78 THE AMERICAN HORSEWOMAN. 



the pressure of the girth-buckles against his 

 side. 



The credit of introducini>: a new method of 

 tightening girths belongs, so far as we know, to 

 Mr. Stokes, formerly a riding-teacher in Cincin- 

 nati. This method enables one to girth the 

 horse tightlj^, without using so much muscular 

 effort as is usually required, so that by its 

 means, a lady can, if she wish, saddle her own 

 horse. (Fig. 8.) 



The following is a description of Mr. Stokes' 

 manner of girthing : At the end of each of 

 the leather girth straps, which hang down be- 

 tween the ilaps on the off-side of the saddle, is 

 fastened a strong iron buckle without any 

 tongue, but with a thin steel roller or revolving 

 cylinder on its lower edge. On the near side 

 of the saddle the girths are strapped in the 

 usual manner, but, on the oiite?^ end of each 

 cloth girth there is, in addition to an ordinary 

 buckle, with a roller on the upper side of it, a 

 long strap, which is fastened to the under side 

 of the girth, the buckle being on the upper side. 

 This strap, when the saddle is girthed, is passed 

 up through the tongueless buckle, moving easily 

 over the steel roller, and is then brought down 

 to the buckle with toni^ue on the end of the 

 girth, and there fastened in the usual manner. 



