248 CENTURY OF ENGLISH FOX-HUNTING 



steps, and one or two chairs, made of wood only, 

 so that they can be easily scrubbed. 



7. A bar, with hooks upon it, slung from the 

 ceiling, on which to clean bridles. 



8. A large chest for spare horse-clothing. 



Certainly there is a difference between the modern 

 saddle-room and the one described by Mr. Surtees. 



The difference in saddlery between the beginning 

 and the end of the century has been most pro- 

 nounced. I have no intention of entering into a 

 discussion regarding the relative merits of " knee- 

 rolls " and " plain flaps." The latter certainly looks 

 smarter, and when one is accustomed to them are 

 more comfortable, in my opinion. At the beginning 

 of the century they were unknown. Then, even 

 light - weights rode in large, deeply cut saddles, 

 resembling armchairs, and the rest of the furni- 

 ture of the horse was heavy in proportion. It is 

 difficult to explain this, since for every imaginable 

 reason there should be as little on a horse in the 

 shape either of saddle or bridle as is compatible with 

 the comfort of the rider. Besides, it is obvious that 

 the nearer a man is to his horse the firmer will be 

 his seat in the saddle. Thus in Egyptian sculptures 

 we find no instance of the use of a saddle, the horses 

 being ridden barebacked, although reins were used ; 

 and this continued to be the custom till the period 

 of the Roman occupation, according to Sir John 

 Gardner Wilkinson, whose researches in Egyptian 



