736 



Reading-Course for Farmers. 



much misused. It is intended for light rigs and Hght loads, for which 

 it is all right, but it is often used for heavy rigs and heavy loads in which 

 case it often causes sore necks and sore backs. With this backer the 

 wagon tongue has a tendency to rise, and one may occasionally see 

 a driver hanging on the tongue to hold it down and beating his animals 

 backward. This is a bad practice. 



The under-back and side-back are intended for use when there is 

 much backing to be done. In the under-back the hold-back strap 

 extends from the breeching to the martingale. When the horse backs, 



Fig. 44 — lUwstralion showing uuder-back 



instead of pulling down on the neck or on the back, the pressure is borne 

 by the breeching and the animal can handle himself and the load much 

 better. In the side-back the hold-back strap extends directly from 

 the breeching to the single-tree on the neck-yoke. This is the easiest 

 backer on the horses and is most efficient when much backing is to 

 be done. 



Choosing harness 



When it comes to choosing harness there are so many things to be 

 taken into consideration that the task is a difficult one. No attempt 

 is made here to go into the matter in detail; only a few of the general 



