MOUNTED INSTRUCTION 141 



now in the field artillery. It also has the advanta.^e of beiii^i" able to be 

 adjusted to a horse within a few seconds, while the steel collar required 

 twenty minutes. A badly fitting- steel collar could ruin a horse's shoul- 

 der in a few hours' hard draft, while the breast collar will probably 

 cause less damage. 



In all the adjustment of harness, bear in mind that any improperly 

 adjusted part will worry the horse and thus tend to wear him out and 

 cause loss of flesh. 



ADJUSTMENT OF BREAST COLLAR 



The breast collar should be adjusted as high as possible on the horse's 

 chest without there being- any tendency to choke him by ])ressing 

 against the wind-pipe. This collar can be lowered or raised within nar- 

 row limits to relieve galls and sores that may occur on new horses when 

 put in hard draft before the shoulder and breast have a chance to 

 harden. 



Taking it reasonably the BREAST COLLAR cannot be too high; 

 if it is put on high to start with there is a much smaller chance of gal- 

 ling. This is much better than starting with it low and heightening it 

 when you have got a gall. 



COLLAR STRAP 



No adjustment; should be loose. It is only there to prevent the 

 collar from striking- the horse behind the ears when he lowers his head. 



BLANKET 



The blanket should be carefully folded and examined to see that there 

 are no wrinkles or bunches in it. It should be equally divided on both 

 sides of the horse and placed far enough forward so that when the 

 saddle is in place, about one inch projects in rear of the rear end of the 

 side bars of the saddle. All blankets have a tendency to Avork to the 

 rear, so that after a short distance is traveled, blankets placed in this 

 position will soon be evenly distributed under the saddle. 



It is of great importance to raise it well into the fork of the saddle. 

 When the saddle is on the horse's back be certain that you can see day- 

 light through from back of saddle to front. 



