BALANX'E STRAP. 53 



" I prefer a broad girth attached at each side by 

 two buckles to two narrow girths. The Fitzwihiam 

 girth, which consists of a broad girth with a narrow 

 one over it, is handy with a martingale or breast-plate, 

 through the loop of which the narrow girth can be 

 passed." 



In a Fitzwilliani girth, the pressure of the narrow- 

 one on the centre of the broad one, makes the edges 

 of the broad girth incline outwards, and thus apparently 

 helps to save the horse from becoming girth-galled. 



Girths should always be buckled high up on the near 

 side, in order to prevent their buckles hurting the 

 rider's left leg, by making an uncomfortable bump in 

 the flap of the saddle ; and also to allow plenty of 

 space on the girth straps of the off side, for shortening 

 the girths as may be required. 



BALANCE STRAP. 



This is a leather strap which is attached to the off 

 side of the rear part of the saddle, at one end ; and to 

 a strap close to the girth straps of the near side, at 

 the other end. Before the days of safety bars, its near 

 side end was usually buckled on to the stirrup leather, 

 which was a faulty arrangement, not only as regards 

 the leather (p. 36), but also because its degree of 

 tightness was a constantly varying quantity which en- 

 tirely depended on the amount of pressure that the rider 

 put on her stirrup. The presence of a properly tight- 

 ened balance strap helps to prevent lateral movement 

 on the part of the saddle. Also it counteracts, to some 



