198 ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



The length of the back from the pit of the shoulder to a hand's 

 breadth in front of the point of the hip should be the length of the 

 bearing surface of the pannel. More than this is harmful. This fitting 

 can be effected by maiking off the length on the pannel and stitching it 

 across (see fig. 35), after having previously pressed the stuffing out to 

 the required distance at each extremity. 



If a pack saddle is — 



(i) Wide in the front arch and sufficiently high, 



(2) with pannels stuffed to correspond with the length of the back, 



(3) thick enough to form an elastic bed ; 



this is all the fitting required. 



It is not intended that the side bars should be fitted as in the horse. 

 There is no such thing as securing the fit of the tree other than the 

 above condition respecting the front arch. The tree of a pack saddle is 

 a mere matter of convenience to hang the load on ; the essential feature 

 is the pannel, and to this it is impossible to pay too much attention. The 

 fitting of a pack saddle is therefore much simpler than that of a riding 

 saddle. 

 Injuries Injuries from pack saddles.— The. injuries resulting from pack saddles 



^'^ h"hi ^^^^ ^'•^ °^ ^^^ same type as those caused by riding saddles and brought about 

 ^^ ^^* in the same way, viz., dead continuous pressure or friction. In this way 

 are produced inflamed withers from narrow arches, injuries under the 

 side bar the result of thin pannels and too many hours under heavy 

 loads ; injuries to the shoulder-blades and hips due to the pannels being 

 too long, all of which are remedied by removing the cause. But the 

 load itself may be a source of injury, some of the projecting impedimenta 

 may wound the withers or neck, other portions sticking out behind may 

 inflict injuries on the hips, oscillation of the load will bruise the back 

 through actual concussion, while a want of equilibrium will cause the 

 saddle to heel over and cause injury to the withers and ridge of the back. 

 These causes are all capable of control ; no load should project in 

 such a way as to touch any part of the body ; an animal should be 

 capable of trotting and turning to either hand without being interfered 

 with by the impedimenta, and both these tests should be employed when 

 in doubt. Transport animals should not, of course, trot, but mules may 

 be employed carrying entrenching tools and such-like, and must on 

 occasion be able to move quickly. A trot finds out many defects, and 

 the attitude of the body is so different from that of a walk that parts 

 which appear out of harm's way at the latter pace are found to be 

 dangerously close or even touching at the trot, and especially is this true of 



