SADDLING. S9 



When the saddle has been nicely placed, take up the first 

 girth, and then the hinder one, drawing both well back 

 from the horse's elbows, so that they shall neither chafe nor 

 inconvenience him in his action. Do not girth him up too 

 tightly at first, especially if he has been recently fed .; nor 

 must you on the other hand leave him too much space for 

 the air to make way through, taking into account that 

 some horses are terrible rogues, and will actually swell 

 themselves out ever so much when they feel the girths 

 tightening upon them, which shows that they are more 

 sensible than many who ride them, inasmuch as they 

 object to being too tightly laced. I had an arrant rogue 

 once, who used to present the appearance of a drowned pup 

 whenever I came to girth him up, and would gradually 

 collapse inward, like an indiarubber ball with a hole in it, 

 whenever he thought he had me sufficiently gammoned. 

 That horse's face would have won a fortune for him as a 

 type of injured innocence when I let him see one day in a 

 practical manner that I was up to his tricks ; but we con- 

 tinued excellent chums, nevertheless, and as it was to a 

 male friend I subsequently sold him (who would, of course, 

 clap a leg each side of him, and so distribute the weight), 

 I said nothing about his little dodges, but laughed to 

 myself when, a few days later, I saw the dear old man (his 

 owner) riding his wily purchase in the Row, with girths so 

 slack that he could have put both feet into them, stirrups 

 and all, without much inconvenience, and my cunning friend 

 trotting demurely along under him, with the most lamb- 

 like countenance in the world. 



