# Harmess question



## dreamcatcher (Jan 12, 2012)

Im going through all of my tack to make sure evrything is in order and I have what need. I noticed that the breast collar with my harness has the traces attached. Is this normal? Also, what is the difference between a curved and straight collar? I plan on showing so which will be best?

I dont feel particularly safe with the tracses attached and think it would make it difficult to unhitch quickly if something went wrong.

Thanks for your help.


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## Sandee (Jan 12, 2012)

Yes, the traces are attached to the breast collar (so many different terms between the types of horses) but it looks like this (if you can see in the picture). I don't have a curved one but wish I did for my old guy as the breast piece sometimes cuts into his windpipe.





My traces have slots to attach to the cart and I can pop them off in just seconds.


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## shorthorsemom (Jan 12, 2012)

My breast collar for my horse is curved. I have buckle in traces. They attach to the cart to the swivel tree with a slot, and at the front they attach to the breast collar with buckles. This design is very adjustable and it does have its safety benefits..

I had an accident last week when my boy got his leg over the shaft. Were not for those buckle in traces, I don't know how hard it would have been to get him unhitched safely. My trainer and I were each holding his head and the buckles for the britching and traces were both in reach even while keeping him from running off. He was jumping up and down and I know I couldn't have reached the swivel tree without letting go of his head.

My 2 cents... I really like the buckle in traces, even more now since my wreck.

I like the curved breast collar too, the design is very comfortable for the horse. I do no showing, just trail driving, I am sure there are many reasons people like other designs, this is just my opinion as to why I am more than happy with my harness choices..best wishes.



Adair


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## dreamcatcher (Jan 12, 2012)

Thank you for the input. I feel better now knowing its ok to have them attached.

shorthorsemom, I read your thread and how scary is that! I had the same incident happen the first time I ever drove solo when the mare spooked. It can really make your heart beat for minute or two thats for sure.


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## MiLo Minis (Jan 13, 2012)

shorthorsemom said:


> I had an accident last week when my boy got his leg over the shaft. Were not for those buckle in traces, I don't know how hard it would have been to get him unhitched safely. My trainer and I were each holding his head and the buckles for the britching and traces were both in reach even while keeping him from running off. He was jumping up and down and I know I couldn't have reached the swivel tree without letting go of his head.


ALWAYS carry a sharp knife in your pocket when you are working with horses. Equipment is a lot cheaper to repair or replace than a horse is!


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## shorthorsemom (Jan 13, 2012)

MiLo Minis said:


> ALWAYS carry a sharp knife in your pocket when you are working with horses. Equipment is a lot cheaper to repair or replace than a horse is!



YUP, you got that right... Sharp knife on your person is a must. I am going to add one to my pocket...I was thinking that where the spares bag is for the cart, in an emergency it would be impossible to reach quickly especially with all the dancing and bucking he was doing. I am going to add a few other things and make up a spares kit that is more smartly put together too based on my experience, but the pocket knife is something I was not wearing at the time.

The trace is so thick though, I am not sure we could have cut it easily though sharp knife or not. I am going to add one of those sets of scissors that are angled and can cut a penny in half to my spares kit just in case.

You are totally right, Equipment is much easier to repair or replace. My trainer told me that during the jumping around my boy actually got a foot down tangled in the tie down for the britching. We were so lucky. Because of how she has me do my britching straps, it was one pull of the buckle and we were unhooked and his leg was free in a flash.

Great safety tip..



thanks for posting


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## disneyhorse (Jan 13, 2012)

You know what works pretty awesome is the heavy metal seatbelt cutter. The blade is folded in, so no risk of injuring the horse... And can even cut through heavy duty nylon straps. I have rescued a couple horses this way...


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## shorthorsemom (Jan 14, 2012)

disneyhorse said:


> You know what works pretty awesome is the heavy metal seatbelt cutter. The blade is folded in, so no risk of injuring the horse... And can even cut through heavy duty nylon straps. I have rescued a couple horses this way...



wow, never thought of that one! Great idea


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## MiLo Minis (Jan 14, 2012)

I use a heavy duty exacto blade. It retracts so no danger of accidentally cutting yourself when it is in your pocket and it slices through anything I have ever had to cut so far......Cheap enough I can have one in every barn coat and show coat too


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## disneyhorse (Jan 14, 2012)

The seatbelt cutter can fit between the horse and the strap while thrashing around without any risk of injury to either horse or human, while a knife or retractable blade has some injury risk.


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## Katiean (Jan 14, 2012)

My niece had an accident where her mare flipped over backwards. We have the breast collar with the traces attached. It happened to be in our show cart while she was practicing. When Ellie went over Jessie jumped out of the cart and held the horse down so there was no struggling. I ran over and pulled buckels of the shaft wraps and yanked the traces off of the ends of the single tree. I guess if she had been on her own she would have had to cut the straps to get the horse out. But since I was there the horse, cart and harness were fine. But, let me tell you, Ellie has never gone over backwards since.


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## brasstackminis (Jan 14, 2012)

I like the idea of the seatbelt cutter. I will have to get one of those...or maybe 2!





I also think that safety release buckles/snaps can help for those who have worries about the traces that are not buckled in. You can really add them anywhere. I have not had to worry about this as of yet, but that is probably because I have not been driving long enough!



I know that the good safety snaps are expensive, but you can not put a price on safety right? Besides, it is a one time purchase anyways.



I plan on adding them to my CDE harnesses when I get recovered from buying them! My poor savings account is feeling a little light!





Here is a link with several choices for the safety snaps I am talking about...Iowa Valley Carriage Quick Release

Karen


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## Farina (Jan 15, 2012)

In the earlier ays at least here in europe when the harness was made out of leather you could cut through.

But today all my CDE harnesses have several nylon layers and it is just impossible to cut through! So we have these Quick release shackles on all our carts and carriages.

My show harness is made out of leather and this could be cut through.

So I would like to advise you not only to carry a knife but to actually look in time at your harness what could be one in an emergency.


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## shorthorsemom (Jan 15, 2012)

I started a new thread for people to post what type of quick release fittings they use and how they are installed.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Feb 6, 2012)

It's fine to have your traces sewn-in to the breastcollar, it just limits your ability to make fine adjustments. I've had the opposite experience from Adair and find the buckle-in traces extremely hard to undo whether it's an emergency or not- I hate unbuckling those things!



I have them for the afore-mentioned adjustability factor but undoing them in an emergency is a nightmare.

I personally much prefer a shaped breastcollar for any sort of real work, and they are almost a necessity for a horse with a low-set neck like my older gelding. My youngster with better front-end conformation can pull off a straight breastcollar with ease but it's still more comfortable for him to use a contoured one. In the breed ring though straight breastcollars are standard.



brasstackminis said:


> I also think that safety release buckles/snaps can help for those who have worries about the traces that are not buckled in. You can really add them anywhere.


Unfortunately, you can't. Breastcollars with sewn-in traces almost always have slot ends and snap shackles are meant to be attached to D-end traces. It doesn't work well to try and slip them through one of the slots as that puts the trace at an angle and stretches the leather. They are also rather heavy to be on the end of a light leather trace like that, and will dangle uncomfortably and clatter while looking very poor. The good news is most the time that lighter sort of harness is being used with an easy entry, road cart, jog cart or show cart and all of those have simple sword-end singletrees from which you can easily release your slot end traces even under pressure. The hard part is getting back there and you'd have to do that with the quick release snap shackles too!

Leia


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