92 THROUGH STABLE AND SADDLE-ROOM. 



All bridles, etc., should be kept together and hung 

 up on racks, each one separately, and should be 

 protected from dust by means of curtains to draw 

 in front of them. All articles of harness should be 

 similarly kept. 



Spare bits and stirrup-irons should be kept in a 

 case with glass doors, and lined with cloth, baize, or 

 some such material. Where this is not practicable, 

 it is a good plan to keep them in a box filled 

 with slacked lime, by which means they will remain 

 bright and free from rust for a number of years 

 — indeed, will actually improve in condition. Saddle- 

 racks are usually fixed to the walls of a saddle- 

 room, and are made of wood or iron ; in either 

 case they should be painted. I do not altogether 

 approve of them. By their use saddles are apt to 

 be put too much out of the way — are not visible 

 enough ; collect dust very readily ; are too near 

 the wall ; mice (if there are any) can get at them ; 

 they run the risk of being neglected if not in 

 constant use, and so moths get into them ; and they 

 are not easily got at if required. Moreover, these 

 racks take up a good deal of room, and very much 

 obscure the light. 



Being somewhat cramped for saddle-room, and 

 finding that my saddles were suffering from some 

 or all of the above-mentioned evils, I set myself to 



