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Collars |
All our collars are made of full grain leather and come with patent fasteners, unless you specify traps and buckles. When choosing a collar, take into consideration three criteria:
1. Shape—the curvature of the face of the collar, which must conform to the thickness of your horse's neck.
2. Size—the measurement (in inches) from the inside top collar cap to the inside bottom of the rim.
3. Draft—the circumference of the collar at its thickest point.
Collars come in three shapes:
1.
Full face—for thin-necked horses, often used on buggy horses:
2.
Half Sweeney—cut and sewn with less stuffing at the withers to better fit more
muscular neck, most commonly used for draft horses or medium to thick-necked
ponies and light horses).
3.
Full Sweeney—a rarely used shape with a highly flexible upper face for extremely
thick-necked horses (primarily used on heavy draft pullers).
If
you are unsure what shape collar to order, estimate the thickness of your
horse's neck at its widest point. Also note the shape of the neck along the
shoulder: is it straight, slightly curved, or heavily muscled?
This collar is a 20" full face collar with a 17-1/2" draft:
Measuring Collar Size
A properly fitted collar conforms well to each side of the horse's neck,
with just enough space at the bottom of the neck to allow 4 fingers, when laid
flat, to slide freely between collar and neck.
To measure a horse for a collar, carefully measure the distance in a straight line from the base of the neck along the shoulder to the top of the neck, right in front of the withers. It is not always easy to get an accurate measurement using this technique, but try to duplicate the measurement of a collar as it would properly sit on the neck. If possible, borrow a collar to help you get an accurate measurement.