THE SADDLE AND BRIDLE. 71 



The under surface of the arch of the saddle- 

 tree, in front, should never come in contact 

 with the animal's withers, nor should the points 

 of the saddle-tree be so tightly fitted as to in- 

 terfere with the movements of his shoulders. On 

 the other hand, they should not be so far apart 

 as to allow the central furrowed line of the un- 

 der surface of the saddle (the chamber) to rest 

 upon the animal's back. The saddle should be 

 so fitted and padded that this central chamber 

 will lie directly over the spinal column of the 

 horse without touching it, while the padded sur- 

 faces, just below the chamber, should rest closely 

 on the sides of the back, and be supported at as 

 many points as is possible without making the 

 animal uncomfortable. 



When a horse has very high withers, a breast- 

 plate, similar to that employed in military ser- 

 vice, may be used, to prevent the saddle from 

 slipping backwards. This contrivance consists 

 of a piece of leather passing round the neck 

 like a collar, to the lowest part of which is fast- 

 ened a strap that passes between the fore-legs 

 of the horse and is attached to the saddle girth. 

 Two other straps, one on each side, connect the 

 upper part of the collar piece with the upper 

 part of the saddle. The under strap should 

 never be very loose, for should the saddle slip 



