294 CLOTHING. 



position when on the horse. It is well to have the roller 

 provided with a breast-girth so as to obviate the risk of 

 its working backwards. The pad of the roller should be 

 carefully stuffed, in order that there may be no danger 

 of the centre of the pad pressing on the top of the withers, 

 which is an occurrence that is a not unfrequent cause of 

 inflamed withers. Messrs. Champion and Wilton have 

 introduced a very useful plan (Fig. 37) of shaping the 

 front part of the centre of the pad of the roller so as to 

 give additional protection against pressure. Generally, 

 rollers are made either entirely of leather, with the ex- 

 ception of the stuffing; or of webbing. The former are 

 stronger and wear longer than the latter, but as they have 

 less grip on cloth, they are more apt to slip back or round 

 the horse. This objection to leather rollers may be removed 

 to a great extent by making slits in the sides of the 

 roller, and lining the pad with serge. 



ROLLER CLOTH. 



The roller cloth plays the part of a saddle-cloth to the 

 pad of the roller, under which it is placed, so as to protect 

 the quarter sheet or rug, as the case may be, from wear. 



BREAST CLOTH.. 



The breast cloth is the piece of cloth which -comes across 

 the breast and buckles on to the quarter sheet near the 



withers. 



RUG. 



A "rug" is practically a quarter sheet and breast cloth 

 all in one. The objection that it rubs the hairs off the 

 points of a horse's shoulders may be removed by lining 

 the rug at these parts and under the withers with linen. 

 For economy and convenience sake, a rug is usually provided 

 with a surcingle that is supposed to act the part of a roller, 



