If a horse cannot get his forelegs carried to the front with freedom, he becomes tired earlier than he should. His shoulder blades are encased in a veritable straitjacket, if a pair of side bars are pressed into them by a tight girth and the weight of the rider.

It can be no matter for wonder that under these conditions he may even fall when tired, and under any circumstances may constantly stumble and trip.

No weight should be imposed on the blade bones; free and uncontrolled backward and forward movement is essential. The movement of the human ankle is a very fair comparison to the movements of the horses blade bones, and we can have no difficulty in realising what the result of interfering with the free play of the ankle would be if we caused a wooden splint to project over it.

The play of the shoulder blade and the hollow behind the blade bone are important landmarks in saddle fitting, and the side bar should lie in the latter and extend from there to the last rib. In spite of burrs, a saddle may be so fitted as to occupy the position indicated without pressing on the blade bones.

The fan
The projecting portion of the side bars behind is known as the fan; it is given an upward sweep in the manufacture of the side bar, but with many backs this is insufficient to carry it clear of the loins.

It is the loins and not the back proper which get injured by the fans, the injury being produced by friction.