French loop girth?

[hobbyhorse23]

Can you tell me the difference? I need to get whatever is easiest for me to do when harnessing by myself

Open tugs are for carriage harness with breeching ONLY. They are definitely the fastest and most comfortable for the horse but they CANNOT (repeat: CANNOT) be safely used without breeching. The shaft floats completely free in the tug with the traces pulling the cart forward and the breeching holding it back. Without the breeching the cart would run right up on the horse and since the loops do not constrict down, a shaft stop would probably float right on through with the rest of the shaft.

Honestly, if you're having that much trouble harnessing by yourself have you taught your horse to stand without a header?

Leia,I looked at the French tug a while back, and finally decided on the quick release. In case I wreck in a hazard.

I'm not sure how much good they'd do you in an emergency. They are meant for closed-loop marathon shafts and other than that are not usually undone. You'd still have to loosen one side of the overgirth to relieve pressure before you could open the quick releases and by then you might as well have simply rolled the cart back like you would have with normal tugs. Quick release traces are a good thing for emergencies. Quick release tugs are really only intended for allowing easy and safe harnessing and unharnessing of marathon shafts.

Oops, no, I just remembered we COULDN'T undo the backstrap buckle because it was one of those icky Conway buckles, so we had to get near the mini's legs and undo at least one breeching strap buckle. I like either regular buckles on the backstrap, a small snap shackle or a jaw lock snap, but I HATE Conway buckles.

Boooo, Conways!! Conway buckles are the one thing I won't tolerate in a harness no matter how cheap. Yuck! Unsafe, inconvenient, nasty little boogers.

Leia

 

[brasstackminis]

I know I am sort of hijacking the thread, but I was wondering where you can get those good quality snaps that are safe and durable. The only ones I have seen are too big! I was told I needed to add a quick release snap to the breeching, but I am having trouble finding one that won't look rediculously huge!

Karen

 

[disneyhorse]

Oh I agree, Myrna... Conway buckles and Chicago screws are the bane of my existence! I HATE them!!!

Andrea