7Z'2- 



Reading-Course for Farmers. 



collar, many makes have been put on the market, such as the leather, 

 the sweeny, the half sweeny, the pneumatic, the steel and the humane, 

 each asserting superiority over the others. Each has its advantages 

 and disadvantages. No attempt is made here to favor any style or 

 make; only general suggestions are given. 



Fitting the collar is a rather difficult task. In the manufacture of 

 collars the leather is soaked till it is limp as a rag, and then is fitted 

 over a steel form representing the shape of the horse's neck. When dry 

 these collars are so firm and stiff that usually it is impossible to buckle 

 the harness tight enough to bring them to the shape of the animal's 

 neck, and the shoulders are therefore adjusted to the collar, rather 

 than the collar to the shoulders, with sore shoulders as the result. The 

 neck and shoulders of no two horses are alike. It is therefore necessary, 

 to avoid this soreness, that a stiff collar be adjusted to the shoulders of 

 the horse for which it is intended. To do this, take the poorly fitting 

 collar, new or old, wrap it round and round again with a thoroughly 



Fig. 41 — Types of collars, i, common leather; 2, half sweeny; 3, steel; 4, pneu- 

 matic; 5, humane. 



wet cloth; or place the unwrapped collar in three inches of water and 

 let it remain over nignt. In the morning put the collar on the horse, 

 and with hame straps draw it snugly to the sides of the neck; be sure 

 that the hame straps are properly adjusted, then work the horse moder- 

 ately through the day. After soaking in this way the collar will adjust 

 itself to every inequality of the shoulder, and the horse will seldom 

 be troubled with soreness. Repeat the process whenever the collar is 

 found not to fit. A collar that will fit in the early spring when the horse 

 is fat will be too large later when he is worked down, so that it is import- 

 ant to watch and adjust the collar to the shoulders. 



Every horse should have his own collar. It should fit close to the 

 neck along its entire width and should never be tight in some places 

 and loose in others. The hame straps should be properly adjusted at 



