Another Harness Controversy....

[ardie&sparki]

After overly enjoying my $40 harness from a garage sale for the last two years, I believe it's time for me to step up and buy Sparki one that may be a little more comfortable. And now we are looking into showing a little more, so of course it would be nice to look a little more classy.

The only problem is my budget isn't all that great, so I have to look into more economicaly priced harnesses. I have checked out the ones from Ozark and have interest in the simple Pleasure harness which appears to be plenty suitable for the extent of our driving adventures. What are your guys' views on this harness? Then, I have a friend who is a dealer for JT International so I can get a pretty decent deal on their harnesses. I was particularly interested in the Tough-1 Show Harness and was wondering if anyone has seen the harness in person or has purchased it or knows someone who has? I'd love to hear your input and suggestions.

Greatly appreciated,

Arden

 

[jleonard]

My first harness was the Ozark pleasure harness and I never had any complaints about it. It is a great harness for the price and still looks new even after 8 years of use. I still use it when I take two horses, and though I never did breed shows I think it would be nice enough to at least get your toes wet in the breed ring.

 

[ThreeCFarm]

The Ozark Pleasure Harness is the only one I own, and it is 8 years old and still looks great. I do show (AMHA) in it, as well as train in it on a daily basis.

Here is the harness on my gelding, using an overcheck, although I usually drive him in sidecheck, which I strongly prefer:

I removed the breeching for the photos, but I do use it on a daily basis at home.

 

[CZP1]

My first harness was the Ozark Pleasure Harness too. It is a great harness for pleasure and show. I think the harness it a great investment for the stuff you will be doing. I had mine for about 5 years and someone liked it, tried it on their horse and it fit like a glove, asked what price (now I wasn't really looking to sell) I told them and it was sold. As far as I know that person still has it. I think you will be pleased with the harness. Star Lake Miniature Tack also has a nice harness for the price too. Good Luck!

 

[disneyhorse]

Thumbs up to that basic Ozark Pleasure Harness! Have had a couple and they were great for the price!

Andrea

 

[ThreeCFarm]

As to the JTI harnesses, I don't believe I've seen their show harness, but I have seen one of their harnesses, as I know a dealer too. I wouldn't take a JTI harness if it was free. It is a poor quality harness and what a sizing nightmare! My friend (the dealer) bought one for her pony, and some pieces were too small and some were WAY too big. I can only imagine how far off the mini harness would be. I would say to spend a little more and get the Ozark harness.

 

[Jetiki]

I had one of the JTI harnesses and it broke while putting it on the horse, wasn't safe to drive in. I did use the saddle for introducing the saddle to the horse until I was able to get a bitting rig. They really aren't worth the money, save your pennies and skip that one.

Karen

 

[Marsha Cassada]

My first harness was from Big Dee. I've been using it for nearly 8 years and it still looks like new. I didn't care for the breeching, as it only has a single strap, but the bridle is wonderful. Blinders well positioned and well wired. Nice reins. I would buy another. It fits my 29-35" horses just fine. No bling, but attractive.

I bought an Ozark Carriage harness 2 years ago. I do not like the fit of the bridle, but the rest is nice. I got it instead of another Big Dee as it has more "polish".

When I was harness=shopping a couple of years ago, I was amazed at how complicated buying a harness could be. Even when I sent exact measurements of the horse, I got ill fitting pieces. Bought a new breeching for my Big Dee from another company and had to send it back twice. Still was not right but I'm using it anyway. I think it is wonderful that there are more and more suppliers of miniature harness!

Wish this driving forum had been up then.

Anyone ever totaled the $$ in "experimental" equipment in your barn?

 

[ardie&sparki]

Thank you all for all of your feedback! I'm now very glad that I asked rather than going for the cheaper choice. Love to hear about the longevity of the Ozark Pleasure harness. Sounds perfect for what I plan to do with him.

 

[Minimor]

The Ozark Pleasure harness was the first good harness I got too. I'd had two others but wasn't a bit happy with them. One was advertised as a Mini harness but when it arrived I found that it didn't fit our 34" Minis. When I called the store I bought it from they checked further & found that it was meant for 32" and under. I said too bad the catalogue didn't specify that...and was able to resell it to someone with smaller horses. The other one fit okay but was a very plain, very klunky sort of harness, and very cheaply made--nice enough leather though nothing fancy, but pretty much everything was riveted, not sewn, and I didn't care for that. Resold that one too. Then I got my Ozark pleasure harness & was very pleased with it. I did buy a few different parts for it to make it fit my 37-38" horses a little better but I sure have no complaints about quality. From that one I went on two buy two of Ozark's carriage harnesses, both with some custom parts to make the harness fit just right on our taller horses.

I haven't seen the JTI harnesses but know someone who is familiar with them. He had to help someone fit a JTI harness to their horse and said he couldn't believe what an awful fit it was! As said above by someone else, some parts were very small and other parts were extremely large.

 

[Annabellarose]

I know you've probably heard this a thousand times, but that is a fantastic picture!