NAVAJO BLANKETS 101 



horseman's motives, but because he is held to account for 

 them. Unlike the Indian, he rarely has a sore-backed nag. 

 He often uses a gunny- bag saddle-cloth next the pony's 

 skin, the hempen fibre of which keeps the back cool, and 

 over this, for padding, his woollen blanket. In the South- 

 west he is apt to sport a variegated saddle - cloth with 

 fringed edge, such as the Mexicans parade ; and if he can 

 manage to get hold of a Navajo blanket he is fixed. 

 These wonderful bits of handwork, of bright, agreeable 

 colors, are worth from fifty dollars upwards, never seem 

 to wear out, are cool and pleasant to the pony's skin, do 

 not gall, and are by long odds the best thing under a sad- 

 dle which exists. The Indian will give from two ponies 

 upwards for one of them, when he can buy a wiie for one 

 pony, and not a very good pony (or wife) at that. The 

 cowboy's saddle is held in place by one very wide or two 

 narrower hair cinchas, though the single cincha is more 

 a Californian than a plains habit ; if one, it is, among 

 plains riders, always put a full hand-breadth back of what 

 in the East we call the girth-place. The rear girth gets a 

 purchase on the back slope of the ribs. 



The cowboy's bit is any kind of a curb with a long gag. 

 He rides under all conditions with a loose rein, the bit 

 ends of which are often made of chain, to prevent the 

 pony from chewing it off, and this clanks a rhythmic 

 jingle to his easy lope. His pony is as surefooted as a 

 mountain goat, and will safely scramble with his big load 

 up a cliff, or slide down a bank which w^ould make our 

 tenderfoot hair stand on end. The loose rein and the 

 sharp gag enable the cowboy with the least jeik to pull 

 his pony back on his haunches, for the pony is unused to 

 a steady hold. The cowboy is assuredly no three-legged 

 rider. The bit hangs in a fancy trade-bridle, which the 

 cowboy ornaments in various fashions to suit his own 



