CHAPTER IX

SADDLES AND BRIDLES

Much discrimination is required in the selection of a side-saddle. In order to be comfortable it must fit both the rider and the horse, a condition harder to find than one would imagine.

The best makers carry different lengths of saddles in stock. The shortest measure eighteen inches from the front to the cantle, and the longest twenty-four inches. With each of these different lengths there are standard widths, and I cannot overstate the importance of a woman choosing a saddle that is suited to her conformation. On page 140 of this book will be found a diagram, with instructions for measurement, so that if a good maker is not available the saddle may be ordered by mail, but I would advise any woman who wishes to select a saddle to take some experienced woman rider with her to the saddler’s and rely on her advice, as I have known many women to choose the wrong size of saddle and thus be rendered very uncomfortable. Trying a saddle in the shop is very different from riding in it on a horse, and it takes a great deal of experience to pick out what you require.

A side-saddle, in this country at least, costs quite a bit of money, but a good one, with proper care, will last for a lifetime, and, with a little adjustment, can be made to fit almost any horse. While there are hundreds of different makes of side-saddles on the market, the really good ones are very few.

The best English side-saddles are really in a class by themselves, and no such saddles are made in this country except by the English saddlers, and they use only imported English pigskin. The English, whether imported or made here of English material, cost only a little more than the American saddles, and they are so far superior that there is no question in my mind but that they should be one’s choice.

In its construction a woman’s saddle differs from a man’s. As it is made to sit on instead of to bestride, the seat is made as level as possible, and the best saddles have, if any, only a slight dip of, say, from one to one and a half inches. I find a saddle with this slight dip more secure for hunting and for riding very green horses, but the saddle should not have a greater dip than this, and many women find a level seat without any dip perfectly comfortable. I prefer a level saddle for all ordinary use, and the dip, if any, must come from the elevation of the cantle, and not from the hollowing out of the seat or from the elevation of the front. The old style side-saddle, with a “dished out” seat covered with doeskin, has been entirely abandoned, for the safety of the rider and the comfort of the horse.

The best makers use pigskin for covering the seats of nearly all their saddles. In France, however, many women use buckskin and some of these saddles are used in this country. In France these saddles are pipe-clayed and look very smart with a light habit, and if one is able to have two or more saddles in one’s stable, I know of no objection to using this French type of saddle on occasion.

The saddle-flaps should also be made of genuine pigskin. Most makers use pigskin to cover the leaping iron and pommel. Some of the best saddles, however, have these covered with buckskin, which gives them a safer and more clinging feeling.

The greatest improvement in the modern side-saddle is the cutting far back of the gullet plate, which leaves the withers covered only by the continuation of the near flap. This form of construction not only keeps the seat of the saddle level, but makes the rider much more comfortable, as it enables her to have her thigh horizontal instead of the knee being raised as it was in the old style of “dished out” saddles with a high front. Moreover, it has the great advantage of freeing the horse’s withers from pressure, and helps a bit toward keeping his back cool. The cooler the back is kept the freer it will be from soreness and chafing.

The frame of the saddle is called the “tree.” The tree of the standard saddles is of a standard width, and the fitting of the saddle to the horse’s back is secured not from using different sized trees but by padding. Horses’ backs differ greatly both in width and sharpness, so that the saddle should always be fitted to the particular horse on which it is to be most used. This should be done by an experienced and competent saddler, and a proper fit secured before the saddle is bought or accepted. With a properly fitted saddle, saddle pads and cloths should never be necessary. They look clumsy, they are liable to slip out of place, they collect sand and dirt, and even the best of them heat the horse’s back. If some kind of saddle pad is required on account of a sore back, or an ill-fitting saddle, or if, for instance, one is using one’s own saddle on a strange horse that it does not fit, by far the best pad to use is a sheepskin, cut the same size as the saddle and worn with the woolly side next to the horse’s back. Sheepskins are readily washed and do not heat the horse’s back nearly as much as the ordinary felt saddle pad.

Saddles are lined either with leather, with plain Holland linen, or with heavy white serge. Of the three I greatly prefer the leather because it is cooler for the horse’s back, is more easily cleaned, looks far smarter, and is more durable. If the saddle fits the horse properly the leather lining will never rub him, but it must be kept soft by frequent oiling.

In my opinion, linen is next best, but it does not wear as well as leather, and serge, which is in general use and is found in most saddles, is not as good a material for lining as either leather or linen. It is not durable, it becomes very dirty, it is hard to dry, and, unless it is kept clean and dry, it rubs the horse’s back badly.

As a substitute for a leather lining and in order to prevent the serge lining from chafing a tender back, many riders adopt the expedient in vogue in India and use a leather saddle cloth called “numnah.” These are good for use in hot weather and keep the horse’s back much cooler than would the serge lining, and save chafing. They are cut the exact size of the saddle and fastened to it by straps which pass under the flap. They must be kept soft by constant oiling, otherwise they fail in their purpose.

The girths are made either of webbing or of leather. The Fitz-William girth is the safest and neatest for a woman. This consists of one very broad girth, some five inches wide, with two buckles at each end which engage the two outside billets on either side of the saddle. This girth goes next to the horse’s body, and another girth, about half as wide and a trifle shorter, passes over the first girth--on which it is held in position by a leather loop just below the buckles--and terminates in a single buckle which engages the middle of the three billets on either side of the saddle.

The advantages of this type of girth are that it is very strong and safe, and it is much easier with it to girth the horse as tight as is necessary for the side-saddle than it is with two or three separate narrow girths, each independent of the other, such as are commonly used in livery stables and riding schools.

In girthing with the Fitz-William, first the wide girth is drawn tight, and then the narrow girth, and it will be found that the narrow girth can be tightened on the wide one so that, after it has been drawn, the wide one can be taken up two or three holes, and then the narrow one can be taken up again, and so the horse cannot, by inflating himself, prevent tight girthing.

For the show ring, for hunting, and for park riding the girths must be either of leather or of white webbing.

For country use brown webbing girths are permissible, but they never look well and are liked chiefly by lazy grooms.

Needless to say, white girths must be kept scrupulously clean and pipe-clayed.

I do not approve of braided horse-hide girths, nor of the Western “cinch” for use with the conventional English side-saddle. The “cinch,” of course, is a very useful device for use with a cowboy’s saddle, but there is no justification for its use with the side-saddle.

The balance strap, which is the strap running from the girth billets on the near side to a ring fastened on the off side of the cantle, serves to hold the saddle in position. It must not, however, be strapped too tight or it will pull the saddle too far over to the right and fatigue the horse unnecessarily. Some of the best English side-saddles now are so made that, when ridden by a very good rider, a balance strap is not necessary. This is a great advantage, as many horses are ticklish and the balance strap annoys them, and, besides, the side-saddle without a balance strap is smarter, on the general principle that the less unnecessary harness there is on a saddle-horse the better.

It is most important that the bridle and reins should be made of the very best quality of leather throughout, and of course, when they are, they are not cheap, but, on the other hand, they last so much longer that it is economy to buy the best at the outset. Cheap leather may give way at a critical moment, and, in any case, the low grade of leather will become hard and stiff, will crack, and will not take the proper polish. The leather, both of bridle and reins, should be thin and pliable, but this should be the result of pressing and working by the strapper. The reins especially must always be pliable, as thick reins tire and hurt both the hands of the rider and the mouth of the horse, and with them one cannot have that lightness and firmness of touch by means of which alone a horse should be controlled by a woman. I cannot insist upon this too strongly, as many fine mouths have been ruined through the use of thick and heavy reins.

The reins for a woman’s use should be a little narrower than for a man’s, and should be in proportion to the relative size of her hands. Women with very small hands may find it necessary to have reins especially made for them. The width of the reins should be such that, when held in the position described, the fingers can be fully bent and the edges of the reins held between the second joint of the fingers and the cushions of the hands. If they are too wide, the fingers cannot be fully closed, which presents a very awkward appearance. If a rider has very long fingers the reins should not be too narrow, for, if they are, they cannot be grasped on the edges, and they slip through the fingers. Therefore, women with exceptionally long fingers usually find it better to use a man’s bridle.

With the Weymouth curb and bridoon a double bridle is, of course, used. This is illustrated in the cut and the names of the various parts given. The buckles should be leather covered and should be square rather than round. The cheek pieces and bridoon head may be buckled with the curb and snaffle bits, respectively, or be stitched. The latter looks much neater, but it makes the bits hard to clean and they cannot be changed.

The latest method is to have an invisible hook on the inside of the cheek pieces, which is similar to the hook used on certain types of the best side-saddles, in place of the buckle for shortening the stirrup leather. The cheek piece, where it passes through the ring, has stitching on it, and, without a close inspection, one would not notice whether the cheek pieces were stitched or hooked. I recommend this appliance very highly, as it wears better than buckles and looks just as well as stitching.

The reins should be fastened to the rings in the same way as the cheek pieces, whether by buckles, by stitching, or by the invisible hook which I have described.

When the standing martingale is used it is fastened to the noseband or to the cavesson, which many use in its place.

With horses that rear or are inclined to “star gaze” a woman should always, except in the hunting field, use a standing martingale. It keeps their heads down, gives the rider better control, and prevents rearing.

The standing martingale looks better if hung from a breastplate in the same manner as a running martingale. Standing martingales cannot be used in hunting, as they prevent a horse from jumping freely. So in hunting with a horse that needs a martingale a running martingale should be used. This is attached to the front of the breastplate and has two branches ending in rings, through which the snaffle reins are passed. In front of these rings there should be leather stops on the reins to prevent their buckles from catching in the rings.

Running martingales are chiefly used in the hunting field and in jumping, for in jumping a horse must have his head free, and a tight standing martingale would prevent him from throwing his head forward at the take off, and so not only prevent him from using his strength to the best advantage, but would tend to throw him off his balance. Running martingales, however, are not nearly as effectual in preventing a horse from rearing, and when they are used it requires a very considerable amount of strength on the part of the rider to keep the horse’s head down, while, of course, the standing martingale keeps the horse’s head down without any exertion on the part of the rider.

If a standing martingale is used, be sure that it is not fastened too tight; it should be loose enough to allow the horse quite a little play with his head in its natural position. If it is tighter than this the horse, when the reins are loose, will put his head in its natural position, then feel the pressure of the martingale and think that he is being backed. He will thereupon back, and the more you give him his head by loosening the reins, the more, through attempting to raise his head, he will feel the pressure of the martingale and will keep on backing. Under these circumstances, the only thing you can do is to gather him lightly with the curb, which will bring his head in and relieve the pressure of the martingale, then urge him forward, or, if you want him to stand, keep a light pressure on the curb so as to prevent the martingale from being tight.

The breastplate, used with nearly all horses by women in the hunting-field, should be used at all times with a horse that is “tucked up” like a greyhound. In fact, many riders use breastplates at all times with nearly all horses, and, except in the show ring or in park riding where they are not considered good form, I think they should be generally used with women’s saddles. They hold the saddle in place, and, with them, the girths need not be drawn so tight.

The breastplate not only holds the saddle firmly in place, but it also keeps it from turning, prevents the girths from slipping back on the horse’s belly, distributes part of the weight of the saddle on the horse’s shoulders instead of having it all on the girths, and gives the rider a feeling of security and confidence.

A few horses have such wide chests and some such tender skins that a breastplate is apt to gall them.

The best bits for a woman to use are the curb and snaffle. The curb bit in general use is of the Weymouth pattern, as illustrated above (see cut No. 1, page 150). The snaffle is jointed (see cut No. 12, page 150). Most horses go better with a curb bit with a slight port, such as No. 2, page 150, though personally I like the pattern illustrated in No. 1, same page, above, quite as well, if not better. For horses with very tender mouths or with sore mouths, the curb bit may be covered with rubber. Other horses, again, go better with a jointed curb, and old horses, whose mouths are so hard that they cannot be brought back to their original condition, may require the use of a heavy port or other device which will cause them pain when the curb rein is tightened.

These various devices are illustrated above. For hunters, for pullers, for polo ponies, and for Southern gaited horses, various kinds of bits are used, but I shall not attempt to describe them here. They are fully treated in many of the standard books on riding and do not belong in a book devoted to riding and driving for women.

I shall add a few hints, gleaned largely from my own experience, which may not be found in other books on the general subject.

The normal position of the bit, whether curb or snaffle, or both, is in the space between the teeth called the “bars,” about two inches below the eyeteeth in the mare and the tushes in the gelding. This brings the curb chain to bear on the sensitive flesh of the lower jaw where the pressure is most effective. If the curb is too high, the chain bears on the jawbone which, at that point, is only covered by skin. This skin readily becomes calloused, so that the curb chain has almost no effect. If the curb is too low, the horse will be able to get his tongue over the bit and keep it there, so that control will be lost and the cheek straps will be too loose, and the snaffle, unless it has very large rings, may be pulled through the horse’s mouth.

Many horses have a bad habit of getting their tongues over the bit. A horse with his tongue in this position is quite uncontrollable, and he must be broken of the habit at any cost. Most horses will be cured by taking up the cheek straps and thus raising the bits in the mouth. This, however, may bring the curb chain too high, as above stated. If it does, or if this method is not successful, it may be necessary to resort to one of the patterns of curb bits designed to prevent the horse from getting his tongue over, such as the gridiron, No. 12, page 150, which has a ring which is passed over the horse’s tongue.

A temporary device which may be used, except in the show ring, is to put a rubber band over the port in the curb and around the horse’s tongue. It must, of course, not be tight or it will stop the circulation, but it diverts the horse’s attention and, of course, prevents him from bringing his tongue over the bit.

If a horse is inclined to lag, or go up against the bit, raise the snaffle in his mouth and lower the curb.

In the ordinary adjustment of the bits, the curb chain should be fastened so that, when hanging naturally, you can slip two fingers under the chain without disturbing the position of the bit, but if the animal has a hard mouth the chain may be tightened enough to give good control. No definite rule can, of course, be laid down. Beginners, however, are particularly cautioned to have their curb chains looser than I have indicated, as, until they have acquired “hands” and have entirely given up the habit of holding on by the reins, they cannot with safety either to themselves or their horses ride with the chain at all tight.

If a horse has been spoiled and his mouth is so calloused or “hard” that he cannot be controlled even with a tight curb, and you still want to ride him, the chain may be twisted, or one of the punishing types of bit may be used, such as those above illustrated (Nos. 19 and 20, page 150). Twisting the chain or using such a bit will make his mouth all the harder, but will enable the rider to control him.

While the Mexicans and Indians use very cruel bits and ride only on the curb, they necessarily ride with light hands; otherwise they would break the horses’ mouths.

If a horse pulls more on one side of his mouth than on the other, drop the bits on the side opposite to that on which he pulls. If horses have had the advantage of proper training and intelligent riding, they should have no “mouth tricks,” such as sticking their tongues out on one side. If they are continually fretting with their tongues and lips and heads, it is probable that there is something the matter with their teeth or that they have some soreness or irritation inside of their mouths. Horses do not do things of this kind without cause, and as soon as anything of this kind is observed the mouth should be thoroughly inspected and steps taken to remedy the trouble immediately. Horses often have trouble with their teeth very much as we do. Usually a “vet.” will be able to remedy any condition of that kind, but if not, it may be necessary to call in a horse dentist. If trouble of this kind is not attended to, the symptom may become a habit or a trick very hard to break and result in spoiling a horse’s appearance and manners.