What do you think of this Harness ?

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

I am trying to buy a mini harness and it has proved not to be an easy search. My budget is around $200, max $300. I want something that is a good quality and looks nice. I will be mostly using it for pleasure driving, but would like something that could go into the show ring--just a small 4-H type show. I have been looking at Ron's and they seem okay, but I ran into this one which seemed like a really good deal. Anyone have experience with these brands?:

http://www.tackformi...bc51f95e441a4ae

http://www.doubledia...4&product=66024

http://www.doublediamondtack.com/product.cgi?group=64334&product=66023

If anyone knows of any for sale or can recommend a good brand please tell me. Thanks

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I can't comment specifically on the harnesses you have linked to but I want to point out a couple of things you should maybe be considering. First and most important, you usually get what you pay for and cheap to buy can also mean cheaply made, you will be trusting both your own and your horses safety and well being to your harness so it is important that it be well made and of good quality material. Second, your horse will do his job better and be happier if he is comfortable so look for a saddle with some padding (a tree is good but I've seen lots of harness made without)and a breast collar that is more than a skinny strip of leather, imagine how you would feel pulling a load with a narrow band rather than a wider one. Good luck and have fun. Driving can be very addictive

JMO

 

[Jennywashere]

I have the 3rd one you posted the tough 1. I like the saddle there is a lot of padding not just a leather strap it seems to be pretty good for what I paid for it I only do local and 4-h shows. I have found some of the sizing is a bit strange on my 36" guy but goes pretty good on my 33" girl. Got mine on ebay for 135 but the shipping was higher then the site you found it on.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

The hardest thing about buying a harness, imo, is the bridle. You can tweak and punch and snip on the other straps, but if the bridle doesn't fit you are in trouble.

I got my first harness from Big Dee. It has the nicest fitting bridle I've ever seen in person. The reins are soft and just the right thickness. The downside is the breeching only has one strap. And they dont' sell parts (I tried to buy another bridle seperatly and they won't). The bridle has overcheck but no side check. This is actually a plus for me, as I don't use a check so dont' need to worry about the little brass rings on the headstall. The only repair I have ever done to it was having the wrap straps on the girth come unsewn. My leather guy put it back together with rivets and I have had no more trouble. The breast strap is fairly wide.

I have bought a $500+ harness since then and do not like it any better than the Big Dee, though the Big Dee is not as dressy.

Of course, my Big Dee is 8 years old, so I cannot vouch for newly made ones, but do not hesitate to return a harness if you are not happy with it. You will live and work with it a long time; it is rather like a pair of shoes--if it isn't comfortable from the beginning it never will be.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

For the dollars, I would recommend the Ozark Mtn pleasure harness. It looks like the one in your first link but I can vouch for the quality from Ozark Mtn. while I have no experience with KayJay.

I would avoid the betathane one in your second link as it appears to be a typical cheap synthetic harness with parts you don't need (rump terrets, etc.) and is likely to be stiff and uncomfortable without padding. There's often a lot of resizing required with a cheaper harness and it is much more difficult to punch holes in and shorten straps of betathane than leather!

I speak from experience.

Leia

 

[brasstackminis]

I have a friend that bought a harness from Ron's harness. They are a good buy for the money, but my favorite beta mini harness came from Mini Express. I have had 2 of them, one beta and one bio. The matt finish of the beta is not as shiny but has held up much better than the biothane. If you care buying from them you can have them make your harness fit your mini if you need to. My minis all have much smaller heads than the harness was made for, so I had them make them much smaller. There is a lot of padding on the saddle and breastcollar too. If I recall it is also in your price range.

 

[paintponylvr]

Not sure what I did, but my first reply disappeared, darn it...

I haven't dealt w/ Double Diamond. BUT I have purchased a Tough1 nylon harness and found it to be not worth what I paid for it (my home made, braided from re-cycled haystring w/ SS hardware is better quality!). Even before I had a qood quality harness (I've had quality, leather, QuickHitch Hackney training harness for years, tho), I knew that the hip strap assembly and crupper didn't fit right and weren't really adjustable for my mini sized Shetland mare. The headstall/bridle is too large - nylon too wide but it's too small to fit a larger pony that the wider nylon would work with. The hardware is substandard - rusting & oxidizing before I'd even owned it for 90 days. Then when grounddriving the mare before hooking her (she was highly upset), the left side rein & the check rein turrets both broke (really glad I was safely at home & that she wasn't hooked!). Later, came to the conclusion she was upset by the ill fiting saddle when I switched it out for one that I purchased at a used tack sale. The Tough1 harness went into the trash. The other saddle was matched by an Amish Harness maker in OH (the used tack sale only had the saddle w/ shaft carriers & wrap strap, the hip strap assembly and the crupper) - w/ a headstall that fits (open but with the availablilty of purchasing the right size check straps w/ blinders) & a breast collar and traces. It's not ultra fancy - but it is well made & worth the $100 that I spent on the parts (I don't have matching lines yet - kept the ones from the Tough1 bridle).

On the Bio one from Double Diamond, made by Amish harness maker, you might be better to go directly thru an Amish harness maker. I did another post that listed several in Millersburgh, OH - Bowman's Harness 330.698.3200, Valley Harness and Fairview Country Sales 330.359.1501. All three will take orders (might be hard to get up with them - but it's not impossible!) and will work with you on custom fitting for the same price as what they list in their catalogs. All have harness in the pricerange you list - and if you start at the lower end of the price range (both Valley and Fairview has an economy harness) - you can upgrade later by piece or part... Valley is working on doing a shaped breast collar for the VSE's like the one that Chimacum sells. I did like the leather one in full horse size that I was shown. I think that Bowman's also does a shaped collar - not sure that it comes in mini sizes though! I have Shetland and welsh driving online freinds that have had their harness(s) from these makers for years and they are very happy with it. You can choose the type of hardware you want too - brass, SS or plated (yuck). Fairview's economy harness is the least exspensive - with more rivets than the other companies... But still not bad. I haven't had the chance to USE a saddle built by any of these 3 - but did like how they looked when I visited there 2 weekends ago. I think all three of these companies will make a higher quality saddle w/ sliding ... shaft carriers (can't think of what that option is called). Yes, it will cost more but...

I can't remember what the first harness you show in your post is.

I prefer biothane over leather as I have MANY ponies & I no longer enjoy the time it takes to care for leather, it's hot & humid all the time here, I don't have a properly enclosed tack room and my barn drips on everything stored in it. The bio can be tossed over the stocks and washed or even washed on the sweaty pony! I love that feature. I've seen better quality bio made by Country Carriages USA right here in NC that looks so close to leather that it takes a 2nd, hard look to determine that it's not - but it's currently out of my price range at more than $500 for a basic single, small pony harness. Two mares that I sold were campaigned in Southern Pines in the deluxe harness as a pair and as part of a 4 up by Deb Branson.

 

[RhineStone]

I've seen better quality bio made by Country Carriages USA right here in NC that looks so close to leather that it takes a 2nd, hard look to determine that it's not -

We have a Country Carriages synthetic pairs harness and LOVE it. I never thought I would say that about a synthetic. Country Carriages harnesses are made of betathane, though, not biothane which is the shiny stuff you see a lot on draft harnesses and some mini halters. Beta has more of a matte finish.

Myrna