154 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



untimely fall, — but what can they do when the 

 mane is hogged ! 



Q. It is a common saying that a horse should 

 have length. Can this be obtained without a 

 long back ? 



A. Most certainly it can. A long back is a 

 disadvantage, as it is necessarily less able to carry 

 weight than a short one, nor is there the same 

 activity with it. A long carriage takes more 

 turning than a shorter one ! A horse should have 

 the length beneath, standing over a lot of ground, 

 but there should be only just room on his back to 

 adjust the saddle. 



Q. How is this ? 



A. If his shoulders are well sloped, with the 

 withers running right into the centre of the back, 

 and with long quarters coming well forward, 

 there will be scant room for the saddle. Such a 

 back hardly requires girths, for the saddle will 

 stay in its place of its own accord, and the heart 

 ribs are sure to be deep. 



Q. Do these latter make much difference in 

 the position of the saddle ? 



A. Very much so, for if they are small the 

 saddle is sure to work forward, there being no 

 proper place for the girths. This often happens 

 with young horses, before the frame has properly 

 developed, especially if they have large, round 

 ribs ; but as the withers get up, and the heart 

 ribs develop below, the saddle attains its right 

 place. 



Q. Is this the reason the girths get so forward 

 with a four-year-old they make sore places behind 

 the elbows ? 



