NUMDAHS AND SADDLE-CLOTHS. 57 



working forward on the horse's back, which it will not 

 do if the animal is of a proper shape and the girths 

 sufficiently tight. In ancient days, when riding-horses 

 were more rotund than they are now, and saddles were 

 not so well made, cruppers were generally used, but 

 within the last forty years they have gone entirely out 

 of fashion. A crupper is not to be despised in out-of- 

 the-way parts abroad, when we have to ride animals of 

 all sorts and sizes, and when we have only one saddle. 



NUMDAHS AND SADDLE-CLOTHS. 



As the principles which regulate the use of these 

 appliances with cross saddles are the same as those 

 with side saddles, I cannot do better than give the 

 following extract from Riding and Hunting, with 

 one or two additions : 



" Saddle-cloths are generally made of felt, and 

 their primary object is to prevent the panel from 

 soaking up sweat and becoming thereby soiled 

 and more or less spoiled. The term numdah or 

 numnah, which is applied to felt saddle-cloths, is 

 derived from a Hindustani word that signifies 'felt.' 

 A saddle-cloth should be as thin as efficiency in 

 serving its purpose will allow it to be, so that it 

 may give as little play as possible to the saddle. 

 Although the fitting of the saddle should as far as 

 practicable be limited to the adjustment of the shape 

 of the tree and to regulating the amount of stuffing in 

 the panel ; the use of a numdah with a saddle which 

 does not fit the horse or which is not sufficiently 



