THE SADDLE—THE BRIDLE—HOW TO MOUNT

The English or flat saddle, is the only one fit for sport or pleasure. It gives no trouble in mounting or dismounting, it is the only form which permits every man to obtain the true seat, and it is far and away the most comfortable tree when a horse falls with its rider. It is used by civilians throughout the civilized world, and by military men in their sports and whenever its use by them is permissible. Indeed, the nearer the requirements of the military saddle allow it to approach the English saddle, the better.

The tree of the saddle should have a cut-back pommel to prevent the withers of the horse from being chafed. The side-bars should take an even bearing upon each side of the horse's back, a channel in the panel being made to keep the saddle clear of the spine. The throat of the tree should not be narrow enough to pinch the horse; if too broad, it will not be stable. The tree being suitable in other respects, it will be very easy to bend the lower points until they embrace the shoulders snugly, and to have a well-fitted saddle.

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The stirrups should be of tempered steel, of large size and not too light, with the tread at least an inch in breadth. When the panel, or under stuffing of the saddle, has been found to be right, care should be taken to preserve it, as it is very difficult to find a saddler who will replace it exactly. A cloth of felt or a piece of thin leather under the saddle will preserve the panel for many years. In places where I have found it impossible to have the panel satisfactorily fitted, I have removed it altogether, and girthed the saddle over thick felt numnah, a proceeding which answered perfectly. Saddle-galls are always due either to an ill-fitting tree or an ill-fitting rider; they are preventable, they should not exist.

The saddle having been found to suit the horse, the rider may consider his own comfort and convenience. It is always better, where skilful workmen can be found, to buy the tree of the right length and have the saddle finished to suit horse and rider. The web foundation of the seat can readily be arranged, before the pigskin is put on, so that the dip will suit the conformation of the man. The dip, or lowest point of the seat, should be slight. If too far to the rear, it will give the man a sensation of falling back; if too far to the front, it will throw his body forward. When, sitting upon his buttocks, he finds that he maintains a perfectly erect seat without restraint, it is just right. Where saddlers do not know their trade, it only remains to try finished saddles until the horse and the man are suited.

The whip should be a light, straight, flexible contrivance, with no more of a lash than a silken tip. The use of the crop, except in the hunting-field, is an absurdity. Fashion dictates that the whip should be held nearly straight in the right hand and pointing across the withers of the horse; but Fashion is not a horseman. As the whip should give strokes upon the forehand of the horse only under exceptional circumstances, common sense dictates that the instrument should be held point down, so that it may be applied with facility against the side of the horse just back of the girths—the proper place for its effects to produce increased impulses from the croup. With a woman the riding rod takes the place of the right leg of the horseman, and it is impossible to use it in that manner if it is held across the shoulders of the horse.

There are but two bridle bits for riding purposes. The first and most useful is the snaffle, a smooth, round mouthpiece, jointed in the middle, with rings, and, where it is employed alone, with cheek-pieces also on the ends. The snaffle is the bit for the beginner, because he can do little harm with it; and it is the bit for the accomplished horseman, because in his hands it has a great range of effects.

The curb-bit should never be used without the snaffle, as there are often occasions when the powers of the curb-bit alone are ineffectual, and the snaffle must go to its assistance. The mouthpiece of the curb-bit is rigid, with a raised middle, or "port," to give ease to the tongue of the horse and to let the mouthpiece come down upon the bars of the animal's lower jaw. Upon each end of the mouthpiece is an arm, the upper branch of which has a fixed ring for the cheek-piece of the bridle, the lower branch having a loose ring to receive the rein. The lower branch of this arm, measuring from the middle of the mouthpiece to the middle of the lower ring, should be 3½ inches in length. The upper branch, measuring from the middle of the mouthpiece to the highest part of the ring, into which the headstall is buckled, should be 1¾ inches in length, the assumed depth of the lower jaw of the horse. These measurements are as nearly exact as may be, to get the effects of a lever of the second class upon such a yielding and changeable thing as the head of the horse, the animal being, say, 15½ hands high, of normal form. Upon the ring of the upper branches metal hooks are fastened, and to these the curb-chain is attached. When the curb-chain, its links twisted until the chain is flat, fits properly in the chin groove of the horse, directly opposite to the cannons of the bit, that point becomes the fulcrum of the lever, and the power being applied through the reins to the long branches, the effects are applied to the bars of the lower jaw. The width of the mouthpiece will depend upon that of the animal's jaw; it should not be so narrow as to pinch the muzzle between the branches, nor so wide as to have an annoying play.

To place the double bridle upon the horse, the groom should approach the animal on the near side, his left arm carrying the bridle by the head-piece and reins. Then, the stall halter having been removed, he will pass the reins over the head of the horse until they rest upon the neck near the withers; taking the bridle in the right hand by the head-piece, so that the nose of the horse goes between the cheek-pieces, he will raise the bridle until the bits are about to touch the animal's lips; then, opening its mouth with the thumb of the left hand, he will gently insert the bits and slip the head-piece over the poll of the horse and see that the ears are free, finally fastening the throat-lash loosely.

The bridle should be so fitted that the snaffle lies snugly up in the corners of the horse's mouth without pressing against the lips. The curb-bit, lower in the mouth, should rest upon the bare bars just above the tusks of the horse or the place where they are usually found in the male. The curb-chain should not be fastened until the rider is about to mount, and a horse should never be led while the curb-chain is hooked on both sides.

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In hooking up the curb-chain it should first be seen that on the far side it is outside of the snaffle; then it should be twisted until it is quite flat and hooked up on the near side outside of the snaffle, at just such a length as to lie smoothly in the chin groove. To test the accuracy of this the curb-reins should be seized under the jaw of the horse and drawn toward its chest. If the bit stands stiffly, the chain is too tight. If the branches of the curb-bit come back in a line with the reins or anywhere near it, the chain is too loose. The chain will be found to be of the right length when, maintaining its place in the chin groove, a slight tension upon the reins gives such a pressure upon the jaw of the horse. If the curb-chain be not brought from one hook to the other on the outside of the snaffle, it will interfere with the action of both bits and will pinch the lips of the horse. On more than half of the saddle-horses I look at, this important rule is not observed.

It is the usual and better custom to have the horse turn in its stall when the halter is taken off, and to bridle it as it stands with tail to the manger. Then the horse is led to the gangway and the saddle put on; if the saddling has not been done some half-hour previously, as is to be recommended.

In saddling the horse the first care is to see that the panel is perfectly clean and dry, then that the hairs on the back of the horse lie smoothly; the saddle, with the girths and stirrup leathers crossed over the seat, should be lifted gently on to the back of the horse, and put exactly in the saddle-place, which is as far forward as it will remain fixed and yet clear the withers and give the shoulders free play.

Unless a rider is accustomed to mounting, and that in some settled manner, it is often a very awkward performance. Provided he does not pull at the cantle and so bring the saddle awry to gall the horse, it does not matter greatly how he gets safely on the back of the horse. He may, standing on the near side of the horse, either take the reins in his right hand and with it clasp the pommel of the saddle, insert his left foot in the stirrup, spring from the ball of the right foot, and, seizing a lock of the mane, steady himself until he carries his right leg over the croup and so sink into the saddle; or, facing to the rear, he may take the reins in his left hand and with it seize a lock of the mane, then, inserting his left foot in the stirrup, spring from the right foot, and as he rises take hold of the pommel of the saddle, carry his right leg over the back of the horse, and when he has found his seat transfer the reins to his right hand. By the former manner he will have the advantage of being able to control the horse, in case it goes forward, as the right hand, holding the reins, may readily be freed from the pommel. The latter mode is, perhaps, less difficult, especially with a tall horse. If the animal is restless, the rider may have "a leg up," as the jockeys do, by taking grasps of the mane and pommel and having an attendant seize his left leg above the ankle and aid him in rising to the position from which he may carry his right leg over.

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In dismounting with the stirrup, the rider should first release his right foot; then, transferring the reins to his right hand, he should with it seize the pommel and with his left hand take a lock of the mane; then, taking his weight upon his left foot, supported by his hands, he should carry his right leg over the croup, face the horse, and come gently to the ground on his right foot, finally releasing his left foot and his holds upon mane and pommel, the reins being retained, to control the horse.

Any man of ordinary activity should be able to vault into the saddle without the aid of the stirrup or the assistance of a groom, whether the horse be standing or moving, even in the gallop. Indeed, by taking advantage of the movements of the animal, a man may more readily vault into the saddle of a horse that is not at rest than when it is standing quietly, provided that he can get at the near shoulder of the horse and secure his clasps upon the mane and the pommel. That is, if he can get the proper holds, from the right position, no horse can prevent his gaining his seat.

To vault into the saddle, the man should stand facing the near shoulder of the horse. In the left hand he should take a lock of the mane, halfway between the ears and the withers, and, with the right hand resting on the front of the saddle, he should grasp the throat of the pommel, thumb under, fingers pointing to the ground over the right side of the horse. Then, springing from the balls of both feet, he should take his weight upon his extended arms and, carrying his right leg over the croup of the horse, sink into his seat. Should the horse be plunging or moving, the man will mark the time of some forward impulse, and springing with it reach the saddle without making the exact position on the extended arms; in other words, he will throw himself upon the horse as it pulls him forward. Always in mounting, by this or by any other method, except that secondly described, the reins should be taken in the right hand and held by pressure against the pommel, so that in case of failure the rider will be able to control his horse; when his seat is secured, the rider will pass the reins into the bridle-hand.

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To dismount without stirrups, the rider should transfer the reins to his right hand, take the holds on mane and pommel as in mounting, lean far forward, and, taking his weight upon his flexed arms, carry his right leg back over the croup to the near side, and drop gently to the ground.

In dismounting from a moving horse—and this can readily be done even at a moderate gallop—the rider should be ready to take a few steps in the direction of progress as he reaches the ground, in order that he may maintain his equilibrium.

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