SADDLES AND SADDLING. 153 



ami ho will soon find tliat unlK';ii;il)le. All Jicrobats 

 and niuiuTS, put a strap aronud their waist, because it 

 assists thera in their etl'i)rts. The main portion of 

 the lungs are enclosed by the chest (or by the true 

 ribs in the horse), while the small ends or the loop* 

 of the Iniigs do not need so much room for expan- 

 sion. Why should that not be the same with the 

 horse ? 



Furthermore, if the rider sits then in the middle 

 of the saddle, the eipiilibriiim between horse and 

 rider will be establi>.hed. Or, if the rider sits very 

 far back on the loins of the horse — which loins, by the 

 way, are not intended bj^ nature to carry the weight 

 directh', a thing we see practised very often by 

 tlioughtless riders, causing considerable pain to the 

 horse, as the kidneys are located right underneath 

 the loins— the saddle will tilt up in front, and shift 

 forward, the result, possibly, being a sore back. 

 Horses, with ticklish backs, may resent sirch displace- 

 ment of the weight by kicking vigorousl}', such 

 movement sometimes followed by a graceful imitation 

 of the catapult on the part of the rider. 



The fastening of the girths is seldom properly 

 performed. Many people throw the saddle rudely 

 down upon the horse, as if the latter were a log of 

 wood, thereby irritating many horses, especially 

 mares, to such a degree, as to make them jump in the 



