516 SADDLERY AND HARNESS. 



shifts about the saddle, and concludes his performauee by tugging at tne 

 girths before he requests the employer to feel how firmly the new pro- 

 duction is located, it is always an evil omen. The saddler, supposing 

 the groom to be competent to his position, should never be suffered to 

 volunteer assistance; the horse owner had better ride bare-backed than 

 be seated on a badly-constructed saddle, for the last is hardly less un- 

 pleasant to a good horseman, while the first is infinitely more safe for 

 the rider and the quadruped. 



A good fit presupposes excellent workmen, and of course the larger 

 houses attract the greater number of such artificers, because in such 

 shops men expect to be employed on that particular branch of work in 

 which each excels. Such masters, likewise, can afi"ord to pay the highest 

 rate of wages, and can alone tempt with constant employment. Add to 

 these reasons that money in the saddlery and harness trades commands 

 rather more than its just influence, being able to select the pick of every 

 market, and it must be apparent how many advantages the established 

 firm enjoys over the ordinary beginner, who has to struggle against the 

 lack of pecuniary ability, against a want of regular customers, and against 

 those difficulties which are peculiar to his calling. 



Hogs' skins are easily cleansed by washing quickly with a little soap 

 and water ; but washing and drenching are not here regarded as repre- 

 senting the same process. Water is not beneficial to leather of any sort, 

 therefore as little fluid as will accomplish the object should be used; the 

 more speedy the operation the better. It should be concluded by a clean 

 cloth immediately wiping the surface quite dry. This finished, a sponge 

 damped with good milk should be passed over the exterior ; the saddle 

 then should be hung up (not before the fire or in the sunshine) to expel 

 the moisture. The more seldom, however, this process is adopted the 

 better ; consequently, it is only to be recommended upon urgent necessity. 



Bridles, and every strip of harness which bears the slightest resem- 

 blance to a rein, should be cut only from the best, the strongest, and the 

 choicest of English leather. Struggling tradesmen do not all possess 

 the ability, however powerful may be the desire, to exercise selection in 

 this article. Some have sent forth reins made of so faulty a material as 

 stood exposed the moment it encountered the glance of a practical or an 

 educated eye. The head-piece, requiring shorter straps, may possibly 

 be cut from a partially imperfect hide ; but for the reins, length and tough- 

 ness are essential. The merest crack will, with constant wear, become 

 a fissure ; and no horseman can foretell the moment when personal safety 

 shall depend upon the power which he shall be able to exert through 

 the reins. 



A fair proportion of the injuries which happen to riders or to drivers 



