ACCOUTREMENTS FOB, THE HORSE. 37 



judiciously) enjoined, by "that same fickle god- 

 dess, Fashion," in obedience to whose sovereign 

 behest, a lady's horse, in the olden time, was dis- 

 guised, as it were, " in cloth of gold most curiously 

 wrought." 



THE SADDLE. 



The Saddle must be considered first with rela- 

 tion to the horse, and secondly with relation to the 

 rider. 



I. With regard to the horse, the saddle prevents 

 the friction he would endure if bare-backed, or if 

 he had merely a cloth on ; and it distributes the 

 weight of the rider to the parts most capable of 

 bearing it. 



Without a saddle, the horse would sustain the 

 weight in the middle and weakest part of the back ; 

 but with a saddle, the rider's weight is distributed, 

 as the saddle has bearings before and behind, but 

 none in the middle. 



Hence it is evident that the saddle should be 

 proportioned to the size of the horse; the bear- 

 ings before being clear of interference with the 

 plate-bone, and not extending further behind than 

 within four inches of the hips. 



The bearing of the saddle should be equal on 

 4 



