40 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



consequence, has been replaced by the modern 

 aprons. 



The very broad crutch for the left knee that 

 has recently been introduced is also a step in the 

 right direction, and is most favourably reported 

 on for ease and comfort by ladies who are now 

 using it. 



Q. Are raw-hide girths as good as ordinary 



ones 



A. Except for fashion they are better, for 

 they keep a horse very cool, and take such a 

 good grip they need not be drawn so tight as the 

 others. If they are kept well oiled they seldom 

 gall a horse, and many very thin-skinned 

 thoroughbreds can be ridden in these girths, 

 whom the ordinary ones would rub quite raw. 



Q. If an ordinary girth does gall a horse, 

 more especially a young one that is still low in 

 its withers and carries its saddle too forward, 

 what is a useful remedy ? 



A. A piece of soft string — there is nothing 

 better than an old silk shoe-lace — should be tied 

 round the webbing sufficiently tight to bend the 

 edge outwards that is doing the mischief. There 

 is then nothing to do harm, and as the withers 

 grow up the saddle will get further back, and the 

 evil will cure itself. 



Q. What is a good preservative for saddles 

 and bridles ? 



A. Common yellow bar-soap — the same that is 

 used for washing floors — is better than any saddle 

 paste, for it keeps the leather soft, and never 

 stains hunting breeches on a wet day. Unlike 

 most pastes too, which often make a saddle as 



