November 14, 1914 
LAND AND WATER 
CHOOSING KIT 
Practical Hints 
(CotUinued from page 69) 
Saddle Blankets 
A MATTER of nearly fourteen years ago I was 
detailed, with the rest of the men of a troop, 
for flank guard to a cavalry column, and, in 
common with the rest of the men that morning, 
I folded my two blankets and placed them 
under the saddle when saddling up. My horse had a habit 
of " blowing " at the time he was girthed, and, as a rule, 
I tightened the girths again about five minutes after saddling ; 
but that morning everything had to be done in a hurry, and 
I overlooked the second tightening of the girths. We went 
out on the extreme flank, and ran into such a hot comer 
that it took a good half-hour's gallop to get us out of it, and 
I came out minus two blankets, for, with the loose girths, 
they had slipped away from under the saddle and been left 
on the veldt. There was no chance of retrieving them, and 
only a combination of luck and judgment saved me from 
slipping round with the saddle and getting a nasty fall. 
I slept that night with the one blanket that travelled on the 
transport wagons ; and it was a cold night. 
A Blanket Clip 
This, I repeat, is a matter of nearly fourteen years ago. 
With the regulation saddle one blanket is still carried folded 
on the back of thejiorse, and there is as yet no offtcially- 
adopted device to prevent that blanket from slipping just 
where it likes. At a prominent firm of saddlers I have just 
been shown a small clip, made scissor pattern, so that the 
harder it is pulled the tighter it grips, which is intended to 
grip the front of the blanket in the middle and buckle on to 
the peak of the regulation saddle. This is an excellent idea, 
but it has the drawback of allowing the blanket to slip 
diagonally, so that at the back of the saddle the blanket may 
fall a long way over to one side or the other, as in the course 
of a day's march that blanket is almost certain to alter from 
its original position. 
Ventilation 
There is another point to be considered, too. A blanket 
flat down on a horse's back, or even raised at the front with 
a clip of this description so as to expose the withers to the 
air, is going to affect the horse rather adversely before the 
day is over, for in a long march all that makes for warmth 
and consequent perspiration ts a decided drawback. My 
own plan, after losing two blankets in the way already 
described, was to get a strong, narrow, leather strap, which 
fastened on the ring at the back of the saddle, passed between 
the folded blankets and the back of the horse, and was 
pulled up as tightly as possible and buckled to the peak of 
the saddle, so as to pull the blankets quite up off the back 
of the horse and leave a space through which a current of 
air could penetrate from back to front This kept the 
blankets quite firmly in position, and also gave the horse a 
good deal more ease than could be obtained by leaving 
the blankets flat on his back, or even by merely lifting them 
by means of a clip in front, which affords no ventilation 
near the point at which the rider sits, or in rear of that point. 
Many little tricks have been tried in order to fix the saddle 
blanket and allow of such ventilation as was obtainable 
with the old-fashioned numnah, but I believe this of the 
strap through under the saddle is the best. One must 
exercise extreme care, however, in folding the blankets and 
pulling up the strap, so that the blankets are pulled well up 
into the body of the saddle, and also so that no folds or 
rucks are made which might cause soreness to the horse. 
Bitting 
Another point in connection with saddlery that appeared 
worthy of attention was the regulation-pattern headstall for 
use with the " reversible " pattern bit. The regulation 
pattern allows for the use of a bridoon with a strap fastening 
to the D's of the head-collar, and a reversible bit attached to 
a separate headstall. The use of this in its complete form 
is a matter of taste ; personally, I should scrap the bridoon 
and use its reins on the reversible bit as a second pair, for 
I have never yet come across the horse that needed both 
bridoon and reversible bit in his mouth, and to carry the two 
is only a needless burden on the horse. The bit with four 
reins is enough for all circumstances, and on Service every 
extra ounce that is imposed on a horse counts very heavily 
in a strenuous march. As to whether the separate headstall 
is a necessity for carrying the bit, this also must be left to 
individual judgment. If the headstall is retained, adjust- 
ment of the bit is certainly easier. 
{Continued on page 81) 
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