44 SADDLING. 



after a time, indirectly if not directly, cause a horse to 

 falter in his movement. 



N.B. — A horse left in the stable with his saddle on, 

 with or without a bridle, ought always to have his head 

 fastened up, to prevent his lying down on the saddle 

 and injuring it. 



Girths. — When girthing a horse, which is always 

 done upon the near or left-hand side, the girth should 

 be first drawn tightly towards you under the belly of 

 the horse, so as to bring the saddle rather to the off side 

 on the back of the beast. This is seldom done by 

 grooms ; and though a gentleman is not supposed to 

 girth his horse, information on this as well as on other 

 points may happen to be of essential service to him ; 

 for the consequence of the attendant's usual method is, 

 that when the girths are tightened up, the saddle, in- 

 stead of being in the centre of the horse's back, is in- 

 clined to the near or left-hand side, to which it is still 

 farther drawn by the act of mounting, so that when a 

 man has mounted he fancies that one stirrup is longer 

 than the other — the near-side stirrup invariably the 

 longest. To remedy this he forces down his foot in the 

 right stirrup, which brings the saddle to the centre of 

 the animal's back. 



All this would be obviated by care being taken, in 

 the process of girthing, to place the left hand on the 

 middle of the saddle, drawing the first or under girth 

 with the right hand till the girth-holder reaches the 

 buckle, the left hand being then disengaged to assist 

 in bracing up the girth. The outer girth must go 

 through the same process, being drawn under the belly 

 of the horse from the off side tightly before it is attached 

 to the girth-holder. 



