i88 



ATTACHMENT OF THE HORSE 



CH. X 



on the Continent until of late years ; it is still fre- 

 quently seen there, and in America is used in some 

 light trotting harness. It has the advantages of 

 being simple, light, and cool in hot weather, and, 

 with slight adjustment, of fitting any horse. 



Its disadvantages are that with a stiff splinter-bar 

 it rubs the shoulders as they move backward and 

 forward within it, and, bearing upon the point at 

 which the shoulder-blade joins the upper bone of the 

 leg (Fig. 82) cripples the action of the joint. It 



does not enable the horse to 

 hold back effectively without the 

 addition of a somewhat compli- 

 cated strapping, or a metal yoke. 

 It may be necessary in travelling 

 to use one for a time to relieve 

 a horse with a sore neck, but 

 moveable swingle-trees of some 

 kind must be used with it, or else 

 a galled shoulder is sure to result. 

 The other way, is to use the ordinary collar (Fig. 

 83), a part of the harness which requires the great- 

 est care and consideration, sometimes taxing the 

 ingenuity of the most experienced horsemen and 

 harness-makers. It must fit ; if it is too long or too 

 wide it will slip about and rub the skin ; if it is too 

 short it will choke the horse ; if it is too narrow it 

 will pinch and gall him. These questions will be 

 treated more in detail in the Chapter on Harness. 

 But in this place it is proper to call attention to what 



Fig. 82. 



