SADDLES AND BRIDLES 209 



The stuffing under the cantle of the saddle must 

 never be allowed to get flat, and should be carefully- 

 watched for any signs of settling down. The stuffing 

 of the entire panel should be of curled horsehair or 

 of fine wool, free from lumps (called best flock). It 

 should never be composed of an inferior flock, which 

 consists mostly of cotton waste that forms lumps, 

 causing the saddle to shift about and giving the animal 

 a sore back. For this reason it is as necessary to go 

 to a first-class saddler for alterations in the stuffing 

 as it would be were one ordering a new saddle. 



If the near rear side of the saddle starts to sag, do 

 not let the saddler make the mistake of adding more 

 stuffing at this point. Sagging to the near side can be 

 far more effectively remedied by putting some addi- 

 tional stuffing on the off side, a little to the front, be- 

 yond the waist of the saddle. 



The panel of all saddles should preferably be lined 

 with leather, which will be cool and soft to the horse's 

 back, and will last almost as long as the saddle itself, 

 providing that it is well taken care of. Next to leather 

 in preference, and more popular among grooms, owing 

 to the fact that it needs less care, is a good quality of 

 linen called "Brown Holland." Serge linings permit 

 of alterations being made in the stuffing by means of 

 slits or by the insertion of a seat awl, but in spite of 

 this advantage, they are not practical, as they ab- 

 sorb sweat and soon become dirty and prickly.* 



The covering of a first-class saddle should be of 

 genuine well-seasoned pigskin. Owing to the com- 



* No matter of what material the lining may be, it should always 

 be well sponged off after it is brought in, and if of leather, rubbed with 

 a little plain yellow soap. Soft soap renders the leather pliable at 

 first, but afterward it becomes hard and full of cracks, 



