CHAPTER II.

THE SADDLE, AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE SEAT.

If it were merely a question of riding bare-backed, we might at once go on to apply the principles of equilibrium of the horse in motion, as developed in the foregoing chapter, to the various kinds of seats. It would be only reasonable, one should suppose, to accommodate our saddles to our seats, just as we do every other instrument to the purposes for which it is intended ; but this is precisely what is very seldom done, and in the great majority of instances the rider sits his horse just in the fashion his saddle allows, or perhaps compels, him to do. Three-fourths of the time and trouble that are devoted in military riding-schools in endeavouring to get the men to sit in a uniform manner might be spared, and the desired result much more certainly attained, by properly adjusting the saddle to the horse and man, instead of forcing the latter into a contest with a mechanical difficulty that requires a constant exertion of muscular power; and this latter, being limited in extent and duration, is sure to succumb in the contest, leaving the horse's back to bear the punishment. It is therefore a matter of some importance to understand clearly the mechanical principles applicable to this piece of horse furniture, as it will enable

every rider to ascertain exactly what he wants, and how to attain his object, whatever that may be—as also to save his horse's back, and his own purse, and perhaps neck.

To begin with the under surface of the saddle-the portion coming in contact with the horse's back-we find two principal points for consideration,-its shape or form, and its size or extent. One general mechanical principle applies to both-namely, that the larger the surface over which a given amount of pressure is equably spread or divided, the less will be the action. on any given point of the other surface in contact; and this translated into plain English means, as regards shape, that the under surface of the saddle should bear as nearly as possible the same relation to that part of the horse's back it is intended to occupy, as a mould does to the cast that is taken from it, always saving and excepting that strip lying over the horse's backbone, which must remain altogether out of contact. The notion of making one portion come into closer contact than another, "giving a gripe," with the intention of preventing the saddle slipping, is altogether erroneous, because it is the sum total of the pressure which produces the cohesion between two surfaces; its being concentrated on one point or line does not increase this amount, but is very likely to make a hole in the horse's back. Which part of the horse's back it should be fitted to has been "dimly shadowed forth" in Chapter I., but shall be more clearly and accurately determined in the course of this present one.

As regards size or extent of surface the meaning is, that the greater this is with a given weight, the less will be the pressure on any given point, and conse

quently the less risk of sore back, provided always that the pressure be equably distributed over the whole surface. To make a saddle a yard long, and put the weight altogether at one of its extremities, is not the way to attain this very desirable object, as shall be more fully explained presently.*

There must, however, be some limit to the size of a saddle, for its own absolute weight is a matter of serious consideration: it goes into the scale with the jock. Let the size be proportioned to the weight to be carried, and if you have a tender-backed horse, make it a little bigger than would be otherwise necessary. Of course a jock can ride his race on a thing that is more a contrivance for hanging up a pair of stirrups than a saddle, whilst a sixteen-stone rider must divide his weight over as large a surface as convenient.

There are two ways in which the weight of the saddle may be decreased without its useful under surface being narrowed. The first is to avoid extending the frame (tree), or indeed any other part of the saddle, beyond the surfaces where it really has to support pressure; and this being exercised chiefly in a perpendicular direction, it is not only useless but absurd to make these extend too far down over the ribs laterally. The second is to use, for the tree, materials combining great strength and moderate elasticity, with the least. possible weight. A civilian saddle, made altogether of wood, is a very clumsy affair, and it is therefore the

* As familiar illustrations of the principle may be mentioned the difference of depth of track of broad and narrow tired wheels, or of a roller as compared with both: or, a board of one foot square will sink deeper into soft ground under a man's weight than one of double that size; and this latter will sink as deep as the former if weighted only at one end.

practice to reduce the volume of the wood, and regain the strength thus sacrificed by iron platings. This metal is, however, very inelastic: if the plates be made thin and light, they bend, and thus retain the wood in a distorted shape; if thick, they are heavy, and very liable to break with a severe shock, or, if not, to convey this rudely to the horse's shoulder or back, instead of acting as the buffer does between two railway trucks. The platings should be made of steel, not too highly tempered, and it ought to be possible to devise means of strengthening the wood of that part of the tree we allude to without increasing its bulk, and with a diminution of its weight. As to military saddles, they are best made wholly of wood and without any iron whatever. The necessity of attaching a pack makes the question of neat appearance altogether secondary, and the weight that must be carried renders it imperative to economise every ounce that is possible. Moreover, once introduce iron into the composition of a saddle and you must have a smith and a forge to enable you to repair a broken one, which is often out of the question in the field. The original Hungarian saddle had not a particle of iron on it; no doubt it was subject to breakage, but it could be repaired or a new one made at the side of a ditch, and in time for the next day's march. We nineteenth-century men have improved it everywhere, especially in England, up to more than double its original weight, to a nearly total incapacity for repair or alteration, and to being the most efficient instrument conceivable for making holes in horses' backs.

Supposing, now, the under surface of the saddle to have the proper form and size, the next point to be

determined is, where to put the weight. As we cannot, in consequence of this being a man, divide and spread it out equably over the whole upper part of the saddle as we would inert matter of any kind, we must place the rider's centre of gravity exactly over the centre of the bearing surface of the saddle, for this is the only single point which, being loaded, transmits the pressure equably to the rest of the surface. Take a small common table, and place it exactly level on sand, grass, or soft ground, then put a weight precisely in the centre of the table, and measure the depth to which the feet had been forced into the soil-you will find it to be the same for all four feet, if the surface on which the table stands be equally soft throughout; then shift the table a few inches, having previously removed the weight, and place this near one of the ends instead of in the middle,-measure again and you will find that the pair of legs nearest to the weight have penetrated much deeper than the others; therefore, in order to equalise the pressure, the rider's weight should be placed in the centre of the saddle.

But this is not all. Place a piece of stout board about two feet long on the ground, stand on one end of it, and you will find that the other loses its contact with the ground, and is more or less tilted up into the air-the board has become a lever. Now, make a motion as if about to jump, but without quitting your position on the board; this latter will, being out of contact with the ground at the further end, be shoved onwards in that direction. This is precisely what happens when a rider sits at one end of the saddle, generally the hinder one: this one is pressed down into the horse's back, the other, generally the front end,

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