510 
SADDLERY AND SORE BACKS. 
Cruppers, or no cruppers, liave been much discussed, and many conflicting 
opinions exist, and will exist, on this question. I have had special opportunities 
of forming an opinion on this point. The cavalry regiment that I had the honour 
of serving in discarded cruppers, and, after working four years, took to them 
again; a period of three years elapsed and they were again set aside, to be 
resorted to once more after a few more years. My opinion is that a crupper is 
necessary for military horses that carry heavy weights, distributed as a kit is, on 
their saddles, at fast paces in close rank, and which may be called upon to jump 
a fence or obstacle in marching order. If you take the weight off you will not 
want the cruppers. I have seen horses with moderate shoulders in marching- 
order without cruppers gallop at a fence, jump it in a roach-backed style, and 
land with the saddle and kit round their necks. I have seen horses refuse a 
jump and shape themselves in opposition to the rider, so that the saddle was 
completely out of place. Some persons state that because a crupper is fitted 
loosely it is not wanted. Certainly it is loose normally, but tight enough in the 
ranks under certain abnormal conditions such as I have mentioned. And to do 
without cruppers under all military conditions you want horses of such a shape 
that it is impossible to get them in large numbers. Horses being trained with 
running reins attached to the girth should wear cruppers. 
The service attributes sore backs and girth galls in nearly every case to the 
saddle; while, in my opinion, four-fifths are from careless or bad riding and 
saddling. Sore backs are produced by the rider sitting back in the saddle with 
feet wedged in the stirrups, legs stiff and extended to the front. This style of 
seat causes the saddle to work forward and the rear points to unduly press. 
Other riders have an inveterate habit of sitting so that their saddles are tilted to 
one side, and a sore on the near side of the wither is in consequence produced. 
The rider’s legs should be under his body and close to his horse’s side; this will 
support and steady the saddle against the motion of his body. If with this seat 
he sits in the middle of the saddle, the girths will be relaxed and the weight will 
be distributed through the length of the bearing part of the side-bars. The 
stiff wooden-like rider causes the oscillation of the saddle by every movement of 
liis body, and even when he is steady he produces undue bearing of the saddle 
on a limited area. 
This girth will bind tightly against the wrinkled parts of the animal’s body 
behind the elbows, if the rider is allowed to sit unduly on the hinder part of the 
seat, and should, as I have too often found it, the girth be hard and unyielding, 
it only requires the slightest peculiarity of formation to make a girth gall a cer¬ 
tainty. A dodge I have seen tried, as a special case, on the line of march, when 
a horse was girth-galling from slovenly riding, was to loosen the girths after the 
man was mounted, to cause him to hold his saddle and himself steady on the 
animal’s back by a proper position and grip of leg and steadiness of body. It 
was effectual. 
A question has been asked why, if a hunting saddle of 14 lbs. weight can be 
procured, a military saddle cannot be made of similar weight. I would point 
out that a universal saddle is a baggage, as well as a riding, saddle, and that it 
has to carry from six to seven stone of kit in addition to the rider under service 
conditions. One condition, and a very severe test, is the pressure on the flank of 
a cavalry squadron when wheeling into line, particularly should one or two files 
become partly forced out of their places, and endeavour to regain them; the 
drag at such a time on the front of the saddle by the projecting cloak and wallets, 
caused by the colliding at full speed, is extremely severe on the whole structure 
of the saddle. No hunting saddle would under such severe conditions last a 
year.... 
It is a mistake, when fitting saddles, to seek a narrow arch, or a small size of 
saddle, as is too often done, to fit only the animal’s shoulders. You may not know 
