TWISTING STIRRUP LEATHERS. 155 



he will naturally feel " all abroad," if his horse plays up, or 

 if he is trying to negotiate a jump, unless he has the support 

 of both stirrups. When the leathers are twisted as I have 

 described, the irons will be in the best position for the feet to 

 take them. It also strikes me that in the event of a fall, the 

 feet would come out of the irons more readily when thus 

 placed, than they would do if the leathers had not been 

 twisted. 



When a girth is too long to be used in the ordinary way, 

 it may be shortened by taking a fold of the webbing near 



Fig. 155. Using a Leather, the Sewing of which has become undone. 



one end, passing the tongue of the buckle through it, and 

 attaching the buckle to one of the girth straps (Fig. 153). 

 This should be only a temporary measure, as it is apt to tear 

 the webbing. 



A rider may tighten his girths without dismounting, by 

 bringing, say, his right leg in front of the saddle-flap, and 

 then shortening the girths with the right hand (Fig. 154). 



A ready way of using a stirrup leather, the sewing of 

 which has become undone, is to make a hole in the part 

 where the stitching was, and to pass the tongue of the buckle 

 through this hole, and also through one of the punched holes 

 at the required length (Fig. 155). 



