104 BIPEDS AND QUADRUPEDS. 



gall most grievously; and here should any one, not con- 

 versant with such matters, find his horse's shoulders 

 or neck wrung, and be'toldthatif the collar is smaller 

 it will not go over the animal's head, I apprise 

 him that such may very probably be fact ; but the 

 remedy is easy ; such a horse must be worked in what 

 is termed an " open collar," that is, one open at its 

 apex , and to be kept together by a buckle and strap. 

 If any one not attending to the keeping his horse's 

 shoulders sound, will put a sharp bit of gravel in 

 his shoe and walk twenty miles, he will then be a 

 competent judge of what a horse suffers worked with 

 sore shoulders. 



At one time I had above fifty stage-coach horses 

 to attend to. On taking to them, at least every 

 third horse had very badly cut neck or shoulders ; 

 by a little attention to their collars, in two months 

 there was scarcely a touched shoulder among the 

 whole stock. Neglect in this particular is quite in- 

 excusable ; for though ignorance does away with the 

 charge of intentional cruelty, people should take care 

 i(iot to be ignorant in matters that concern the com- 



