846 



THE FARMERS HANDBOOK. 



Although rugs can be bought cheaply, they are often home-made, and the 

 following instructions will be useful : —The rug consists of a canvas covering 

 and an inside lining of some warm material such as serge. For ordinary 

 horses the covering is made 6 feet square, and when the strips of canvas have 

 been stitched together, a curved piece is cut out over the withers. This piece 

 is cut out 10 inches deep in the centre, and is 4 feet wide at the base. 



The edges of the canvas are doubled up twice to give a good firm hem 

 about half an inch wide. The inside lining is 4 feet wide, leaving 1 foot- 

 on each side of the canvas covering unlined. 



The buckles for the flank straps are put just in front of the back hem,. 

 1 foot in from the edges on the outside, and the straps taken through a slit 

 near the hem of the canvas. A " D " is stitched on the inside of the rug 

 about 20 inches forward from the back hem, and 1 foot in from the side, for 

 the attachment of the flank straps by clips. The straps are made about 



Fig. 17.— Horse-rug, showing the position of the straps, buckles, &c. 



5 feet long so that they can be adjusted to the size of the horse. The girth, 

 which is 2 feet 6 inches long, is stitched on the inside, 22 inches back from 

 the front hem, and 1 foot in from the side. 



The girth strap is 18 inches long, and is attached in the same relative 

 position as the girth on the opposite side. The chest strap and buckle are 

 placed on the front hem on the outside, 1 foot from the side. To make the 

 rug stronger, a strip of leather about 2-§ inches wide, may be stitched down 

 the centre on the outside. 



Tn attaching all buckles and straps, care should be taken to have them 

 stitched on to the inside lining as well as the canvas covering, and not placed 

 where the stitches will pass through the canvas only. 



Fig. 17 illustrates a horse-rug and the positions of the buckles and straps. 



