The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: nihicib2 on February 24, 2011, 01:07:02 pm
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Hi all,
I'm hoping to get my 15.2hh cob working here on our smallholding, he has been driven before in a breast harness and I am currently getting him used to being long reined in the arena with a collar pulling a pallet, tyres etc as it has been a while since he pulled or was driven. As we hope to use him for work, harrowing, rolling and ploughing if possible as well as pulling a flat bed trailer. I am thinking of getting a two seater gig as well (sulkie?) for road work, my question is which harness should I get for him (we sold our breast harness a while ago and we only have a collar - no harness). Im nearly sure the collar type harness is better for farm/heavy work, but will it also work on a gig, and can a breast type harness be converted to a collar harness. Hope all this isn't too confusing, my knowledge on harnesses isn't the best.
Thanks in advance
Bríd :hshoe:
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I have a breast collar for my Highland. It was fine for pulling the buggy on roads but isn't suitable for heavy work that requires a lot of traction, such as pulling timber, harrowing etc. Because it's really important that a full collar fits properly or it may rub, and I'm buying over the web, I've just the other day ordered a French Collar or Brollar. These are like a full collar but have some adjustment in them. You can use a full collar or brollar for both work and pleasure, so to speak
I'm finding it really hard to find "working" equipment for him and I'm not clever enough or confident enough to make stuff. There must be a business opportunity out there!
Whereabouts are you based?
I'm no expert either, by the way, and others will have more wisdom to impart.
I bought the brollar from www.richandson.co.uk (http://www.richandson.co.uk)
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My friend, Crunchie, from Herefordshire uses Aaron Martin harness for his working cobs. His mother lives in Canada, where Aaron Martin are based. Crunchie said to me that he would be glad to help with sizing and fitting advice if I ever wanted to buy AM harness. He has imported from them several times and says it's pretty straight forward.
If you look on the AM website, you will see all their products. The prices are in Canadian dollars, so you will have to convert to ££s.
Keep an eye on 'Dragon Driving', there are some decent sets on there from time to time.
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simple answer is use a coller if you want to work him if its just plesure then use a breast but coller is only way for pulling heavy loads imo good luck hope to see pics of him in action in short if a heavy cart/dray or working land then use a coller but for esersize crt sort of thing use breast
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Thanks all
As we are in Donegal in the North West of Ireland it is hard to get tack for horses, well for working them anyway, Troy my cob, isn't a real heavy cob but he's going to be used to pay his way, if at all possible he will harrow and pull for now and maybe plough later if I get my hands on one. The brollar looks ideal, but I've got a chance at buying a two seater gig and leather breast plate harness for 400 euro so I think I will go for it and start off with that to get him back into driving, we also have a flat trailer which he can use in the fields for helping to move stones or on the beach to gather seaweed etc. I will start with the breastplate harness and save up for the brollar or a harness with a collar. I do have a full collar (but nothing else) that fits him perfectly so in time I hope to be able to get a whole harness together for him.
This is just an experiment for us, we would love to work the land with horses but maybe he isnt strong enough to do so ( he certainly is fat enough ;) ) time will tell :hshoe:
Once again thanks for the advice, great site this :love:
Brid
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Your full collar will just need a pair of traces from the hames to the hooks on the vehicle. With a full collar, there is no need for a swingle tree on your vehicle. The tree is required with breast collar because that is what stops the horse from getting the points of his shoulders rubbed as he extends his forelegs.
The rest of the harness will be needed as it would with the breast collar, so you are just swapping breast for full collar, really.
Try some of the travellers in Ireland for harness, or go to Ballinasloe (Co. Galway) fair in October month.
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Beautiful part of Ireland you live in - spent my childhood holidays there, as my Father was brought up there.
We drive our Dales and Fell ponies. We use breast harness with our two wheeled exercise vehicles, and also for pleasure driving classes. For private driving classes, a full collar is used.
For farm work a full collar is needed. We have a broller which is a big help for the pony on our big hills. Another one is the empathy collar.
I would suggest you go to Clitheroe carriage sale, as quite often working sets of harness go through .....but obviously you are some distance from Lancashire. I am sure you have something similar over there.
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Your full collar will just need a pair of traces from the hames to the hooks on the vehicle. With a full collar, there is no need for a swingle tree on your vehicle. The tree is required with breast collar because that is what stops the horse from getting the points of his shoulders rubbed as he extends his forelegs.
The rest of the harness will be needed as it would with the breast collar, so you are just swapping breast for full collar, really.
Try some of the travellers in Ireland for harness, or go to Ballinasloe (Co. Galway) fair in October month.
I was going to say something of the same, if your gig has a fixed splinter bar you have to use a full collar, if a swingletree, you have to use a breast collar. Full collar would probably be better for land work though as the surface area of the collar is bigger therefore more for the horse to push into without getting sore, the collar has to fit properly though.