Yep- the more you do it, the faster it will get! I remember how frustrating it was the first year or two I drove because it seemed like it took me 30-40 minutes just to get hitched, nevermind harnessed AND hitched. As you get used to it and become more familiar with your horse's typical harness settings you'll spend a lot less time trying to adjust everything and making sure it's right and more time simply making sure you remembered everything, which isn't nearly as maddening.
For practice around home there's no reason you can't use the same quick-release snaps as the big guys do. They make them in mini sizes and using a set of snap shackles on your breeching holdbacks would make a big difference all by itself. It's considered a bit tacky for showing, but works great for training!
For those that are asking, here's a link to the official "quick release snap shackles":
Snap Shackles. Ask Celine which ones would be appropriate. The advantage of those is if your horse flips over you can pull one pin and free him where as a regular snap might be under so much pressure you can't get it loose, but if they're too pricey for you you can use heavy-duty steel clips from the hardware store. Make sure they're rated for the weight of your entire load, meaning cart AND driver and then some. You don't want the metal to break at the wrong moment.
That way when you go to harness all you have to do is as follows:
1) Put harness saddle on horse's back, crupper and breeching attached. Loosely fasten cinch. Lift tail over breeching, buckle crupper and make sure no little hairs from the tailhead are caught in the harness. If saddle is in the right place, tighten cinch a little more.
2) Pull buckled breastcollar over the head, crossed traces held with the neckstrap. Attach neckstrap to check hook if using show-style harness, attach false martingale if you’re using carriage harness that has one. Tuck the traces under the backstrap to keep them off the ground.
3) Bridle the horse, run the reins through the terrets and buckle to the bit.
4) Pull the cart up and run it through the tugs. Hook up the traces so if the horse bolts forward the cart doesn’t fall out of the tugs. Not only would it scare the horse clattering down around his feet, but he could step on the shafts and really hurt himself.
5) Click those holdback straps to the breeching rings if you’ve got snaps, wrap the holdbacks if you don’t. That way if the horse suddenly backs up the cart won't roll up on him and hit his hocks.
6) Then buckle in the overgirth or wrap the wrap straps. This is the last step because in a harness with breeching the overgirth is only essential when driving, as it keeps the shafts from potentially flipping up when you get in and keeps them close to the horse's side as he turns.
Voila! You're hitched. See, that didn't take long!
It's even faster with show harness as all you have to do is attach the traces and the wrap straps and you're off. Of course it takes me a lot longer to
harness with the running martingale and check, but once I'm harnessed the hitching goes much faster.
Still, I'd rather take the time and use a full harness appropriate for the sort of off-road driving I do.
Once you're hitched it's really a pretty quick checklist to run through. Are the reins attached to the bit and in your hands? Are both traces attached? Are both holdback straps attached? Are both wrap straps attached? Done! A quick visual inspection should cover all of these. You may forget a keeper somewhere or something but that's not such a big deal and will become less frequent with practice.
Final notes:
ruffian said:
Isn't there anyplace you can tie him while hitching? Even if you leave the bridle until the instructor gets there it would save you time. I always tie my horses when first training after lessons for a half hour or so, so they get used to standing around. You can also do that before driving. Just slip a large barn halter over the bridle and tie using the halter - Not the Bridle!!
It's okay to tie up by the halter over the bridle as Ruffian is suggesting as long as you're right there, but please, please, do not ever remove the headgear after the horse is already hitched to the cart!
If he should pull away from you while you're buckling the halter or putting the bridle on and get loose with the cart attached and no way to catch him....Oy!
Bad, bad, very bad.
I just wanted to make sure this was mentioned in case someone misinterpreted the advice above to mean "Hitch up, then put the bridle on when your trainer arrives."
Al B said:
Develop a repetitive pattern and never, never let anyone help you harness.
This is a cardinal rule! It's far too easy for someone to overlook an important strap when there's two of you and you'll spend twice as long going around making sure they did everything correctly as you would have simply doing it yourself. This is your life you're taking in your hands- give it the concentration it deserves and don't let anyone else interfere. Save the chatting for on the drive.
Leia
