300 HEAD COLLARS. 



should be large enough to cover a horse from the head to 

 the end of the tail and hang down to the knees and hocks. 

 It is advisable to have a heavy cooler for winter use and a 

 lighter one for summer. 



For description of roller pad and breast cloths, hoods 

 and knee boots, see under heading " Dress and Exercising 

 Clothing," p. 297. 



HEAD COLLARS. 



Head collars are made of brown leather and should be 

 lined and either double or triple stitched. The leather should 

 be well seasoned and soft, otherwise the collar will be weak 

 and apt to chafe the horse's head. They are made in various 

 designs and with plain or buckskin fronts. The style de- 

 scribed below is the one that best meets all requirements. The 

 cheek-pieces are usually fastened to the nose-band by square 

 metal loops. These are not so good as rings, as it is difficult 

 to keep the four exposed corners clean. The writer has 

 found these places neglected when the round metal joints in 

 other parts of the head collar have been carefully cleaned. 

 Brass is the metal that should be preferably chosen for the 

 loops and buckles of the head collar. 



The head collar used when the horse is being groomed 

 is either made of narrow russet leather without a throat 

 latch or of white webbing. The writer's preference is for the 

 former, as it does not absorb the sweat and may be kept in a 

 constant state of cleanliness. 



" If any one who may read this work holds economy worth considera- 

 tion, I would suggest to him that ordering his head collars to be made with, 

 as it is termed, the flesh side outwards, causes them to wear nearly double 

 the time of others." — Charles Brindley, " The Pocket and the Stud,'' p. 66. 



