142 SADDLERY. 



30 ozs. per pair; 4^ in. x 4^ in., 28 to 32 ozs. per pair" 

 {^Harness and Saddlery). 



SAFETY BARS AND SAFETY STIRRUPS. 



Safety stirrups for men look so unsightly that they may 

 be considered to be quite obsolete. One of the best safety 

 bars is Weston's Patent Safety Bar and Buckle (Fig. 148). I 

 never use any of these contrivances ; for I consider that I 

 obtain all necessary safety by keeping the locks of the spring 

 bars open (Fig. 121). 



GIRTHS. 



Girths, while fulfilling their duty of efficiently keeping 

 the saddle on a horse's back, should be as little liable as 

 possible to hurt the surface on which they press. Hence, 

 they should be broad, soft, and constructed so that their 

 tendency to retain sweat between them and the horse's skin 

 may be reduced as far as practicable. They can best fulfil 

 the last-mentioned important condition when they are ab- 

 sorbent and open in texture. It is evident that sweat 

 retained between the girth and the skin will have the 

 effect of the moisture of a poultice in rendering the part 

 soft and unusually liable to injury from pressure or friction. 



As a material for girths, wool is superior to cotton or 

 leather, because it is softer, more absorbent, and does not 

 become so hard on drying after having become wet. The 

 only drawback to ordinary woollen girths is that they are 

 not sufficiently ventilated, an objection which has been 

 overcome in specially constructed woollen girths that are 

 sold by many good saddlers. 



The plan of giving ventilation by slitting up a broad 

 leather girth into several narrow straps, or by using a 

 number of cords of cotton or of plaited or twisted raw 

 hide often acts well ; but its adoption may give rise to 



