As a prevention of sore back nothing beats a good deep gullet to 

 the saddle, so that all pressure is taken off the spine of the horse, 

 and when the saddle is on, you ought, when standing at the horse's 

 tail, to be able to see along his back between the saddle and the skin. 

 This, by allowing a draught of air when riding, keeps the back 

 cool. All you have to do is to pull out a little of the stuffing of the 

 saddle till you can see along it ; the roughest stitching will do to 

 sew it up, as it will not then come in contact with the skin of the 

 horse, and could not rub him. Loosing the girths and lifting the 

 cantle after, and when practicable during, a ^\ann ride, is another 

 good preventive ; but of course care should be taken to get the 

 saddle comfortably home again before girthing up. 



A very necessary precaution, and one often neglected, is never to 

 take the saddle entirely off until the horse is cool ; the girths should 

 be slackened only. When ttiken off, bathe the back with two parts 

 salt and one of alum and cold water ; if salt and alum be not forth- 

 coming, use spring water, and dry afterwards with a cloth. Use a 

 piece of sackcloth as a saddle cloth. If an English saddle be used, 

 this is sufficient ; if not, and a blanket is required, it must be used 

 in addition ; but the sackcloth should always be next the skin, as 

 woollen heats and irritates in hot weather, which is the invariable 

 cause of blisters terminating in a sore. If the horse's back is in 

 good firm condition, salt. Szc, must not be used too frequently ; but 

 cold water is always good. The saddle girths must be always kept 

 tight while mounted. 



The Australians stuff their saddles in such a manner as to avoid 

 as far as possible sore batiks. Proceed thus : — First remove the 

 nails generally found in the middle of the pad behind, and be careful 

 that they come clean out. They are useless, and the constant cause 

 of sore backs. Take the pad out of the saddle, and remove all the 

 flock that they are generally stuffed with, and throw it away. Sew 

 the flannel lining to the back of the pad two, three, or four inches 

 wide, as may be required for the horse you want the saddle for, from 

 the pommel to the cantle on each side, so as to leave a space all 

 along the backbone empty, and free of stuffing of any kind. Fill 

 up the pad with the best curled horsehair, not ver}^ full, and put 

 the pad on the saddle again ; then, with a smooth flat piece of stick 

 and a packing needle, work the stuffing full and tight in front to take 

 the hollow at the back of the shoulder ; and when you come to the 

 centre stuff rather lighter, but under the seat very full, particularly 

 outside. When done, sew up the holes you will have to cut in the 

 serge lining about the middle to put the hair in, and sew the pad to 



