VEHICLE, HARNESS, AND SADDLE 293 



Two-wheelers for the transportation of passengers 



1. Gig 4. Brake Cart 



2. Hansom 5. Jogging Cart 



3. Jaunting Car 6. Sulky 



THE HARNESS 



There are three general classes of harness, — work, hea\^, 

 and light. The chief distinctions bet^veen the latter have already 

 been referred to. Heavy harnesses are differentiated as coach, 

 gig, and runabout. The typical light harness is also designated 

 as a single strap or track harness. 



THE SADDLE 



Horses were ridden long before saddles were thought of, but 

 saddles of various sorts were described at an early period. The 

 horse cloth was used first (800 b.c), but real saddles, with trees, 

 were reported in tlie fourth century a.d. The side-saddle w^as 

 introduced by Anne of Bohemia in the last half of the fourteenth 

 century. 



Types. — There are in general three types of saddles and, cor- 

 respondingly, three ^vays of sitting them or " seats ": 



The English or flat, pig skin saddle is used for park riding, 

 hunting, polo, and racing, wdth some modifications especially 

 adapting it to each purj^ose. Its chief characteristics are a low 

 tree, also low pommel and cantle, padding, skirts usually with 

 knee pads, buckled girths usually double, and open steel stir- 

 rups. Seat. — Natural sitting posture, stirrups medium length, 

 knee grip, posting the trot. See illustrations of gaited and walk- 

 trot-canter saddle horses. Chapter V. 



