SADDLE TREES. 119 



saddle. Hence, however suitable a saddle with a narrow 

 twist (Figs. 125 and 126), may be for steeple-chasing, rough- 

 riding, or hacking, it is out of place in the hunting field. 

 Figs. 122, 123, 125 and 126 will show the difference between 

 the two kinds of saddles. 



A heavy-weight rider will require a heavier saddle than a 

 lighter man, not because he needs a saddle with a larger 



Fig. 126. View of under surface of Saddle Tree, Fig. 125. 



weight-bearing surface, but because his saddle should have 

 greater strength in the material of its tree, so that it may not 

 bend or "give" under the weight, and thus cause it to be 

 unequally distributed on the weight-bearing surfaces of the 

 back. We should bear in mind that these surfaces are but little 

 subject to change of shape during movement, and conse- 

 quently the tree should be rigid in proportion to the weight 

 it has to carry. Any "spring" which the saddle may have, 

 apart from the panel, should be derived almost entirely from 

 the webs (p. 122). In steeple-chasing and flat race riding, 



