202 ANIMAL MANAGEMENT. 



shoulders. This oscillation, the result of the movement of the shoulders, 

 is a most important point to remember if we are to understand how 

 collar injuries are produced. • 



A horse with an upright shoulder is comparatively easy to fit with a 

 collar, especially if the draught place is wide ; but an animal possessing 

 oblique shoulders is difficult to fit, for the part is fine, there being no 

 draught place, and the tendency is for the collar to rise on the shoulders 

 when the horse puts his weight into it. 



No matter what shape a shoulder may be, the collar invariably 

 rises when in draught, though with upright shoulders only to a limited 

 extent. 



Necks and shoulders vary in shape and size depending on the 



amount of condition present ; this, as will be seen presently, is the 



key-note to collar fitting and the prevention of injuries. Some horses 



are very thick at the crest of the neck, others are thin ; some have the 



neck so hollow from side to side that it can almost be felt through, whilst 



others have the muscles large and well developed. 



Where the Where the draught is placed. — We know that the weight imparted 



draught is ^q ^ horse's shoulders in draught should be evenly distributed over the 



P ^^^ ' anterior surface of the bladebone ; owing to the movements of the 



shoulders, the collar should fit so closely that but little oscillation is 



possible between it and the parts beneath. Collar injuries are nearly 



always the result of friction ; this is the great distinction between 



them and injuries to the back, which are nearly always the result of 



i)i'essure ; our object, therefore, is to reduce the friction to a minimum. 



When a horse throws his weight into the collar, the latter rises on the 

 shoulders especially in draught up hill, hence the necessity for having 

 the throat of the collar away from the neck so that no undue pressure is 

 caused. A collar too deep, viz., too long, rises unduly on the shoulders 

 and extra friction is produced. 

 Fitting a Fitting a collar. — In fitting a collar the following are the points to 



^^ ^'^' attend to. The collar should lie easily on the shoulders ; no effort should 



be required to force it into its place — such would be an indication of it 

 being too narrow, and the sides of the neck would suffer. We should 

 observe that it rests evenly on the shoulders from top to bottom ; no 

 see-saw motion should be present, which would indicate that the centre 

 of the body contained too much stuffing. The top part of the collar just 

 in front of the withers should admit the fiat of the hand between it and 

 the neck. 



The next important step in fitting is to ascertain that the collar fits 

 closely to the side of the neck without pinching ; between the inside of the 



