Harness fitting...advise please

I got a new comfyfit harness and am trying to determine fit. The girth is too big and needs swapped out.

The bridle fits, but I have to use the smallest hole. My horses are B size, would an A size fit better. The nose and browband fit great. The cheek pieces and throatlash are on the smallest holes. Concerned my yearling's head will be smaller when he finishes out. Do I stick with bridle knowing I have no ability to make adjustments or get a smaller one that might have the opposite issue and be too small?

The breaching seems to fit, but is really loose around their hind end. When driving there is a hand size gap. Should it be smaller?

I feel like you have the saddle too far forward. With it that far forward it inhibits their movement it shouldn't sit over the withers like an actual saddle but behind them. Maybe that is just a personal preference thing idk

I would get a smaller bridle so you have a little play in the adjustment going "up" just in case the leather stretches (I am assuming it's leather) or if you ever want to use another bit that sits differently.

You might hhave to go down a size but buy a browband seperately to get a good fit.

Your mini has beautiful face, looks like a little morgan!

My thoughts on the bridle: in winter when they are hairy, would you be adjusting it to be larger? Right now they probably wear it at its smallest, but this winter it could need to be let out.

However, I'm thinking you are right: get the smaller bridle that can be adjusted larger. I am not sure why miniature harness makers have such a hard time with bridles. The one I got from Starlake had a short throat latch. I had to order another one. ( If they would make the buckle on one end, one could punch more holes, but with buckles on both ends, it is impossible to do that.)

I think I would either send it back and get the A size, or order the A size to compare and then send back the one you like least.

The bridle is so important.

Does the line of draft look wrong? It slops down from the tree.

I am not the best person to ask on the fit of the Comfy... But I do recommend that you grab a bucket (5 gallon) and sit on it to take your pics. Taking them at the downward angle distorts the fit of the harness - at least it does for me. Threw me off, too, since you picture two different horses in the harness but the pics are mixed together... I finally down loaded them - separated them and looked again. That worked better for me.

So here's my "try" -

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You ask if your breeching is too large but in these pics (angle/standing w/ legs cocked?) it appears WAY too small on the chunky dapple and also too small on the black. You do want about a fist to fit between the horses bum and the back breeching - at least I think that's the way we did it. I don't like it when the breeching sits right up against the horses bum - he can't trot out properly that way, IMO...

I agree with StrangeAddiction - I think your saddle needs to be moved back. That is not a personal "thing", it's quite real. I know on my larger ponies, I try to center my hand over their withers, then move my harness back another 1/2 to full hand's width from the outer edge of that. Sometimes that saddle moves forward on a single harness. Are you sure your girth will be too big if the saddle is moved back?

It also makes a difference in how everything fits when they are so round. I have a mare that always appears to be pregnant & ready to "pop" - even when she isn't. At those times, she is most difficult to fit with a saddle/surcingle... Her dropped belly pushes the girth forward, which in turn, pulls the saddle forward. Her 2011 foal is actually 2 months old and she is in foal again here, but you can see how that dropped belly pushes/pulls everything forward. It can be most difficult to fit harness on this type of horse! (I hope I figured out what was wrong with my photos and that the Forum allows this pic to post).

It is not allowing me to post the photo,

See if this link works? (it did for me, YAY!!)

Koalah right before 3rd hitch

You should see her trot from behind at this stage - even if things were serious, it made me smile because she has an udder like a milk cow and she ... trots "wide behind" when she's nursing a foal, LOLOLOL.

On the Dapple - it looks like you can bring up the breast collar at least 1 notch (on each side) and then will need to loosen the false martingale to allow for that.

Unfortunately, I can't really tell how it fits on the black. He has a beautiful mane, but it gets in the way of pics and fitting harness AND then taking pics, BIG GRIN - on the pic that shows that side. I can't see how it sits (completely?) because he's angled away in the other pics...

Taking pics by yourself is difficult. You've done a good job, just need some different angles. I went thru 6 photo albums and LOTS of pics - trying to find some that would depict proper fit of the breeching and my photos/harnessing are lacking in that department, too!! Part of that is because was looking for single harness pics and turns out, I don't have a lot of those, LOL.

I agree with Strangeaddiction that you have the saddle too far forward. The saddle should be level on the horse's back, not tipped so the edge of the saddle hits the horse's back. I think your breeching is okay but it's fitting wrong because the backstrap is too long. The hipstrap should be at the point of the hip, where that swirl of hair comes up the horse's flank. The hip strap should hang fairly straight. The backstrap should be tight enough to hold the crupper in place. If I were you I'd be tempted to ask about trying the A sized harness.

On a personal note: Looking at the way the straps refuse to lie flat is why I prefer leather to biothane. Biothane never "breaks in" so the straps relax and fit close to the horse.

It's a very nice looking harness though! Good Luck!

Thank you all for the help. I will move the saddle back and take some better pics from a consistent angle this weekend. I agree, I am going to ask about the A size harness. The bridle and girth are too big. I am curious how a smaller breeching would fit also.

The girth might not be too big once you move the saddle back I would try it first.