My Current Bridle and Harness - Just Get a New One?

[Renolizzie]

I've had my little guy for about 8 months. He came with a nice Jerald cart but I am thinking that the bridle and harness are not so nice.

First of all the harness came with breeching but for the life of me I can't see how it works - and neither could Cliff who has had big draft horses and miniature horses. So, I have no breeching for it.

The girth strap is not really long enough now that he has his long coat.

The rein holders just don't seem quite right to me. When I was taking lesson the holders were up a bit more, I think.

The chest piece is sort of narrow and has a fluffy thing that is always moving to one side or another.

The bridle blinker has been adjusted and adjusted but the right side blinker just will not stay in a good position.

I'm considering a nicer harness, maybe with the V neck line and definitely another bridle.

Am I just newbie who is being too picky or is there a real difference in harnesses and bridles????

Is everyone tired of talking about harnesses or does someone want to take the time to talk about this and give me some suggestions or hints on my purchase???

PS - I guess what I'm really asking is: Is spending $800 bucks on a new harness a great idea, a good idea? It is a big investment. Is there a real difference in quality when it comes to bridles and blinkers? Do you think I am going to wonder why I didn't just go ahead and buy a better harness sooner????

I'm following the new post about harnesses now. The Comfy Fit looks kind of nice.

 

[paintponylvr]

Did you already post pictures somewhere?

 

[Renolizzie]

Did you already post pictures somewhere?

No photos, just meant is everyone sick of talking about harnesses or would someone like to give me an opinion. I'll fix that.

 

[Matthijs]

If you are serious about driving I think it is worth every penny to invest in a custom made harness. We bought the Comfy fit harness from Chimacum tack and for us it just fits the bill. It may not be the cheapest harness out there but is a good quality for a decent price. You did not tell how big your horse is, but for the smaller ones, horses under 32" I think you would be fine with just the standard V collar for the bigger ones the deep V collars are nice.

We have ours for a bit over two years now and just upgraded to collars and hames also from Chimacum tack, we love them because they free up the shoulders more.

We would need to know more about what you plan to do with your horse to give you more tailored advise, the harness we have is more focussed toward doing trail work and CDE's so we have britching and care less about appearance then the comfort of the horse. If you plan to do bread shows you would be looking at a different harness.

Another thing is materials the harness is made from, we love the combination of synthetic and the leather lining for its ease of maintenance also we live in the Pacific north west so have high humidity, leather would take too much for us to maintain.

Then there is nylon, but I would not even look at that as that is real cheap junk.

No I do not think anybody here is ever sick of talking about harness and what we like, but it is the dark days before Christmas so it may take a bit more time for us to get sit down and deal with it

Also please tell us more about your horse and your location ( general climate) that will help to answer your question as wel as your aspiration on what you plan to do with your horse.

 

[Renolizzie]

I hope I didn't sound impatient since that was not my intent. Sort of mulling over why I don't like the harness I have. Nor the bridle. I do remember the gal that helped buy the horse saying there were some cheesey aspects to the harness. I know she shows and thinks I should buy a $2,000 cart and probably a $2,000 harness to go with it but that isn't practical.

We have almost no shows in our area, period. But, I can participate in a limited number of small local events that might include marathon trail driving [you aren't required to go any further than you feel is appropriate for your horse, basically] on dirt roads, some CDE type events come my way. The one thing I was going to do [or at least take a stab at] but it got canceled was an obstacle course for driving.

Mostly, I love taking my little guy out on our roads. Not very many cars. They are dirt with a possibility of hitting deep sand [i try never do a road again that has sort of deep sand but sometimes you are pretty far along the road and then hit a sandy area], road base [gravel] and asphalt. We use the dry lake bed up the street as our obstacle course training ground. There's tires to do figure eights around and such.

The one really nice older lady had us going along some really rocky roads so my little guy was working pretty hard on that I thought. She is nice and has 4 minis. Her horse she was driving was taller than mine for sure but my guy is really little and had to trot to keep up with her bigger horse. Still, Wiseguy did fine.

We don't have very many hills at all but there is a steep but short hill down into the dry lake bed if I come in from the east. I've been avoiding that and just leaving up the hill since I have no breeching. I have a couple of areas that I could go that have a hill and if I want to go out with some of the other ladies to drive in their areas we could have some hills.

I had us built up to going for maybe 6 or so miles or 2 hours of driving. I would have to build up to that distance again since lately it has been a lot less due to the windy weather and I have been really busy so I am settling for taking him for small walks and doing some fun little training things and making sure he is comfortable with dogs and cars again. Kind of a repeat of what I was doing when I first got him.

Anyway, he is 31 1/2 inches tall, weighs about 200 pounds and he is a gelding. I live in a desert with a very dry climate. It can snow in the winter but most years we don't really even have snow on the ground.

 

[Lori W]

I would definitely look into buying a better fitting, better quality harness. The Comfy Fit from Chimacum is an awesome harness. You say you're not doing breed shows, so I would absolutely be sure to get one with a breeching - especialy with all marathon, CDE, trail and road driving you do. Ozark Mountain also has some nice priced harnesses. They're not as nice as the Comfy fit (geared more toward showing), but they are a bit less expensive and very servicable. While you don't need a true 'custom' harness, always try to buy the best you can afford!

 

[Renolizzie]

I would definitely look into buying a better fitting, better quality harness. The Comfy Fit from Chimacum is an awesome harness. You say you're not doing breed shows, so I would absolutely be sure to get one with a breeching - especialy with all marathon, CDE, trail and road driving you do. Ozark Mountain also has some nice priced harnesses. They're not as nice as the Comfy fit (geared more toward showing), but they are a bit less expensive and very servicable. While you don't need a true 'custom' harness, always try to buy the best you can afford!

Thanks for your thoughts.

I broached the subject with Hubby last night He is a little shell shocked about the prices but didn't say no! I'm paying for it out of my earnings so I'm not spending the bill money He asked what the forum members were saying so I am hoping to have some backing on my decision. Honestly, I think the harness I have is cheap and so is the bridle and I just need to make up my mind to spend the money and figure out how to measure the little guy for his new bridle and harness!

The Comfy fit from Chimacum certainly looks nice. I think the idea of built in padding on the breast collar sounds like a good one.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I got a better fit custom harness amish made for about $500. Love it. Worth every penny. Knocked my head against the wall trying to make a pre made harness fit my guys. Cant beat custom. Fits perfect. Don't have to break the bank to get something nice. Best wishes

 

[shorthorsemom]

Ps..the $500 included bridle..britching..reins and v collar.. bridle isn't box type either..nice buckle type. I chose black. Russett is higher. Mineis leather. Love it he will also make sliding backband if you need it. Saddle is nice with tree. This was 2 years ago. Price might be slightly highernow. Love my harness..soft flexible leather.

 

[Renolizzie]

Ps..the $500 included bridle..britching..reins and v collar.. bridle isn't box type either..nice buckle type. I chose black. Russett is higher. Mineis leather. Love it

Do you live near the Amish? How did you decide to buy an Amish made? Did they have a website?? That would be made of leather, right?

 

[Matthijs]

As you know I love our comfy fit harness, we added the patent to the breast plate and saddle so it would look good even in a show, we also have the brown leather lining, all that comes at no extra cost and would make the harness nice enough to show in. The other great thing is the guarantee that it will fit your horse, replacement parts are being sent pronto.

Yes, the build in padding is great, we never had the need to take any steps to ensure the horses comfort and never used any additional padding.

As I mentioned before, it is maybe not the cheapest harness on the market but it sur is good value and will last many years. If ever needed it is easy to add a few pieces to make it work on any other horse you may own after.

Two upgrades we added was leather reins, I do like the feel of those and I am willing to do the extra to keep those nicely cleaned and oiled. And secondly the sliding backband or gig saddle, I recommend that if you are planning to use a two wheeled cart,

 

[shorthorsemom]

I got the ref from regency performance miniatures. She has photos on her website. Close enough for me to drive biting do believe they ship. The amish at mr esh shop will answer their phone.. no web site that I am aware of. Ill google regency and see if she still has Refs. posted. If not I will come back and edit this post.

 

[Renolizzie]

Do you live near the Amish? How did you decide to buy an Amish made? Did they have a website?? That would be made of leather, right?

Duh, you said that was made of leather. I got distracted.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Yep..check out regency links. I use Mr mesh. Master harness maker. Worth the wait. Busy shop. Excellent craftsmanship. Duh typing on kindle. Me esh not mesh. Lol

 

[shorthorsemom]

Apologies..old lady typing on touch screen. Lol center square harness shop Mr esh. Check out photos on regency miniatures web site. Close up photos on harness 101 link. Phone number on links page

 

[Renolizzie]

Apologies..old lady typing on touch screen. Lol center square harness shop Mr esh. Check out photos on regency miniatures web site. Close up photos on harness 101 link. Phone number on links page

Thanks ShortHorse Mom. I'll take a look.

 

[Renolizzie]

As you know I love our comfy fit harness, we added the patent to the breast plate and saddle so it would look good even in a show, we also have the brown leather lining, all that comes at no extra cost and would make the harness nice enough to show in. The other great thing is the guarantee that it will fit your horse, replacement parts are being sent pronto.

Yes, the build in padding is great, we never had the need to take any steps to ensure the horses comfort and never used any additional padding.

As I mentioned before, it is maybe not the cheapest harness on the market but it sur is good value and will last many years. If ever needed it is easy to add a few pieces to make it work on any other horse you may own after.

Two upgrades we added was leather reins, I do like the feel of those and I am willing to do the extra to keep those nicely cleaned and oiled. And secondly the sliding backband or gig saddle, I recommend that if you are planning to use a two wheeled cart,

I see the sliding backband saddle. I'd need the shaft loops too.

If I call them will they help me figure out all the parts I would need?

 

[shorthorsemom]

Jaye at regency designed a new v collar for Mr esh. May not be in her photos. I prob have some photos somewhere on lb of my guy in harness where I asked leia to critique my set up. Gotta milk cows now. Best wishes. Go for it.. find ur dream harness where ever u get it. U only live once.

Jaye at regency designed a new v collar for Mr esh. May not be in her photos. I prob have some photos somewhere on lb of my guy in harness where I asked leia to critique my set up. Gotta milk cows now. Best wishes. Go for it.. find ur dream harness where ever u get it. U only live once.

Stupid kindle..stupider typed. Ugh

 

[Matthijs]

I see the sliding backband saddle. I'd need the shaft loops too.

If I call them will they help me figure out all the parts I would need?

The shaft loops are part of the standard harness, and yes do call Janie she will talk you through the whole thing even if you decide not to buy from her she will take the time and help educate you. Give her a few of of the names like mine and other that referred you to their product, but even without that she will be very helpfull.

One other thing to try and assess is what vehicle you will end up with. The two wheeler means the sliding backband is ideal and we have a pacific smart cart with marathon shafts so we opted for the quick release shaft loops.

The marathon shafts give more freedom for the front end to bend so that was reason for us to go that route, it helps to make turns easier and faster.

I know it gets quite complicated quickly but have no fear, take your time and study all the ins and outs and what have you's as "The Dude" sais in the Big Lebowski. First get a good understanding of all the harness parts and what their function is. Then look at all the different materials and lastly at the help and info from the harness makers you contact.

Eventually things it will be very clear where to go and what to order, we are all different and have different priorities, but purchasing a harness is a very interesting process and can give you great pleasure for many years to come.

One more thing I like about the Comfi Fit harness is the availability of individual parts so at a later time you can always add or change almost everything about your harness. Also I can advise you to read the little book Barb Lee wrote, it is called understanding harness, it really made clear to me what is important and how things work and why, you can order it from www.caaonline.com

I just noticed there is another post about Barb Lee's website on here, check it out, the post is called Understanding Harness

 

[Renolizzie]

Thanks, Matt. I'll do some reading and I'll keep following the posts on harnesses here at Lil Beginnings. At least I have taken the first few steps like telling Hubby I am thinking about buying the harness and talking it over with a few friends and the peeps here on the forum

It is a big decision so I will be taking my time and asking some questions along the way.

Since I already have a nice two wheeled Jerald Easy Entry cart I will probably be sticking with that for the time being.