Reply To: Length of front tug for d ring for haflingers

[mcm]

I’m trying to measure my team for a d ring harness. Since the front tug dimension seems to be critical, I put their collars on them to try to get an accurate dimension. In the photos you can see the twine that I put on to get some idea of where the belly band, etc. will sit.
When looking at the collars, though, they seem to be sitting too far forward, and I’m wondering if they’re too narrow. I put a string around Leo’s neck that seems like it’s where the collar should sit, but the collar won’t go back that far.
The former owner did not work them for a long time, and they are overweight. When I read in Lynn Miller’s Draft Horse Handbook it says two things that I think are relevant. 1. “The collar should sit flatly against the shoulder and not rock on a wide spot on the neck.” I wouldn’t say that it rocks, but it’s awfully tight and doesn’t get to the shoulder.
He also says “when fitting an overweight horse, keep in mind the neck will lose size as the horse is worked.”

Does it appear to y’all that the collar is too tight? Should I buy new collars, but retain these to account for neck size reduction as the horses get worked?

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