148 SADDLERY. 



position clear of the shoulder-blades, and as much further 

 back (see preceeding section) as may be deemed advisable. 

 With the object of giving a horse the appearance of having 

 lengthy shoulders, sellers sometimes put the saddle too far 

 back for the comfort of the animal. 



If a saddle-cloth be used, the groom, before girthing up, 

 should bring the front part of the cloth well up into the arch 

 of the gullet with his fore finger or thumb, so as to prevent it 

 from becoming pressed down on the withers by the saddle. 



With two girths, the front one is taken up first, and then 

 the hind one. We should avoid tight girthing, and should 

 try to hit off the happy medium between the girths being so 

 loose as to allow of the possibility of the saddle slipping 

 either backwards or forwards, or so tight that they would 

 interfere with the horse's breathing. To prevent the girths 

 slipping, they should be placed well back from the animal's 

 elbows (Fig. 151) when girthing up. In order to obtain 

 uniform pressure, it is well to do about half of the tightening 

 on one side and the remainder on the other side. If the 

 groom, as is the usual stable custom, takes up the girths 

 only from the near side, he should at first do little more 

 than to take up the slack of the girths, and should then 

 run his fingers between them and the skin, from the near 

 side to the off, so as to smooth out any wrinkles. Finally, 

 he tightens the girths to the required extent. 



Some horses swell themselves out on being saddled and 

 consequently need to be walked about for a short time, 

 after which the girths will have to be taken up afresh, before 

 the rider can mount without incurring the risk of the saddle 

 shifting its position. 



For safety's sake, the spring bars of a saddle should be 

 kept always open, or at least well oiled, if closed while being 

 used. When they are open, there is not the slightest chance 

 of the stirrup leathers coming out, as long as the rider 



