236 MOUNTED INSTRUCTION 



Before giving the command "yoke" care should be taken that the 

 breast straps are hooked to the outside of the wheel collars with the 

 buckle end of the breast straps up and outside. This is necessary as 

 the inside ends of the breast straps are passed through the roller at the 

 end of the neck yoke from the outside in. The buckle end of the breast 

 strap will not pass through the roller and therefore should be attached 

 to the outside of the collar. The upper side of the breast strap has on 

 it a re-inforced strap. 



If the breast strap is turned with the buckle upward, the re-inforced 

 strap is turned downward and does not bear against the roller as in- 

 tended. In fastening the neck yoke the driver stands between the two 

 horses of the pair opposite their chests, facing in the same direction as 

 the horses, holds the center of the neck yoke with his left hand. With 

 his right hand he grasps the free end of the breast strap of the off horse 

 and passes it through the neck yoke roller from the outside and hooks 

 the end of the breast strap hook in the near side of the collar of the off 

 horse. He then passes the neck yoke into his right hand and similarly 

 fastens the breast strap of the near horse. The breast strap always 

 passes from the outside inward through the roller. Before passing the 

 martingale through the standing loop on the cincha, care should be 

 taken that the neck yoke is so held that the upper surface of the martin- 

 gale, or the side that comes against the horse, is upward. This will 

 place the "D" ring at the end of the martingale downward. If the neck 

 yoke is turned around, the martingale will be upside down, which is 

 wrong. 



After fastening the breast strap of the near horse, the driver is left 

 facing partly toward the near horse. He then stoops down and passes 

 the martingale of the near horse between the front legs through the 

 cincha and attaches the hooks of the side straps into the martingale 

 through the "D" ring, beginning with the left strap, and then hooks the 

 right side strap to the near horse in same ring. He then faces about and 

 passes the martingale of the off horse through in the same manner and 

 hooks the side straps, beginning with the right one. 



He should be careful to see that the side straps are not twisted After 

 hooking them in the "D" ring the side strap hook and the buckle on the 

 side strap near the breeching ring should be downward. 



Unharnessing: At the command "unyoke," each wheel driver, before 

 attempting to unhook the breast straps, should always unhook the side 

 straps from the martingale "D" rings of both horses and draw the 

 martingales out of the cinchas. If the breast strai)s are unhooked first 

 the neck yoke falls to the ground with the martingales still attached, 

 and is apt to frighten the horses ; a mistake often made. The horses 

 must be uncoupled before being led into the stalls. After uncoupling, 

 the coupling rein is usually thrown over the neck of the off horse. 



Time is always saved in harnessing by carefully hanging the two 

 traces of each horse, when unharnessing, with the toggles in the oppo- 

 site direction. 



In unsaddling the driver first passes over the near stirrup and un- 

 fastens the cincha, letting the cincha strap hang. He then steps to the 



