102 HOUSE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA. 



Saddles. The chief thing to be considered about 

 saddles is that they should be long enough without 

 being too heavy, while their length should, as a rule, be 

 proportionate to that of the rider's thighs. A bad rider 

 may require extra ^weight in the tree to afford a broad and 

 roomy seat, which a good horseman may well dispense 

 with. Short saddles are most objectionable, both on 

 account of their curtailing the surface over which 

 the weight of the rider is distributed, and also by 

 reason of their tendency, when used, to give horses 

 sore backs (see Veterinary Notes for Horse Owners, 

 page 141.) 



The saddle between the points of the trees should 

 accurately fit the horse, so that it may not be liable 

 to work backwards or forwards, nor that the gullet 

 plate may hurt the animal's withers. 



English saddles are, as a rule, far too wide between 

 the points of the tree for the horses we use in India. 



Many people prefer a saddle with a cut back pom- 

 mel to one with a pommel cut straight down. The 

 idea of the former looking better than the latter is 

 a matter of taste. It probably gives the horse the 

 appearance of having more sloping shoulders, than 

 when a saddle with the other kind of pommel is used. 

 This shape is, however, objectionable on account of its 

 requiring a stronger, and consequently a heavier tree, 

 than one with a straight cut pommel, which, in my 

 opinion, produces a far better fit. 



Saddles covered with doeskin, or having the flaps 

 covered with that leather, and the seat with pigskin, 

 afford the rider a very firm grip. . 



