steel plates are afterwards riveted on the gullet or "head," and also on the cantle. The expression, "straining the tree," means fastening four pieces of linen web-two length-wise and two cross-wise -whose purpose is to support the seat. A piece of canvas is afterwards nailed on top of the "webs," and a piece of serge laid over the whole. The stuffing or padding having been well worked in between the canvas and the serge, the saddle is ready to be covered with hog-skin. The cost of putting a new tree into a saddle is about 2. For flat-racing the tree weighs only about 6 oz. for a 1 lb. saddle, 8 oz. for a 2 lb. saddle, 12 oz. for a 3 lb. saddle, 15 oz. for a 4 lb. saddle. To obtain lightness no webs or spring stirrup-bars are used, a piece of stout linen being strained across for the seat, while the stirrup-leathers are put through the tree. The French cavalry saddles have iron instead of wooden trees. There are only two distinct shapes in modern men's saddles, namely, (1) the tree made straight over the withers and with a square cantle, which is the generally accepted pattern for hunting saddles, and (2) the tree made cut back over the withers and with a round cantle, which is used more for polo saddles, or horses with very high withers, and also for saddles made for the colonies. Then occasionally saddles are made cut back with a square cantle to suit certain riders and straight over the withers, commonly called "straight head," and with a round cantle. Needless to say, the prices of saddles vary considerably. Here are a few quotations from a leading West End saddler's price list : Gentleman's hog-skin hunting saddle (any weight) girth, stirrups, leathers £ s. d. 76 900 76 7 17 8 18 6 5 15 6 IOS. 6d to 14 6 |