192 



ANliMAL MANAGEAIENT. 



V girth 

 attach- 

 ment. 



Girth 



buckle 



injury. 



Injury 

 from the 

 rear pack. 



and then under the surcingle, which should be about a foot from the 

 rear of the girth, or even further back than this (fig. 37). The saddle 

 girth can now be drawn back as far as is considered necessary to avoid 

 the injured surface ; when this is accomplished the girth is drawn tight. 

 The surcingle is also tightened, but only sufficiently to prevent it from 

 being drawn forwards. With this contrivance it is impossible for a horse 

 to girth-gall, and impossible for a saddle to slip forward. 



The use of a V-shaped girth is a considerable gain to the troop horse, 

 but the point of junction of the V is always a source of trouble ; a metal 

 union appears to be necessary for strength, but a metal plate, ring, or 

 studs at this point are a possible source of trouble, especially if a blanket 

 be so folded as not to afford sufficient protection to the sides. Nor must 

 it be forgotten that the cause of trouble Is aggravated by a tight 

 surcingle or over-girth. The action of this is to press the metal 

 connection deeper into the side, and in some cases a tight over-girth is 

 the sole cause of trouble. 



Conformation has an effect ; the flat-ribbed horse suffers more than 

 the other. The remedy is simple : one or more pads of numnah 

 under the attachment, depending upon the horse's conformation, will 

 prevent any further bruising of the sides, while the over-girth must be left 

 slack. 



Quite apart from the metal attachment on the V-shaped girth, injury 

 may arise from the buckles on the girth. It is easy to ascertain the 

 cause of this injury, as the abrasion corresponds to the holes in the girth 

 straps. The remedy is simple : a pad of numnah above the injury, and 

 girthing the horse two holes lower on the affected side will be found 

 sufficient. 



Injury f 7-0 m the rear pack. — Injuries from the rear pack are among 

 some of the most severe inflicted ; the part affected is the ridge of 

 the spine where there is nothing covering the bone but skin, and in a 

 very short time an injury may be inflicted of sufficient severity to lay 

 the horse up for weeks. No matter what is carried behind the saddle the 

 golden rule is that it should be concave towards the spine in order that 

 nothing may touch it. The nature of the material carried must determine 

 what degree of bend can be given to it to make it concave towards the 

 spine. For instance, when one sees a picket peg laid across the rear fans 

 and carried next to the horse's back we know that the golden rule for 

 carrying a rear pack is either unknown or forgotten. 



Bearing in mind what we have said about muscle waste, it must be 

 evident that a rear pack which is clear of the spine when the horse is 

 full of muscle may rest on the backbone when he loses flesh. A horse 



