing, and then putting yourself 

 into it, that you can see where it does not fit. Do not have 

 It too close down on the withers ; if it is, it will inevitably 

 gall, sooner or later — most probably the former. A little extra 

 stuffing will make a great deal of difference in the balance 

 and adjustment of a saddle, and occasionally it may be useful 

 to take a little of it out. As a general rule, saddle-cloths 

 are not desirable ; they make the back hot, and, of course, 

 induce a great deal of perspiration unnecessarily, and this causes 

 galling. The saddle-cloth provided by Nature — i.e., the coat 

 itself, cut to a saddle mark, is far preferable in the hunter, or 

 horse used exclusively for hacking purposes. If any saddle- 



