Till: HANDY MAN ON THE FARM. 831 



Young or fat horses have tender shoulder^ and are liable to chafe, 

 especially in the summer, and they should be carefully used until accustomed 

 to work. Whilst a horse is in work a careful watch must be kept for indica- 

 tions of soreness. Immediately he is taken from his work, the harness 

 should be removed and a careful examination made for undue heating in 

 any particular part. Bathing the shoulders with salt and water hardens the 

 skin and renders it less susceptible to injury. 



Where galls already exist on the shoulders, it is often a difficult matter 

 to adjust the collar so that the horse can continue his work. The best 

 method of surmounting the difficulty is to select a collar which fits perfectly, 

 and then make a depression in the lining immediately over the gall, 

 sufficiently deep and wide to prevent the collar coming in contact with it. 

 The depression is made by removing some of the stuffing and drawing in 

 the lining with a few stitches. This is called " chambering " the collar. 



Another method is to have small pads stitched to the collar above and 

 below the seat of injury, to remove the pressure. Some horse-owners, in 

 the absence of a saddler, use stockings stuffed with horse-hair as a substitute 

 for the pads. By adopting means such as these, the horse can be worked 

 while the injury is healing. 



For heavy work the hames are usually made of steel, either single or 

 double plated. The latter are more expensive, but more durable, and less 

 likely to suddenly snap when the horse throws himself into the collar. 



Hames for drays are made with short tug-chains attached, but on the 

 farm it is more convenient to have them fitted with hooks, so that they can 

 be used with separate short tugs for dray-work, or with chains for ploughing. 



They should fit perfectly in the groove of the collar. A chain connects 

 them at the bottom, and this can be lengthened or shortened to enable the 

 hames to be adjusted to the size of the collar. This coupling must not be 

 made too long, or in buckling the hames at the top they will be -drawn in 

 too closely and pinch the neck; if, on the other hand, the connecting chain 

 is too short, they do not fit well round the collar. 



The hook for attaching the tug or plough chains must be placed in such a 

 position that the draught is not thrown on to the movable shoulder-joint. 

 If the point of attachment is too low, the upper end of the collar is drawn 

 slightly forward. 



In some horses the body swells outwards considerably beyond the shoul- 

 ders, and the chains chafe the sides. This can be prevented in most cases 

 by putting a thick leather pad beneath the hame-hooks, to throw them out- 

 wards. If this fails, the chains must be covered with leather or strong 

 cloth. 



In plough-harness the backhand is very simple, and serves merely to carry 

 the reins and to prevent the chains falling too low and getting under the 

 feet in turning. It should be of such a length that when the chains are 

 tightened it rests comfortably on the back, and is not thrown up above it. 

 When it is in the proper position the flaps should be about 9 inches behind 

 the elbow- joint. 



The chains vary in weight according to the class of work. They should 

 be strong but fairly light, except where leading horses are used, when 

 heavier chains are required. The length should be sufficient to allow the 

 swingle-bars to clear the heels when turning the horses. If too long they 



