Saddlery and Harness

SADDLERY AND HARNESS. These two terms embrace the equipment for the horse when used for riding or driving. "Harness" was originally a general term for equipment, e.g., the body armour of a soldier. It is now usually confined to the work and driving horse's equipment, "saddle and bridle" being applied to that of the riding horse.

Saddlery is principally a leather trade, and the craft has been established in England as a separate trade since the 13th century, when the London Saddlers' Company received its charter from Edward I. There is evidence also of its early prosperity at Bir mingham; the principal seat of the British harness and saddlery trade is now at Walsall. Saddlers' ironmongery embraces the making of buckles, rings, chains, stirrups, spurs, bits, hames.

The "bridle" is the combination of straps, bits, rings, chains and buckles which fits on the horse's head. The headstall consists of the headpiece passing behind the ears and joining the head-band over the forehead ; the cheek-straps run down the sides of the head to the bit to which they are fastened; in the "blind" type of driving bridle the "blinkers," rectangular or round leather flaps which prevent the horse from seeing anything except what lies in front, are attached to the cheek-straps; the nose-band passes round the front of the nose just above the nostrils; and the throat latch extends from the top of the cheek-straps underneath the head. The "martingale," an attachment sometimes used on riding horses, passes between the horse's forelegs, with one end fastened to the saddle girth and the other to the bridle. It prevents the horse throwing up his head uncontrollably. The bit is the metal contrivance inserted in the mouth to which the reins are attached. There are innumerable patterns of bits, but they may be roughly divided into the straight bar, "snaffle" and "curb." The "snaffle" for the riding horse generally has a smooth, jointed steel mouth piece, with straight cheek-bars, the rings for the reins and cheek pieces of the headstall being fixed in the bars at the junction with the mouthpiece. A severer snaffle has the mouthpiece twisted and fluted. The bars prevent the horse pulling the bit through the mouth. The snaffle without bars is generally termed a "bridoon."

The commonest form of bit used in driving is the double-ring snaffle, in which the rings work one within the other, the headstall straps fastening to one and the reins to the other, or, if the horse is driven on the double ring, the reins are buckled to both rings. The curb-bit (Fr. courbe, Lat. curvus, bent, crooked) is one to which a curb-chain or strap is generally attached, fastened to hooks on the upper ends of the cheek-bars of the bit and passing under the horse's lower jaw in the chin groove. The reins are attached to rings at the lower ends of the cheek-bars, the leverage thus pressing the curb-chain against the jaw. The mouthpiece of the curb-bit is unjointed and commonly has in the centre a "port," i.e. a raised curve allowing liberty for the tongue and bringing the pressure on the base of the horse's jaw. The curb-bit and the bridoon can be used together with separate headstalls and reins, and there are many combination bits.

Saddles.

The riding saddle is composed of the "tree," the framework, the parts of which are the pommel or head, the pro jection which fits over the withers, and the side bars which curve round into the cantle or hind-bow. The tree in the best saddles is made of beechwood split with the grain; thin canvas is glued over the wood to prevent splitting, and iron or steel plates then riveted on the head and on the cantle. Linen webs are fastened length wise and across, over which is nailed canvas and serge between which the padding is stuffed. To the tree are fastened the stirrup bars. The leather covering of the tree should be of pig-skin; cheap saddles are made of sheep-skin stamped to imitate pig-skin. The various parts of the man's saddle are the seat, the skirt, i.e., the fold or pad of leather on either side of the head, and the hanging flaps ; knee-rolls are not used as much as they were, except where roughly broken-in horses are ridden. The saddle is cut straight over the withers with a square-ended cantle, as in the hunting saddle, or cut back over the withers with a round-ended cantle, as in the polo saddle. The saddles in use on the continent of Europe still retain the high pommel and cantle and heavy knee-rolls dis carded by riders trained in the British school and the hunting-field.