WOMEN'S SADDLES. 229 



side saddle, other things being equal, will fit far fewer horses than a man's 

 saddle, in which there is little or no side play. The saddle should be suffi- 

 ciently long for the rider, which it generally will be if the cantle is about one 

 inch clear behind her. If the tree be too short, the cantle, at fast paces, 

 will be forced downwards and backwards so that the skin just behind the 

 saddle will be liable to be rumpled and bruised at each stride ; a sore back 

 being the probable result in a short time. 



"Though the greatest care should be taken to prevent the possibility of 

 the gullet plate (the iron arch at the pommel) touching the withers, so long 

 as there is sufficient space left to obviate such an accident, there is no need 

 to have the pommel tilted up more than can be helped. This (the arch of 

 the gullet being too narrow) is a very common fault in side saddles, and 

 is one to which sufficient attention has not been directed. The off front 

 part of the tree should be shaped so as to minimize the chance of this injury. 

 It is a good plan to have the gullet plate cut far back, so as to leave the 

 withers uncovered, except by a soft pad that forms the continuation of the 

 'safe' (the padded front piece of the near flap of a side saddle). This 

 arrangement helps to make the seat level. Side saddles should be made 

 with the seat on the near side eased off, so as to allow the rider's left leg to 

 get close to the horse. The near side of the cantle is also made a little 

 higher than the off side, so as to correct any tendency there may be to sit 

 too much over the near side. 



" Fashion decrees that the seat of the saddle when on the horse should 

 lie in as horizontal a position as possible. To obtain this, the seat of the 

 tree (which in all cases should follow the shape of that portion of the horse's 

 back upon which it rests) is built up with padding so as to make it more or 

 less level from front to rear and as flat as possible across the seat, while 

 allowing space for the stirrup leg. The pannel or under part, which is next 

 the horse, should not be too much stuffed ; for if it is the saddle will be liable 

 to shift its position. The ' level seat ' saddle has the great improvement 

 of a cut back pommel. Although an old-fashioned saddle is uncomfortable 

 on account of the right knee being raised to an undue height, I think that an 

 absolutely level seat is a mistake, for it affords less security than one in the 

 seat of which there is a slight depression to sit in. For my own riding I 

 like a dip of about two inches in the seat of the saddle. The side saddle 

 has two crutches on the left side of the front part of the tree (the wood and 



