Collars, Hames and Sore Shoulders
by Carol Hershman
Reasons a draft horse gets sore shoulders: |
|
A poorly-fitting collar (the foremost reason). If you don't know how to fit
a collar, ask the help of somebody who does. |
|
Hames that don't fit into the collar, placing the point of pull either too
high or too low. |
|
Hames that are so straight they pinch. The hame should have enough bend to
allow it to fit securely in the hame bed, with no space showing between the hame
and the hame bed. |
|
Spreading the top hame strap too much. Keep the top trap as straight as
possible. |
|
Hot humid weather, causing the horse to get hot and scalded. |
|
Overloading the horse for too long. |
|
Letting the horse get too thin. |
|
Working a horse when it has sores or lumps. |
|
Dirty shoulders. Wash shoulders after a hard day's work. |
|
Dirty collars and sweat pads. Clean collars frequently during and after
work, and wash collar pads. |
|
Using a dried out, hard collar. Oil collars frequently. |
Curing Shoulder Sores:
Preventing sore shoulders is, of course, better than a cure any day. But at
times all of us need a cure. Many sores can be cured while the horse
keepsworking, but the cause must first be removed.
|
If sores appear above the tugs, lower the hames a bit by loosening the top
hame strap. |
|
If sores appear below the point of pull, the hames are too long or the
point of pull is too low. Bring the hames up by loosening the bottom hame strap
and tightening the top hame strap. |
|
If the top hame strap is taken all the way up and the hames are still not
seating securely in the hame bed, you are not using the proper-sized hames for
that collar.
Rule of thumb: Hames should be the next even
size up from the collar size. Hames that are the right size for the collar will
naturally fall into the area behind the rim of the collar, where you usually
find an extra piece of wear leather |
|
Check horses every morning for wrinkles or scabby spots, or sore and
swollen areas, and immediately attend to any sore. A sore that is not attended
to can develop into a lump or scar tissue. |
|
Puffy and painful, hot and feverish spots are more seriousthe flesh
is being torn from the bone deep inside. Only a long rest will keep such a horse
from spending the rest of his life with an ugly lump that will always make
trouble. |
|
Use a vinyl-sided collar pad when working a horse with sore shoulders. |
|
Clean everythingcollar pad, collar, and shouldersscrupulously
and often. |
Carol Hershman is editor of “Manes & Tales,” newsletter of
the West Virginia Draft Horse & Mule Association, RR 1 Box 64, Thornton, WV
26440, 304-892-3976. This article appeared in The
Evener 1999 issue of
Rural Heritage.
|