498 
SADDLERY AND SORE BACKS. 
necessary that every available horse should be in the ranks. A sore 
back is no excuse. It is in instances of this sort that practical ex¬ 
perience and a thorough knowledge of the art of saddle-fitting are of 
inestimable value. By the exercise of a little mechanical ingenuity 
many horses with galled backs have been enabled to carry their riders 
on an emergency without undue suffering to the animals, or adding to 
the severity of the injuries. During the latter period of the Zulu 
war, that is from the arrival of the reinforcements after Isandlhwana 
in 1879, no less than 258 English and 488 Colonial horses were admitted 
to hospital for saddlery and harness galls—all serious cases. The 
English horses carried the ordinary stuffed pannel-saddle and numnah, 
until it was proved beyond doubt that the latter was a totally insuffi¬ 
cient protection, when the thick folded blanket was substituted, with 
the best possible results. In the Colonial corps blankets were not 
carried, owing to the supposition that their value would be insufficient 
to compensate for the extra weight imposed. The saddlery issued to 
these troops was purchased in the Colony, and proved to be ill-fitting 
and of inferior quality. The saddles constantly required repairing, but 
the paucity of saddlers and want of material rendered this at all times a 
difficult matter, and frequently it was impossible to keep them in a 
serviceable condition. Hence the number and severity of sore backs 
amongst the irregular cavalry in Zululand. During the short Egyptian 
campaign of 1882 no less than 876 cases of saddlery, harness, and 
rope galls occurred amongst the 5080 horses employed. Referring to 
the severity of the cases of sore backs amongst the horses of our 
cavalry in Egypt, the Veterinary Officer attached to the 7th Dragoon 
Guards writes :— tf The sore backs and fistulous withers were the worst 
I have ever seen, and several horses were destroyed from these causes, 
as it was impossible to cure them. Some of the cases began early in 
the campaign, but it was impossible to treat them effectually, as the 
horses could not be relieved from duty.” It will be remarked that 
although this campaign was of shorter duration than the Zulu war, 
the number of sore backs amongst the English horses in Egypt was 
considerably greater in proportion. The majority occurred amongst 
the cavalry, and many cases were caused by the surcingles, which were 
used in the lines to keep the numnahs in their places in order to protect 
the horses’ backs from the effects of the sun. For this purpose it was 
necessary to buckle them somewhat tightly, and, as they were without 
pads, the pressure upon the spines, especially of those horses which 
were low in condition, produced abrasions and sores of greater or less 
severity. Very many other cases were doubtless caused by direct 
saddle pressure, as the folded blanket was not used under the saddle 
during the operations. To give one more instance of the prevalence 
of sore backs on service, amongst the comparatively few cavalry horses 
employed with the Suakin Expeditionary Force, 68 cases occurred in 
the 5th Lancers and 23 in the 20th Hussars during the month of 
April, 1885. In my official report on the campaign I find the follow¬ 
ing remarks on this subject:—“ I consider that very many of these 
sore backs might have been prevented had the folded blanket been 
used instead of the numnah, which was not sufficient to prevent saddle 
