CH. XII 247 



CHAPTER XII 



HARNESSING 



With a public-coach team, it is usually considered 

 advisable to put on each horse's collar about half an 

 hour before he is to go out, that it may get warm 

 against his neck, and so be less liable to chafe him 

 in his work. Unless, however, it is fastened back 

 in some way, such as by drawing in front of it the 

 neck part of his rug, it will slip forward the first 

 time that the horse puts his head down, and will 

 not stay in its place to get warm. 



The collar having been put on, the hames are 

 buckled on it afterward. The practice of putting 

 the harness on all together, with the hames buckled 

 on the collar, — almost universal in private stables 

 on account of its convenience, — is not a good one ; 

 the collar with the hames in place, is frequently 

 too narrow to go easily over the horse's head, 

 and by forcing it on, the horse is hurt. After the 

 harness is laid on the horse's back, the crupper 

 put under the tail, and the belly-band temporarily 

 buckled to keep the pad from slipping off, the 

 hames are fastened upon the collar. The martin- 

 gale is then buckled to the collar (see Fig. 100), 

 and the belly-band passed through it. 



The traces are laid over the back, crossed, the 



