HUNTING COATS. 339 



weather ; supposing of course that it is long enough, as it 

 ought to be, to cover the knees. Naturally, it cannot perform 

 this office, when its wearer is riding against a strong head 

 wind. 



Previous to the swallow-tail coat, the cutaway was the 

 orthodox pattern ; but in the early part of the nineteenth 

 century, " skimpy tails " were the fashion. " Snob " in Aiken's 

 illustrations of the " Quarterly Revieiv run," 1826, is depicted 

 in a frock on a bob-tailed horse. 



A black hunting coat, like a pink one, may be of the 

 cutaway, swallow tail, or frock pattern. 



The material (strong Melton) is the same for both pink and 

 black hunting coats. The cloth, to meet the exigencies of 

 weather and hedges, has to be so thick and hard, that no one 

 but a first class tailor can make out of it a comfortable coat 

 for riding. 



The great point about the fitting of a hunting coat, is that 

 it should have plenty of room under the arms, so that it may 

 offer no impediment to the wearer in using his hands on the 

 reins. This indispensable requirement is greatly neglected by 

 tailors, few of whom know anything of horsemanship. The 

 riding men who suffer most from neglect in this matter, are 

 those who are muscular in the arms and shoulders, and who 

 consequently need extra room in the " sigh," as tailors call the 

 part of a coat which covers the armpit on each side. The 

 coat should also be roomy across the chest. For purposes 

 of warmth, the lining of the coat round each wrist as a 

 rule is respectively furnished with a piece of cloth and 

 elastic, so as to prevent cold air from going up the sleeves. 

 Woollen cuffs answer the same purpose equally well, and 

 can be removed or put on as may be required. It is well 

 to have the tails of the coat lined with waterproof, in order 

 to save them from becoming wet and dirty by contact 

 with the horse. A ring for the hat guard should be fixed 



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