GIRTHS. 1 1 7 



narrower girth with only one buckle at either end- 

 There are standing runners (leather loops) sewn on 

 to the broader girth, to keep the narrower one in 

 its place. The advantages derived from the use of 

 these girths are that they are stronger, and that, 

 there can be no possible chance of nipping or 

 pinching a horse with them, as there is with the 

 ordinary double girths. There are, in addition to 

 the above-named, girths which are made of raw 

 hide, plaited, and of leather, plaited in the same 

 way; but I have not found them altogether satis- 

 factory. It is true that they are very strong, almost 

 unbreakable, and that a horse cannot get pinched 

 or girth-galled with them, and that, the plaits 

 being separate and joined together at wide intervals 

 by pieces of leather, through the loops of which 

 they are made to run, they are very cool ; but 

 they are very troublesome at first, as they stretch 

 so much ; and until they have been by long use 

 stretched to their utmost, they require constant 

 alteration or shortening ; and as this has to be 

 done by a saddler, it becomes very inconvenient. 

 When once they are fully stretched (and nothing 

 but use will thoroughly effect this), I have nothing 

 but praise to say in their favour. The better 

 description of the two, the raw hide, continue to 

 stretch much longer than the leather ones. A 



