Tips for webbing

Hiya just looking tips on softening it to make it sit correct? Its the blinkers really, they sit over the eye a little too much. Also the saddles pads are quite hard i think, so i am planning on getting a wool girth slip and putting that on. Anyone see any issue with this?

There should be a wire embedded which you can use to bend the blinkers outwards. I think they're called "blinker stays" - if they don't have wire in them, they're not very useful. I had one like that which I unstitched, put wire in and re-stitched the stays.

Ah right okay, i will have a play. The horse they are intended for is not here atm so im playing with it on a smaller horse, which probably won't help! lol

Not sure what "webbing" is. Very important for the blinders to be positioned properly. You are better off using an open headstall if you do not have a driving bridle that fits properly.

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I assume by webbing you are referring to a nylon harness. (If I'm wrong, just ignore this post.)

Most nylon harnesses are far from ideal, but we do have one that is mostly synthetic (saddle, blinders, girth, crupper, breast collar, padding are synthetic, strapping is nylon) that works well. It actually fits and has wired blinder stays, both of which are rare for a nylon harness. Many (if not most) are notorious for poor fit, little padding, and no structure. These are VERY uncomfortable for the horse, especially if the nylon stiffens with age, dirt and weather. Keep in mind that in the event of an accident, nylon won't break, creating a potentially dangerous situation. Also beware of cheap buckles that could break and cause a wreck.

I have read that fabric softener works to soften up the nylon, but I don't know what it does to the durability.

If you are certain that the rest of your harness is comfortable, you might consider upgrading the bridle. Just be sure to place your horse's comfort first so that he can enjoy driving.

Its not purely nylon, it has synthetic padding and under the straps etc so there is no nylon on skin apart from the crupper and bridle, which i will be replacing. Money dictates what i can buy, and i was quite excited to get a harness, but so far all i have had is negative feed back from people who seem to be able to afford better.

I did not see any negative feedback in this post to your concerns. I only saw constructive suggestions.

The previous one to mine was pretty negative and made me feel pretty low about what i can afford.

When I stopped competing my big horse I went to all nylon bridles etc because they were so much easier to clean and maintain. I could not afford a bran spanking new harness that I wanted plus I have no idea if my boy will like driving. I was fortunate enough to find a used one for a good price, is it a top of a line 1200 rig set up, no but it works for what I need it for and cleaned up it is fine for the show ring.

If nylon is all you can afford right now then go for it, I would. Nylon is just a little more tough to punch holes into and things like that as I have seen with my nylon bridles, surcingles etc but I love how easy it is to clean.. dunk it in a bucket of water and scrub a little and tada your done .

Just doing some searching on how to soften up nylon webbing, you could try to soak it in a pail of water with fabric softener, cant see it hurting anything if it doesnt work.

I quickly fell in love with nylon when I returned the horse world after 10 years away while in the Army. The tack stores I bought my equipment from carried name brands and I didn't realize that there were many different levels of quality in nylon just as with anything else. Today, even some of the higher quality companies use good nylon but have gone to lower quality hardware.

There are several different companies here in the states that deal with nylon - some are awesome, some are good and some are ... well... not worth what you spend to get it when you could have applied that amount to something else of better quality.

What I purchased and what a friend of mine purchased were two very different types of harness. The prices were only 20 dollars different at the time - mine came from a local tack store and hers from a company that actually specialized in leather - but did have a quality nylon harness. The year - 2010.

I'm interested in knowing how the "girth slip" works..

You've been given several tips on the bridle - let us know which you go with and how you train for it. If you switch to an open bridle - make sure to work w/ your guy before hitching and heading out. Some work better that way, some do not.

In the mini/small pony department, here in the states, there seems to be an abundance of poor quality tack made that doesn't properly fit the beastie it's purchased for (halters, bridles, saddles, harness, carts). For some, the headache of working with the equipment to get it to where it will safely and comfortably work is not worth it and it's easier/better for them to just start on the top end of the market. For those of us with a "beer budget" - we start where we can and learn to craft our own equipment, do odd jobs to add to the piggy bank saving for the better quality equipment, and make due with what we have.

It's hard to start w/ that "beer budget" - but hopefully you don't get too low. Sorry you felt that way!! Your harness on your little guy in the other post looked pretty good... Is that the nylon one that you are asking about now?