THE MODEL SADDLE HORSE 33 



might be politely termed a " comfortable " figure should 

 ride either a stocky cob of 15.2, or a big rangy horse of 

 16.1, for nothing looks so foolish as a heavy woman 

 perched on a thin, weedy little animal, who appears 

 as if he were going to break in the middle under his load. 

 On the other hand, a little " pocket Venus" woman 

 would look like a tomtit on a rail if mounted on any- 

 thing much over 15.2 or 15.3. 



Color is largely a matter of personal preference, but 

 for saddle work, pure and simple, we usually find that 

 bays, chestnuts, and sorrels are the best. Blacks "clip 

 out" poorly, and are, therefore, not desirable, and 

 grays are not in favor owing to the fact that the hairs 

 come off on clothes and rugs. In the show ring in 

 ladies' classes, other things being equal, a gray will 

 not be as favorably looked upon as a horse of a darker 

 color. Of course, there are many gray show cham- 

 pions, past and present, who do not seem to have been 

 handicapped by their color, but this is generally owing 

 to the fact that they have outclassed the other horses 

 in every other regard. Piebalds, skewbalds, duns, 

 and roans are generally found in under-bred horses, 

 and are not accepted saddle colors; they rarely stand 

 a chance in the show ring, although, with the excep- 

 tion of the piebald, they often make smart-looking 

 country hacks. To my mind the piebald has no pos- 

 sible use except for the circus ring. 



In all solid colors the deeper and more decided the 

 shade the better, and in all cases the richness and 

 depth of the color should extend even to the legs and 

 tail. For the depth of the pigment is dependent on 

 the heat and circulation of the body, and washy ex- 

 tremities are apt to denote a weak constitution. In 

 other cases, light, washy-looking hairs on the legs and 



