# Harness Question



## jessj (Dec 11, 2012)

Hi everyone! This is my first post in the driving forum. I am not completely new to driving, I grew up driving a mule and wagon. One of my minis is trained to drive, and I realize it is a bit different than with the big guys. I am looking at a harness right now and plan to purchase a cart in the spring. (we are both out of practice so I think we will do some ground driving before we try with the cart!) My question is this - if you had to choose between a leather harness, a nylon, or a biothane wich would you choose? Thanks in advance! Jessica


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Dec 11, 2012)

I have never tried a biothane harness so can't comment on them but I have used both leather and nylon harness and I have to say IMO a _good_ leather harness(if its a cheap and poorly made leather harness then anything is better than that) is far more comfortable for the horse, easier to use for the person tacking the horse up (hate trying to buckle those nylon harnesses) and looks far nicer than a nylon harness ever will. The nylon gives me the benefit of being able to clean it by scrubbing it in a tub of soapy water but that is really a pretty small thing to me. Number one is my horses comfort and for that I'd choose leather every time.


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## paintponylvr (Dec 12, 2012)

Jessica -

What type of driving are you planning on doing - show, arena only, groomed trails, cross country trails, CDE competitions? What type of cart are you purchasing - metal ez entry, combo ez entry, jerald/graber/houghton show cart, marathon style cart? How big is your mini?

What type of tackroom do you have? How much time do you have to maintain a leather harness? Do you want wash and wear ease?

The answers to all these questions will lead you to the type of harness to get.

Me - I'm a little different. I live in a high humidity state (NC) now. I have a lot of ponies and a lot of equipment and I'm the only one maintaining/caring for everything - including the property. I have a barn - but not a proper, enclosed tackroom. I no longer even enjoy caring for leather (work no longer a labor of love, LOL) - and lately even my expensive leather articles - regardless of how it's cared for - is regularly having problems with mold and mildew. Longer story short - I LOVE BETATHANE. In the last few years - it's come a long ways! Just like leather - you can get a slighly less expensive harness - but the material that makes it is generally the same quality. Where there is lower cost is in layers (one vs 2 or 3), hardware (conway buckles instead of "proper" buckles) and stitching (or lack there of due to Conway buckle use). Bethathane can be different types, styles, colors and textures. Bio is shiny like patent leather. There are many companies now that specialize in harness's made with betathane/biothane - pleasure, work/farm style w/ collars & hames, marathon/CDE. Some is acceptable for breed shows - though there are different thoughts on that.

I have a basic pleasure harness in combo bio and betathane that I like. Part of the harness was from a yardsale but wasn't complete so I got individual parts to make it a whole. I love it!

I have work harness with hames and collars. I use it - for training, for cross country driving, for showing and for parading. It's easy to clean both after a hot, sweaty work out or before a show/parade. Just hose it off while on the ponies or after putting on the fence/stocks, maybe scrub some areas where it's got caked dirt and sweat and then wipe down with Pledge. WORKS. The price(s) were reasonable on the less expensive side and I've upgraded some of it (changing from lots of conway buckles and snaps to sewn in buckles). I have not found it to rub or chafe the way some folks seem to - maybe due to the way the work harness is styled/fitted?

Now you'll ask how old it is. It's not that old - the first ones are just coming into 2 years of age. The newest ones are only 3 months old. So I can't tell you exactly how long it will last or when it willwear out. But I've been dealing with the same American company for those two years and I'm confident that as parts wear out - I can get them repaired or replaced (for less than purchasing a new harness!). I was able to purchase "stock" harness (off the shelf), but I can get custom made parts or get it adjusted if necessary/wanted.

Now I'm comparing the different companies that make the marathon style betathane harness... That will be my next purchase. 3 of the 4 companies I'm looking at are American companies. I bring that up because I love keeping my business in the good ole USA... Though if I get a Marathon vehicle, it may be from out of country - don't know that I'll get one or which company I'd order it from (yet).

I have used nylon - in bridles, breast collars, girth billets for larger horses and in harness for the ponies. Buffalo and Wintec synthetic saddles. Just as with halters, there are different qualities. For me, nylon can be not the best product. Though it doesn't require the care that leather does - it's harder to care for than the bio/betathane. I've purchased some harness that was really, really poor quality - hardware rusted in 90 days, several parts broke not long after that. A friend of mine has one that is pretty awesome - but it isn't as easy to care for or to get fixed as the bio/beta that we both now have. I know of several Draft Horse folk that have nylon work harness and LOVE it - I can find out which companies they've gotten it from and find out if those companies make nylon for small ponies or minis. Since finding what I like in bio/beta-thane, I haven't bothered to check.

I do own several leather harness (s). One is training type - and doesn't have all the parts that a pleasure harness or marathon harness does. One is a basic pleasure harness - not heavy enough for cross country type driving, but not show quality either. One is a basic show type harness - purchased this year in hopes of having a driving pony to show next year (may not be ready). THis one is in a harness bag and lives in our house... I wish I still enjoyed cleaning leather - the feel, the scent, the joy of handling. Sorry to say - now cleaning these pieces is a chore. I'm not looking forward to using the show harness. If showing doesn't become my forte - it will be sold. I'm hoping that I can get a marathon style harness in betathane and use it to cross over into the showring - then I will sell it. As the other leather ones wear out - they won't be replaced with leather.

O and besides the training harness I started with (leather Hackney pony quick hitch harness too large for some of my first Shetlands), I made basic harness styled after it. I made a breast collar out of a pony girth and nylon from the local military stores for the original training (no breeching and used a weaver training surcingle) - made in 1997. Another one, I made out of braided haystring - and started using that in 2009. Both are still in use.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Dec 12, 2012)

> My question is this - if you had to choose between a leather harness, a nylon, or a biothane wich would you choose?


None of the above- leather-lined betathane harness. Biothane is shiny and fake looking and cracks easily with wear. Nylon rubs, gets nasty when it's wet and most harnesses made from it have completely incorrect proportions that don't fit any horse in existence. Betathane is better than biothane but when used alone still tends to be stiff and fail to conform to the horse. Leather is great but molds easily and requires constant maintenance. But a good quality betathane harness lined with soft, treated leather where it touches the horse? Excellent! I love my ComfyFit from Chimacum Tack.

Leia


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## happy appy (Dec 12, 2012)

I have bio, beta and leather. I love the beta harness. I have both collars and breast plate styles and use both depending on which vehicle I'm driving but it's Beta all the way!


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## Matthijs (Dec 13, 2012)

I second the Comfy Fit harness from Chimacum Tack, nice enough to use in the show ring and strong enough for marathon use. You can just dunk it in a tub of water and rub it dry with a towel.


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Dec 13, 2012)

Does the leather lining on a Comfy fit harness not suffer from being dunked? I am beginning my search for a new harness for one of my geldings and have been considering the Comfy fit but am concerned that blending 2 different materials will make it a bit of a pain to clean.


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## Lloydyne (Dec 13, 2012)

When I was choosing a harness my Trainer told me the Comfy fit (beta) harness was pretty much dish washer safe. Sold me right there. Not that I would really do it but I am a bit OCD about my things being clean and knowing that I really could put it in the dishwasher if I wanted totally sold me. lol


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Dec 13, 2012)

Is your harness leather lines as well? I keep thinking that to keep that leather lining soft and flexible will require proper care and that where it joins the beta it may be a real challenge.


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## jessj (Dec 13, 2012)

I will just be driving on the little road that I live on. It is a very quiet little asphalt road with several dirt roads that i can take too. I remember all the work it takes to keep up a leather harness...and I really dont think I will have time for it! I will look into the comfy fit. Thanks for all the replies! I was just scanning craigslist and found a metal easy entry cart about 2hours from me. It could use paint and the seat needs to be recovered, BUT they are only asking $200 for it. I have only seen pictures of it, and when I asked for the size they said that the shafts are 68" and that it was almost too small for their 10h pony. Would this be too big for 33" to 35" minis?


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## Jules (Dec 15, 2012)

I have the leather lined comfyfit harness. Apparently the leather is specially treated and is 'wash and wear'. It is really soft, I have never cleaned it, only hosed it occasionally.

I am so glad I invested in such a quality harness as with the patent accents it cleans up beautifully for shows and is sympathetically designed for my pony, it really is a 'comfy fit' for him


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## izmepeggy (Dec 15, 2012)

jessj said:


> I will just be driving on the little road that I live on. It is a very quiet little asphalt road with several dirt roads that i can take too. I remember all the work it takes to keep up a leather harness...and I really dont think I will have time for it! I will look into the comfy fit. Thanks for all the replies! I was just scanning craigslist and found a metal easy entry cart about 2hours from me. It could use paint and the seat needs to be recovered, BUT they are only asking $200 for it. I have only seen pictures of it, and when I asked for the size they said that the shafts are 68" and that it was almost too small for their 10h pony. Would this be too big for 33" to 35" minis?


 It would be to big for your little one..My mini is 33" and I have 49 in. shafts on my cart..But,make sure they are measuring the shafts correctly..From the single tree to the tip..I found my cart on craigslist..They thought it was 56" shafts but when it was measured correctly it was 49".Turned out it belonged to a lady I knew and it was a nice Graber cart with wooden shafts..So you never know..If I had took her word on the shaft size I would have missed out.


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## jessj (Dec 15, 2012)

I am going to look at it in person today. After talking with him some more I think he is measuring wrong. There are almost no mini people in my area, and even fewer who drive. I was amazed to even find one on craigslist!


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## app crazy (Dec 15, 2012)

I'm in central al. where abouts are you. I lucked out too and found a cart off craigs list in Tennessee it was a long ride but the guy made it and it fits just great. Your horse is very nice looking I'm getting a stud colt silver dapple begnning of January.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Dec 15, 2012)

Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> Does the leather lining on a Comfy fit harness not suffer from being dunked? I am beginning my search for a new harness for one of my geldings and have been considering the Comfy fit but am concerned that blending 2 different materials will make it a bit of a pain to clean.


It's not. The leather lining is treated and is even safe to use with fly spray, and I've been dunking mine in diluted Murphy's Oil Soap before every show for the last 6 years and it's still sound. I don't leave it soaking in the stuff as it would ruin the padding between the layers and probably mildew and such, but you just dunk it in a bucket, scrub it with a soft wet rag until it's clean, rinse it and hang it up to be rubbed dry. Looks brand new again in minutes!



jessj said:


> I was just scanning craigslist and found a metal easy entry cart about 2hours from me. It could use paint and the seat needs to be recovered, BUT they are only asking $200 for it. I have only seen pictures of it, and when I asked for the size they said that the shafts are 68" and that it was almost too small for their 10h pony. Would this be too big for 33" to 35" minis?


I hate to say it, but that does sound too big. Mini shafts are usually 48" long and should be far too small for a 10h pony.

Leia


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## disneyhorse (Dec 15, 2012)

My 46" Shetland pony fits in a cart with 68" shafts


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Dec 18, 2012)

hobbyhorse23 said:


> It's not. The leather lining is treated and is even safe to use with fly spray, and I've been dunking mine in diluted Murphy's Oil Soap before every show for the last 6 years and it's still sound. I don't leave it soaking in the stuff as it would ruin the padding between the layers and probably mildew and such, but you just dunk it in a bucket, scrub it with a soft wet rag until it's clean, rinse it and hang it up to be rubbed dry. Looks brand new again in minutes!
> 
> Leia


Thanks, I think that pretty much clinches it for me. I've loved the look of that harness and how it fits but been worried about the combination of materials.



hmmm... I wonder what it is going to cost me extra to ship it here to Canada.


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## Jules (Dec 18, 2012)

Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> I wonder what it is going to cost me extra to ship it here to Canada.


I had mine posted to Australia for $70 which was fast and very reasonable cost for 'air mail', I am sure Canada would be much less.

You won't regret the purchase, that's for sure. I am sure your horse will apreciate the comfort of the breast collar too


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## Matthijs (Dec 18, 2012)

Reignmaker Miniatures said:


> Thanks, I think that pretty much clinches it for me. I've loved the look of that harness and how it fits but been worried about the combination of materials.
> 
> 
> 
> hmmm... I wonder what it is going to cost me extra to ship it here to Canada.


You can get it shipped to Bellingham in Washington, there is a company called ship happens and the you can pick it up and bring it across the line. I think our shipping was only 25 bucks or so. Ask Janie at Chimacum tack, she will give you a quote.


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Dec 18, 2012)

Thank you Matthijs, I appreciate your input since you are fairly near me, unfortunately for me it is probably less expensive to have it shipped all the way rather than go pick it up. That is at least a 2 day trip for me (if I don't mind exhaustion) more likely 3 - or more if family hears we are anywhere near the lower mainland lol- I will contact Janie as you advise as soon as I'm ready to place my order and work out the details



. Obviously shipping isn't going to be a real issue. If the harness can be sent all the way to Australia for only $70 it shouldn't be unreasonable to get it to me.


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