collar fit

[MuleRyder]

I put a harness on my mule today for the first time since I’ve owned her. I tried different collars that we have, some fit different than others. Can someone give me some guide as to proper collar fit? Also, should I use a pad underneath, or only for heavy work? Some are leather backed and some have ticking. Thanks, Dave

[Donn Hewes]

Mules necks are a little narrower and a little straighter than most horses. Some folks do buy a collar made for a mule, but I haven’t. I almost always use a heavy sweat pad. Deer hair type or foam type. Most mules heads are too big to have a collar pushed over their head. I just open the collar at the top and undo the clips of the pad on one side. I never re-clip the pad until after I have re-closed the top of the collar.

When the collar is resting against the shoulder the flat of your hand should slide in at the throat. This is so they have room to breath. It is important to check this while they are pulling something, to really make sure it is not too tight. Having several inches open below the neck places the harness and collar parts on all the wrong parts of the anatomy. The gaps along each side should be slight, up to a fingers width between the neck and the pad or collar. With a pad I will go even a little closer. A collar that is too tight on the sides will make indentation on the neck. It is important to check this after the hames has been tightened as the hames often changes the shape of the collar. One check I like against too tight a collar is to lift the collar back toward the horses chin (one hand, from the bottom). It should slide up the neck with out resistance. You can do this with the hames attached as long as the britchen is not over the but.

Also look at some of the pictures or send some pictures, folks will be more than happy to tell you how to adjust then. Good Luck, Donn

PS. with practice you can use the hames to make a collar fit better or worse. Making a hames longer and shortening the straps will make a collar longer and narrower. Vice versa just the opposite. A new stiff collar doesn’t change shape so much.

PSS. I am some what of a tight wad, that almost never buys anything new, but I have bought a new collar for almost every worker I have ever had. A few have gotten good hand me downs.

[MuleRyder]

Thanks Donn, I see what you mean by mule necks being flatter. That’s what I was talking about when I said some collars fit different. I did find a couple that seemed to fit the sides better. In regards to fit at the throat, I guess it’s common sense- Not too tight, not too loose.

[Author]

Posts