I70 ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



loins. By care in fitting, it is comparatively simple to overcome this 

 cause of trouble. (See fig. 35.) 

 Certain There are certain classes of back which especially lend themselves 



backs very to injury by both "burr" and " fan.^' For instance, a hollow back is 

 liable to certain to be injured by both ends of the side bar and the reason of this 

 \^l'^^ is evident. 



" burr ■' ^ horse with thick low withers, with blade-bones comparatively wide 



and "fan."" apart, is peculiarly liable to injury from the burr. 



When muscle waste becomes established, the edge of the blade-bone 

 at the play of the shoulder becomes more and more evident, as the long 

 muscles of the back melt away, until it stands up like a new growth. 



Under these conditions, the " burr " will press on it and do injury, 

 as the muscles of the back having wasted, there is nothing to keep the 

 saddle off the blade-bone. 



Another type of back liable to injury from the side bar is the roach 

 back, and it is evident that the position of the injury to which it is liable 

 is just the reverse of that produced in a hollow back. In the roach back 

 it is the centre of the side bar, rather than the extremities, which 

 cause the trouble. On this point, further reference will be made in 

 speaking of the cause of injuries. 

 Distance The remaining point to notice about the framework of the saddle is 



between the distance the two side bars are apart. In a plain saddle they are 

 side bars, comparatively close together, and this has been followed in military 

 saddles with disastrous results. We now know that the side bars must 

 be kept sufficiently far apart to allow them to clear the side of the 

 withers when the blanket, numnah or pannels are placed under the 

 saddle. The distance which side bars are kept apart depends entirely 

 upon the width of the front arch. Where the bars are close together the 

 side of the wither gets pinched, especially when horses lose tiesh, so 

 that it is almost impossible to have the channel between the bars 

 too wide. 



One great reason for this is that circumstances necessitate a blanket 

 should be carried under the saddle — perhaps two ; and if the distance 

 between side bars is insufficient, the thickness of these blankets will 

 cause the side bar to rest on the side of the withers, for it is obvious 

 that the tendency of a saddle blanket and numnah is to fill up the 

 interval between the side bars. 

 The seat T^e seat atid flaps.— ^^ have so far considered the framework ot 



and flaps, the saddle, viz., the two arches and side bars. These comprise the 

 essentials of a saddle, and if they fit — or to put it perhaps more 

 accurately — if these are big enough, and in any way resemble the surface 



