150 



SADDLERY. 



leathers are twisted as I have described, the irons will be 

 in the best position for the feet to take them. It also strikes 

 me that in the event of a fall, the feet would come out of the 

 irons more readily when thus placed, than they would do 

 if the leathers had not been twisted. 



When a girth is too long to be used in the ordinary way, 

 it may be shortened by taking a fold of the webbing near 



Fig. 153. Shortening a Girth. 



one end, passing the tongue of the buckle through it, and 

 attaching the buckle to one of the girth straps (Fig. 153). 

 This should be only a temporary measure, as it is apt to tear 

 the webbing. 



A rider may tighten his girths without dismounting, by 

 bringing, say, his right leg in front of the saddle-flap, and 

 then shortening the girths with the right hand (Fig. 154). 



A ready way of using a stirrup leather, the sewing of 

 which has become undone, is to make a hole in the part 

 where the stitching was, and to pass the tongue of the buckle 



