208 HACKS AND HUNTERS 



head is quite an unnecessary adjunct, it would, I think, 

 be a great improvement were the leaping head riveted 

 instead of screwed onto the saddle. Screws have a 

 nasty way of becoming worn in the thread, causing 

 the leaping head to wabble and even to spin around 

 just when most needed. 



The width of the leaping head and upper crutch is 

 also of utmost importance. For hacking or for show- 

 ing saddle horses on which the trot is often indulged 

 in, narrow " pommels" will be found to be far and 

 away the best. They feel less clumsy than the broad 

 pommels and enable the rider's left leg, when rising 

 to a trot, to clear the leaping head with far greater 

 ease. Rising to a trot is consequently executed with 

 more grace in a narrow-pommelled saddle than in a 

 broad-pommelled one. 



On the other hand, for jumping, for hunting, or for 

 riding green horses, the wide pommels are preferable, as 

 they give a much firmer grip. Also for riding long dis- 

 tance their broad surface is less tiring than the narrow 

 surface, and, owing to their thickness, the rider need 

 not shorten up her leather as much to obtain a good 

 grip as she would be obliged to do with narrow pom- 

 mels. 



The panel of the side-saddle should be evenly and 

 smoothly stuffed in two cushions on each side of the 

 horse's back, leaving an air space about three and 

 one-half inches wide along the animal's back-bone. 

 Although the saddle must not be so overstuffed that 

 it will shift its position, an evenly marked division 

 should always exist between the two cushions. This 

 is particularly essential on a horse with a prominent 

 back-bone, who is most likely to get rubbed along this 

 line. 



