Harness Saddle/Tug/Wrap Strap Question

[REDesign]

I am getting ready to order a new Comfy Fit harness saddle. I am going to order the shaft tug loops that buckle onto the saddle then into the girth when harnessing. Do I still need a wrapstrap then? I have the option to order the belly band either way (with or without).

 

[TMR]

Depends on what type of driving you are planning to do? Showring driving you want wrap straps as your not as likely to use breeching, but if you are doing pleasure shows or CDE's and using breeching than you want open tugs and no wrap straps. If you do both types of driving than you can get open tugs and then buy a set of french tugs that you can change out and use for show ring driving.

 

[REDesign]

Perfect. Only doing pleasure/CDEs so this answered my question. I will most likely always have breeching. The wrap straps seemed a little redundant with the buckle in tug. Thanks!

 

[Performancemini]

The horse in your avatar-is his (?) name Little Smoochie? (He looks like him).

 

[REDesign]

Yes, he is Little Smoochie. I bought him from Wendy in October. How do you know my Smooch?

 

[Kendra]

I prefer to drive with wrap straps, even when using breeching. I like the stability, so that the shafts can't get a big bounce going and slam the weight of the cart onto the horse when you go over a bump. Many people prefer open tugs - just my opinion based on my experience with both.

Your Little Smoochie looks an awful lot like our stallion, Valdez! Not just colour, something about his eye really reminds me of him!

http://circlejranches.com/valdez.html

 

[REDesign]

Thanks Kendra. That does make sense. I am not sure how the belly band is set up for the Comfy Fit. I wonder if I could take the wrap straps on/off as needed. I will contact them.

Smoochie and Valdez do look a lot alike. Your stallion looks great at 23! From the photos, I can tell my guy does not move as flashy as yours though.

I love bay pintos with strong black points. I don't seem to see very many of them.

 

[Matthijs]

No wrap straps are needed in your case, the shafts should float within the tugs and that two inches is all it should move. If you are planning on using a two wheeled cart, go for the sliding back band as well.

You will not regret the comfy fit harness. How big is your horse? for the really small ones the standard breast collar is nice, for bigger horses like 32" and over I think the delux ( deep V) is nicer.

We have the deep V ones for our 32 and 34" mares and use a full collar and hames for the HyperBikes as it has a lower singletree, so there is less pressure on the neck strap downwards.

In my avatar you can see where the sliding back band has its function, it lets your horse move sideways without twisting the saddle as much

 

[susanne]

Chimacum now has a mini Euro-style collar available -- I haven't seen photos yet, but Janie announced it on Facebook. When we asked her about it up at Happs/Happy Trails a couple of years back, her plan was a Euro collar without the associated heat problems. You might want to ask aout it.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Thanks Kendra. That does make sense. I am not sure how the belly band is set up for the Comfy Fit. I wonder if I could take the wrap straps on/off as needed. I will contact them.

I can definitely see Kendra's point. Many mini carts are not well enough balanced to float properly and they can be awful with open tugs! My Frontier EE is that way- balanced enough to be light in the tugs and easy to pull, but not enough to float so it slaps up and down horribly with open tugs and there is no way to adjust the seat further back. With a light set of leather wrap straps gently snugged up (not so tight it pulls the saddle down or makes the horse uncomfortable) the shafts are held steady and all is well. I used to use that setup WITH my sliding backband and surprisingly it still worked well! Do make sure the wraps are leather and not synthetic though- the synthetic doesn't stretch nor does it conform to the shafts as well so it's bulkier and doesn't grip properly. Chimacum shouldn't have any trouble with that, that's how they sent my set of wrap straps without me even asking.

The ComfyFit, like most other harnesses, comes with either open tugs (which include the billets which buckle in to the overgirth) or wrap straps, which are part of the girth and used with a set of tugs that does not have the billet going down. They're very easy to change out but you will need two different girths and two different sets of tugs, one with billets and one without.

Leia