Historical information

A horse collar is a part of a horse harness that is used to distribute the load around a horse's neck and shoulders when pulling a wagon or plough. The collar often supports and pads a pair of curved metal or wooden pieces, called hames, to which the traces of the harness are attached. The collar allows the horse to use its full strength when pulling, essentially enabling the animal to push forward with its hindquarters into the collar. It is a padded appliance that conforms well to the shape of the horse's body and is constructed so that at all points of contact with the body of the horse it avoids the air passage.

Significance

The early settlers in Moorabbin Shire depended on the draught horse to pull the equipment need to plough the fields, grade the roads, pull their wagons of produce and small carts for transport as they developed the land after the Henry Dendy Special Survey 1841

Physical description

Horse Collar, 20thC medium