A few egg-shaped stitches can be put inside the outer stitches through the body and points of the dock to keep the last in place; trim the edges, and black, rub, and tallow them, and do the same inside the edges of the slits.
Cut two chapes to hold the buckles in front for fastening the crupper to the collar straps; bend the chapes down about 4 in., shave one end and point the other. Cut a hole for the buckle and prepare the chapes for stitching; then, having two loops ready, about 1½ in. wide, tack them in their places, keeping the outside of the buckle exactly level with the end of each slit and the chapes right in the centre. Stitch them down, put a cross stitch on each side of the buckle, and shape and crease the loops. Now cut the crupper lay 1 ft. 3 in. by 3 in., and turn it down for about 1 ft. at the good end; shave the end of the short turn thin, and round the other end; then edge, crease, and black the lay.
Cut two hip straps H (Fig. 102) 2 ft. by 1½ in., and turn them down for 3 in. at the heavy end; then shave the turn down, point the buckle end, and crease and black the straps. Attach them to a 3-in. japanned or tinned dee, one strap on each side; stitch four rows in the double of each, and rub and finish the edge. Prepare two more straps in the same manner, each 2 ft. 10 in. by 1¼ in., and stitch them in the middle round part of the dee between the two other straps. These are the carrier straps L (Fig. 102) for the stretcher; the hip straps are for carrying the traces.
The straight part of the dee is now put in the bend of the lay and placed on the centre of the crupper body at the same distance from each side, the extreme point of the dee being within 8 in. from the points of the tail slits. Tack down and stitch two rows ¼ in. apart all round, eight per inch, with three-cord thread; then stitch the lay coarse, or spot it across just to the dee. Some makers put a pad under the crupper as with the cart-saddle crupper, running it from the end of the tail slit to 1 in. beyond the point of the lay.
Hip-strap tugs K, must be made to buckle to the hip straps running from the dee, and for hooking in the traces. Having a pair of 1½-in. hip-strap chains (Figs. 103 and 104), cut the tugs 10 in. by 1½ in.; bend them so that the points meet in the centre, and cut a hole for the buckle in one end. Stitch the points together and put in two narrow loops, one to be used to hide the joint, or have one single broad loop for the same purpose. Place a safe underneath the same as on the bridgeband fore tugs, but stitch it instead of nailing.
Fig. 102.—Set of Leader Gear.
In the next place make the tugs for the stretcher carrier strap M (Fig. 102), and a strap 1¼ in. by 1 ft. 2 in., and in the last bend a chape, and cut a hole for the buckle. Stitch the buckle on with a loop and make a running loop and a hole 1 in. from the point of the strap.
When placing the carrier straps in position, fix a loop on each end of the stretcher and nail the ends of the latter, leaving space for the strap to pass. Run the strap down through this loop, the runner loop having previously been put on the strap; then pass it through the runner loop to the buckle, where it is fastened. Secure the carrier straps to the same buckle over the carrier straps, bringing their points down into the loop. Keep the runner loop down by the stretcher to tighten the tug and to produce a neat finish.
The hip straps must now be buckled in the tug buckles, the hook fastened to chain traces, and the collar straps buckled in the fore-slit buckles. Whether the dock is put under the tail is optional, because the hip straps, when fastened in the dee, suffice to keep the crupper in place.