High-Tech Collar Lightens Load For Draft Horses

High-Tech Collar Lightens Load For Draft Horses LIVESTOCK Horses/Mules A new collar for draft horses in France is catching on fast Made out of adjustable cast aluminum the collars weigh about 21 lbs about a third less than traditional 30 to 35-lb collars “Here in France draft horses are coming back strongly and interest is growing among youngsters and women ” says Jacques Buchoux a retired foundryman and engineer who designed the collar The horses play a big part in French agriculture – in vineyards on vegetable farms logging and pulling carts They are also used to shuttle tourists around in cities Buchoux recognized that the old-style collars no longer fit modern horses “Old collars were manufactured with what was available in those days – wood mild steel straw horse hair fabric and leather – leading to overweight due to the poor tensile strength of these materials ” Buchoux says “With moisture wood would warp bend or even break while the straw and leather being organic would deteriorate rapidly with the sweat of the horse giving uneven or asymmetrical pressure on each shoulder or high pressure spots irritating the horse As a result older collars have to be replaced or refurbished more often ” Aluminum alloy has many benefits It’s lighter for teens and women to handle It lends itself to any shape and resists corrosion Buchoux spent a couple years on his design and used quality materials right down to the stainless steel screws “The real challenge was to link the aluminum shells together with adjustable arms including the closing system as the collar can be fully open at 180 degrees ” Buchoux says It has right and left castings covered with foam rubber and leather that seat on the horse’s shoulder Extensive testing has been done with the collar on a variety of breeds from Percherons to Ardennes horses Though light the aluminum is strong and withstands up to a 2 200-lb force – more than 1 000 lbs on each shell without permanent distortion Buchoux’s business La Sellerie Percheronne offers a shock absorber option integrated into the collar to prevent the horse’s shoulders from being hurt But his standard collar is also kinder to horses than old-style collars “In heavy logging or stony field plowing the 2-in elongation of the system creates a smooth deceleration that’s really beneficial to the long term of horse life ” Buchoux says The collar comes in two sizes and is designed for working horses not pulling competitions he adds They are available in France currently and La Sellerie Percheronne is working on exporting them to the U S Expected cost for the collars is $1 800 to $2 000 U S Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jacques Buchoux La Sellerie Percheronne 8 rue des Templiers Saint-Agil 41170 France ph 011 33 332 54 80 74 17; selleriepercheronne@free fr; www selleriepercheronne com

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