THE SIDE SADDLE.
It is of first-class importance that a lady's saddle should be made by
a respectable and thoroughly competent saddler. Seeing the number of
years a well-built and properly kept side-saddle will last, it is but
penny wise to grudge the necessary outlay in the first instance. Those
constructed on the cheap machine-made system never give satisfaction to
the rider, are constantly in need of repair (grooms, if permitted, are
everlastingly in and out of the saddler's shop), and are a prolific
cause of sore backs.
[Illustration: THE OLD STYLE.]
With all saddles the chief cause, the source and origin, of evil is
badly constructed and badly fitting trees that take an undue bearing on
different parts of the back. At a critical moment, when just a little
extra exertion would perhaps keep the horse on his legs, a somewhat
tender muscle or portion of "scalded" skin comes in painful contact
with some part of an ill-fitting saddle, the agony causing him to
wince, checks the impulse to extend the "spare leg," and he comes down.
It does not matter how hard or heavy the rider may be, how tender the
skin, a sore back can be prevented by a proper system of measurement
and a good pannel. Mrs. Power O'Donoghue, in her very interesting
letters upon "Ladies on Horseback," unsparingly condemns the elaborate
embroidery which adorned (?) the near flap of every old-fashioned
saddle, pointing out that as it is always concealed by the rider's
right leg, the work is a needless expense. "There might be some sense,"
that brilliant and bold horsewoman says, "although very little, in
decorating the off-side and imparting to it somewhat of an ornamental
appearance; but in my opinion there cannot be too much simplicity about
anything connected with riding appointments. Let your saddle, like your
personal attire, be remarkable only for perfect freedom from ornament
or display. Have it made to suit yourself--neither too weighty nor yet
too small,--and if you want to ride with grace and comfort, desire that
it be constructed without one particle of the objectionable _dip_."
[Illustration: THE SAFETY SADDLE.]
The foregoing two sketches, "The Old Style" and "The Straight-Seated
Safety," contrast the wide difference between the old and fast
disappearing form of side-saddle and that designed and manufactured by
Messrs. Champion and Wilton. The disadvantages of the old style are so
painfully obvious that it is marvellous they should not have been
remedied years ago. On, or rather _in_, one of these, the lady sat
in a dip or kind of basin, and unless her limbs were of unusual
length--thereby pushing her right knee towards the off-side--she
necessarily faced half-left, _both_, not her horse's ears, but his
near shoulder; or, in order to attain any squareness of front, she was
called upon to twist her body from the hips, and to maintain a most
fatiguing, forced position during her whole ride (even through a long
day's hunting), or else sit altogether on the near side of her saddle.
This twist was the cause of the pains in the spine so frequently
complained of. More than this, the height upon which her pommels were
raised caused her to sit, as it were, uphill, or at best (in the
attempt on the part of the saddler to rectify this, by stuffing up the
seat of her saddle) to find herself perched far above her horse's back.
The natural expedient of carrying the upper or middle pommel nearer the
centre of the horse's withers, so as to bring the knee about in a line
with his mane, was impracticable with the old-style of saddle tree,
which gave the pommels a lofty, arched base above the apex of his
shoulders. The result was, in all cases, (1) great inconvenience and
often curvature of the spine to the rider, (2) constant liability to
sore back on the part of the horse, through the cross friction produced
by the lady's one-sided position. To meet and entirely remove the
difficulty, Messrs. Champion and Wilton pruned away all the forepart of
the saddle-tree, and, in place of the raised wood and metal base, upon
which the lady's right leg formerly rested, substituted merely a stout
leather flap or cushion.
As will be seen from the foregoing illustration, they were by this
arrangement able to place the upper pommel in whatever exact position
the form of the rider may require, to enable her to sit straight to her
proper front, riding the whole upon a level seat, and distributing her
weight fairly upon her horse's back. The importance of being in a
position to face her work and to hold her horse at his, needs no
comment. The small holster attached to the saddle is an exceedingly
ingenious air and water-tight detachable receptacle for a reliable
watch with a very clearly marked dial. The rider thus always has the
time before her eyes, and is saved the great inconvenience--in the
hunting-field especially--of unbuttoning the habit to get out a watch.
This invention, though not a necessity, is a very handy adjunct.
[Illustration: FIG 1]
This superlatively good saddle is fitted with a PATENT SAFETY-STIRRUP
BAR, which, while it renders it impossible for the rider to be hung up
or dragged when thrown, cannot possibly become detached so long as she
remains in the saddle. The action of this perfect safeguard is
explained by the accompanying diagrams.
[Illustration:
FIG 1
FIG 2
FIG 3]
The back of the bar is fixed to the tree in the ordinary way. There are
only two moving parts, viz. the hinged hook-piece, marked A, Figs. 1,
2, and 3, upon which the loop of the stirrup-leather is hung, and the
locking bar, B, upon which the skirt and the rider's legs rest. It will
be noticed that the front of the hook-piece, marked A, Fig. 1, is cut
off diagonally front and back, and that there is upon the back-plate a
cone, marked C, which projects through the back of the hook-piece. The
locking action may be thus described: The skirt, with lever, B, Fig. 2,
is lifted, the hook, A, pulled forward, and the loop of the
stirrup-leather hooked upon it; it springs back again (spring not
shown) and the locking lever, B, falls down over it, as at Fig 3. While
in the saddle, one of the rider's legs rests at all times upon the
skirt and lever, which therefore cannot rise; but upon the rider being
thrown and dragged, the stirrup-leather is tilted diagonally against
the cone, C, in passing which the hook is thrust outwards, lifting the
locking lever and skirt, as shown, Fig. 2, and thus reaching the
releasing point, is free. There is another case more rare, that in
which the rider is thrown over the horse's head, and also over a gate
or fence when the horse refuses and backs; and here we have just the
reverse action to that of the ordinary dragging, but in this case the
bar acts equally well. When the rider is thrown and dragged on the off
or reverse side, the stirrup-leather lifts the skirt and locking lever,
Fig. 2, and there remains nothing to retain the loop to the bar. The
above sketch of the side-saddle will aid in making the foregoing clear.
Here A is the skirt, and locking lever, B, shown raised, in order to
fit the loop of the stirrup-leather to the hook C below the cone D.
A balance strap is usually supplied with a side-saddle, and is a very
desirable adjunct. Ds also, to which the cover-coat is attached, should
be fitted on.
Quilted or plain doeskin seat and pommels are matters of taste. These
extras add to the cost of the saddle. A waterproof or leather cover is
an essential. Hogskin caps and straps, to prevent the habit catching on
the pommels, should be provided when the new patent safety-bar stirrup
is not used.
When practicable a lady should invariably be measured for her saddle.
It is almost impossible to find a lady's horse that at some time or
another has not suffered from sore back, and it is imperative that the
saddle should fit _both_ and that perfectly. We bipeds cannot walk
or run in tight ill-fitting boots, neither can a horse act under a
badly fitting saddle. I have read somewhere that the Empress of Austria
rode in an 8-lb. saddle, a statement I take leave to doubt. Her
Imperial Highness is far too fine and experienced a horsewoman to have
been seen outside any such toy. In the present day there is a senseless
rage for light side-saddles, much to be deprecated, as the lightness is
gained at the expense of the tree, and light flimsy leather is used in
their manufacture. Possibly when alum comes into general use we may see
lighter and even strong trees. A lady weighing 9 stone 7 lbs. requires
a saddle about 17 inches long, measured, as in the sketch, from A to B,
the seat from C to D, 13-1/4 inches wide, the upright pommel 5-1/2
inches high, and the leaping-head 8 inches long. Such a saddle, brand
new, will weigh about 14 lbs., and at the end of a season will pull the
scale down at 18 to 20 lbs. A saddle made of the proper weight and
strength in the first instance--the extra weight being in the tree,
where the strength is required--will be lighter in appearance.
Light saddles always require a lot of extra stuffing, which soon mounts
up the weight and detracts from the looks; moreover it is very
inconvenient to be constantly sending one's saddle to be restuffed.
Most ladies, from lack of proper supervision and want of thought, are
neglectful of the make and condition of their saddles, and so some
ribald cynic has hazarded the remark that although "a good man is
merciful to his beast, a good woman is rarely so." A first class firm
keeps an experienced man for the purpose of measuring horses, who is
sent out any distance required at a fixed scale of charges. When a lady
cannot conveniently attend to be measured, she should endeavour to get
the measurements, as indicated in the sketch, from some saddle in which
she can ride with comfort.
Though careful fitting and adjustment of the saddle will reduce
friction to a minimum, and will, in the majority of cases, do away with
its baneful effects, still with some very highly bred horses the skin
of the back is so easily irritated, that during a long day's work, in
hot climates especially, it becomes chafed, and injury is inflicted
either at the withers or underneath the seat. Nothing is more difficult
to deal with and heal than a sore back. In a prolonged and arduous
campaign, I have seen regiments seriously reduced below their fighting
strength by obstinate sore backs. A very great _desideratum_, in my
opinion, is the new "Humanity" sponge-lined numnah, another of Messrs.
Champion and Wilton's sensible inventions. This excellent preventative
and curative Saddle-cloth keeps the most tender-skinned horse in a
position to walk in comfort. It is an adaptation of the finer kind of
Turkey sponge, the soft nature of which suggested itself to the
inventors as an agent for counteracting saddle friction.
It is made in two varieties: (1) of bridle leather, lined at the
withers with this fine, natural sponge, thus interposing a soft pad
between the saddle and the withers (a point where the chief strain of a
lady's seat is brought to bear during the action of the trot); (2) of a
fine white felt, lined at the back as well as at the withers with the
same quality of sponge, and intended for such horses as are apt to
become troubled under the seat of the saddle as well as at the withers.
The sponge has to be damped, preferably in warm water, but pressed or
wrung out before using, and the leather part kept soft with vaseline,
which is an excellent preservative and softener of leather. _Each
time after use, the sweat should be thoroughly washed out of the
sponge; to ensure best results, attention to scrupulous cleanliness is
absolutely essential._ The following are representations of this
numnah.
[Illustration: INSIDE SURFACE.]
With the safety-bar and the Zenith habit it matters not what form of
stirrup a lady uses, for these have done away with the necessity for
the so-called safety patterns, of which there are several. The slipper
has been objected to, as it, from being so comfortable, encourages
ladies to lean their whole weight on it and thus throw themselves out
of balance; moreover, it is out of fashion. Mrs. Power O'Donoghue
advocates the plain iron racing stirrup, with the foot well home, as by
its means the rise or purchase is from the instep, as it ought to be,
and not from the toes. The Prussian side-pieces at the bottom take
sharp pressure off the sides of the foot. The Victoria and French pad
inside the stirrup, except when the safety bar and habit are adopted,
are fraught with danger; with these precautions they are a great
comfort, and guard the instep at the trot when the foot is thrust well
home. The size of the stirrup should be proportionate to the foot.