THE SIDE SADDLE. 59 



the foregoing clear. Here A is the skirt, and locking lever, 

 B, shown raised, in order to fit the loop of the stirrup- 

 leather to the hook C below the cone D. 



A balance strap is usually supplied with a side-saddle, and 

 is a very desirable adjunct. Ds also, to which the cover-coat 

 is attached, should be fitted on. 



Quilted or plain doeskin seat and pommels are matters 

 of taste. These extras add to the cost of the saddle. A 

 waterproof or leather cover is an essential. Hogskin caps 

 and straps, to prevent the habit catching on the pommels, 

 should be provided when', the new patent safety-bar stirnip 

 is not used. 



AVhen practicable a lady should invariably be measured 

 for her saddle. It is almost impossible to find a lady's horse 

 that at some time or another has not suffered from sore 

 back, and it is imperative that the saddle should fit both 

 and that perfectly. We bipeds cannot walk or run in tight 

 ill-fitting boots, neither can a horse act under a badly fitting 

 saddle. I have read somewhere that the Empress of Austria 

 rode in an 8-lb. saddle, a statement I take leave to doubt. 

 Her Imperial Highness is far too fine and experienced a 

 horsewoman to have been seen outside any such toy. In 

 the present day there is a senseless rage for light side-saddles, 

 much to be deprecated, as the lightness is gained at the 

 expense of the tree, and light flimsy leather is used in their 

 manufacture. Possibly when alum comes into general use we 

 may see lighter and even strong trees. A lady weighing 9 

 stone 7 lbs. requires a saddle about 17 inches long, measured, 

 as in the sketch, from A to B, the seat from C to D, 13! inches 

 wide, the upright pommel 5^ inches high, and the leaping- 

 head 8 inches long. Such a saddle, brand new, will weigh 

 about 14 lbs., and at the end of a season will pull the scale 

 down at 18 to 20 lbs. A saddle made of the proper weight 



