SADDLES AND SADDLING. 149 



<lesirablo for all ritliii;.; sadJli-s, hiiiiting, polo, i)iirk, 

 luilitaiy, ladies', or cliiklreu's. For ludies, particu- 

 larl}' iu tlio liuiitiuf:; tieUl, as also for liorses liaving 

 to turn out shortly after feeding, it is simply invalu- 

 able, quite especially for cavalrj*, doing ii.\\a.y 

 with the necessity of ver^- tight girthing at the start, 

 some ti Hies so dangerous for rider and horse. There 

 is another kind of girth made of braided cord, which 

 is very durable, and prevents the slipping of the sad- 

 dle, as it fastens itself in the hair. 



In .slirnip.1, there is a great variety in shape and 

 weight. Leaving shape as a matter of tasto out of 

 consideration, Ave find three kinds of gentlemen's 

 stirrups, the liglit, the heavy, and the safety stirrup. 

 The litjht .slirrtip should only be used for racing 

 purposes, or by boys; for gentlemen il, is a rather 

 dangerous stirrup, as, on account of its lightness, it 

 is very apt to slip back on the foot, and iu case of 

 the rider losing his balance in the saddle, it is very 

 difficult to disengage the foot quick enough, and a 

 serious accident may be the result. Or, the rider 

 holding the stirrup with the ball of the foot, they 

 slip off in front very easily, flying around in all 

 directions, and it is very dilhcult to re-catch them 

 again. 



Not so the heavy stifrup, which, by its weight, offers 

 <nore stability aud safety for the foot. It is easily 



