-;*- >,; 



CART, FARM, AND PIT GEARS; 

 SHOEING AND ROUGHING. 



" As easy as an old shoe." 



The above adage does not at all times apply to the 

 make or fit of the heavier class of harness ; yet the very 

 fact of the extraordinary weight of leather, wood, straw, 

 and iron that some horses are condemned to carry, (inde- 

 pendent of the loaded cart or waggon) is sufficient of 

 itself to suggest that every part of the set of gears, whether 

 shafter or leader, pit or plough, should at least be a perfect 

 and easy fit. 



It will be plain to every considerate mind that 

 each horse should be measured for his suit ; but 

 even this is not sufficient in itself to ensure the 

 comfort of the horse and the security of the team, without 

 proper judgment on the part of the saddler in each 

 particular case, and the discretion of the horse owner 

 as to the make and form he has decided upon having. 



It is, and long has been, the author's opinion that cart 

 gears generally are made up far heavier and more lumber- 

 some than is necessary, and he considers the example set 

 by London carriers generally, Pickford's, Button's, and 

 Railway Companies in particular, a step in the right 

 direction towards bringing about a complete alteration 

 throughout the country, and revolutionise in favour of less 

 weight, not only for the horse's back, but, in fact, all over 

 his body, and in the future (it is to be hoped) the large 

 housings, savers, and winkers of the present day, to a 

 certain extent still adhered to by the country saddler, will 



T 



