416 HARNESS. 



rets of the collar and saddle, and, carefully avoiding twisls, 

 buckle their ends together, and your horse is geared. Be 

 sure that you have ev^ery strap only sufficiently tight : do 

 not emulate the example of that distinguished Hibernian 

 who drew taut all of the straps, buckled them in the last 

 hole, and then cut off the ends " to make it look nate." 



To unharness^ pursue the following order : — Unbuckle 

 the reins and coil them to the rings of the bit ; let down 

 the check-rein ; unbuckle the second girth and fasten it to 

 the terret ; unfasten and fold up the holdbacks ; unfasten 

 and coil the traces ; slip the tugs from the shafts ; lead the 

 horse out of the shafts, lowering them easily to the ground; 

 lead the horse to the place of unharnessing and remove 

 the bridle, holding him by the mane until his halter is 

 made fast; unbuckle the crupper and the saddle-girth, 

 slipping the latter free from the martingale loop ; take the 

 saddle in the left hand, and the back-strap in the right, 

 drawing the body part off over the hips, and remove the 

 harness, — hanging each part of the harness in its place as 

 taken off. Now unfasten the halter-tie ; move the collar 

 to the upper part of the neck, widen it by drawing its sides 

 apart, and turn it upside down (turning in the direction in 

 which the mane falls); stand in front of the horse's head, 

 and draw off the collar, squarely and slowly, holding the 

 sides as much as possible away from the horse's eyes.* 



The work of putting on and taking off harness is done 

 as much as possible on the near-side of the horse, and 

 special care should be taken to do everything with the ut- 

 most quietness and gentleness. 



In harnessing the double team, the same general plan is 

 to be pursued as with the single horse, deviating from the 



'•' If the collar can conveniently be left in its place until the neck is cool, 

 the skin will be less liable to become sore from its pressure than if it Vie 

 immediately removed. 



