CH. Ill SPLINTER-BAR 23 



are wide enough to serve as steps in mounting to 

 the box. 



On a drag, these flanges should be lined under- 

 neath with thick leather, to prevent the metal 

 slides of the traces from rattling against them. 

 The inside roller-bolts should be larger in diameter 

 than those on the outside, in order to take up a 

 portion of the length of the inside trace, for the 

 reason given in the article on 'Putting to,' in 

 Chapter XII. 



With the traces attached directly to the stiff splin- 

 ter-bar, the horse, in the movement of his shoulders, 

 pulls alternately on one trace and the other, and if 

 he has on a breast-collar, or as it is sometimes 

 called a ' Dutch collar,' this movement inside of the 

 leather will frequently rub the shoulder, and make 

 it sore. For this reason, when Eno-lish travelline 

 carriages were taken to the Continent in old post- 

 ing times they had loose swingle-trees attached to 

 the splinter-bar because the Continental posting 

 harness had breast collars. (Beaufort, p. 353.) 

 See Plate X. 



Even with ordinary collars, horses work more 

 easily with moveable swingle-trees, and it will be 

 noticed that those who work horses as a matter of 

 business, such as livery-stable keepers, invariably 

 use them. My own experience long ago led me to 

 modify the arrangement of the splinter-bar of my 

 coach in such a way that, while the roller-bolts are 

 retained and the general outward appearance of the 



