CH. XI TRACE 2 17 



The length of the tug is important : if it is too 

 long, — and harness-makers are very apt to make it 

 so, — the buckle reaches back of the pad and the 

 belly-band and looks very awkward, as is shown 

 in Plate XXV. For a fifteen-three horse of good, 

 average shape, the length from the head of the clip 

 to the middle of the buckle, should be 20^ inches ; 

 to the end of the buckle, 22 inches. 



Trace. — The wheel-trace is made of two thick- 

 nesses of leather, and should have a narrow strip, 

 shaved on both edges, inserted between the two 

 thicknesses to swell it out in the middle, which im- 

 proves its appearance, and diminishes its liability to 

 rub off the hair. Public-coach traces do not usually 

 have this inside piece. 



The stitching of the traces should be coarse, — that 

 is, the stitches should be far apart, about ten to the 

 inch, and made with strong thread ; in fine stitch- 

 ing, the holes are too close together and cut the 

 leather unnecessarily. Public-coach harness may be 

 stitched throughout more coarsely than drag-harness. 



The front end of the trace is pierced by five holes, 

 an inch and a quarter apart, for the tug-buckle. 

 The rear end is fitted in several different fashions : 

 for a drag it has a running loop (Fig. 102, A), which 

 is put on the roller-bolt with the loose end on the 

 outer side ; for a public-coach, what is called the 

 French loop (B) is generally used ; it has the ad- 

 vantage of simplicity, and, if the loop of the inside 



