lO MODERN HORSEMANSHIP. 



There are no trees that compare with those 

 made in England, but in nearly every large city 

 one can have a saddle fairly well made if the 

 tree is a good one and fits the horse. It is a 

 great mistake to undertake to correct the faults 

 of a tree by the stuffing of the pannel ; the tree 

 must fit, and then it would be a blundering 

 workman who could not turn out a satisfactory 

 saddle. A man may buy a ready-made coat if 

 he please, but he has no right to put a ready- 

 made saddle on a horse ; for in the latter case 

 it is not a question of appearances but of com- 

 fort. There is no reason why even the beginner 

 should place himself entirely in the hands of 

 the saddler. It is very easy to tell whether a 

 tree fits the horse or where the faults lie. The 

 withers and the spine should be free from 

 pressure, the points of the tree should lie lightly 

 against the sides of the shoulders (neither pinch- 

 ing nor standing away from them), and there 

 should be a level bearinsf alono^ both sides of 

 the spine. Because the tree does not fit at first 

 it need not necessarily be discarded, for great 

 changes can be made in the shape of the tree ; 

 but it is better to find a tree that without 

 changes fits perfectly, or nearly so, and in the 

 latter case correct the defects in the tree itself 



