# Biothane



## fourluckyhorseshoes (Feb 11, 2011)

Hi-

I am new to driving. I have seen a biothane harness for sale. How does it compare to leather? Is it an inferior material? Would you use it at a show? Any information would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Shari (Feb 11, 2011)

I have a Zilco Harness, it is biothane and is very high quality.

Have seen stunning Quality leather harnesses and others that I won't want any where near my horse. So it makes it hard to compare Bio with leather.

It depends on where you drive, what kind of driving you want to do.

Bio, is good for trails, CDE , maybe lower level showing. But if you want to do breed shows or dressage, a nice leather harness is better to have.

Bio to clean, I just have to dunk in a bucket to clean. Leather, takes time to clean properly.


----------



## Jill (Feb 11, 2011)

All I know is my personal opinion. I really like biothane and betathane. I have some very attractive, show worthy, synthetic harnesses, including a high end Lutke harness. I love them.

Some say synthetic is not preferable to leather because in an emergency, the synthetic will not break and free the horse but supposedly leather will. I have not ever owned a well made leather harness that would break for a mini in an emergency. (carry a knife while driving)


----------



## RhineStone (Feb 11, 2011)

Shari said:


> I have a Zilco Harness, it is biothane and is very high quality.


You actually probably have a beta harness, at least the Zilco we have is beta. Bio is shiny and plastic like, while beta has more of a matte finish.

Shiny bio might be appropriate for a breed show, but definitely not for a carriage show or a CDE. Bio is also VERY likely to scratch. I have a client that bought one from the Amish guy down their road (they didn't tell me they were going to do that) and they were VERY frustrated that the first time out at a 4-H show, it was scratched in a number of places without even being "hard" on it.

It's probably not so much that synthetic won't break, its that leather can be easier to cut in an emergency than a synthetic. Stitching will usually go in a synthetic before the material. Leather itself will break under certain stresses.

I'm not impressed with beta in cold weather. Adjusting it is a chore. But, I like it for the marathon with a majorly sweaty horse. You can start hosing down the horse and not worry about the harness. Actually, we hose the Zilco harness down on the horse a lot. (It's less "sticky" that way!




)

Leather is less likely to chafe than a synthetic, especially a cheap synthetic. Cheap leather can chafe, too, or even good leather not adjusted correctly, but cheap synthetics can have a rough "edge".

I am not impressed with the wear of a synthetic. We are borrowing a Zilco that is no more than 10 years old and it has irreversable damage on wear points where the "guts" of the material is showing through. Leather well cared for has a much longer life. We have some leather harnesses that are 20+ years old and clean up great.

NOTHING wears like really good leather, but then again, I haven't seen too many REALLY good leather mini harnesses, either. I mean, we just bought a used Smucker's Super Deluxe harness saddle, just the saddle, for our big horse. It retailed at about 1K new (we got a REALLY good deal on it, I almost felt guilty for what I paid for it.



) We already have a Deluxe saddle in the same model, and the Super Deluxe leather is WONDERFUL even compared to that Deluxe saddle I bought for $400 new (yes, just the saddle, not even the tugs or the girth). But...a REALLY good leather harness is going to run in the multiple thousands. (We don't have one of those... yet



) . In comparing those two saddles you realize that the quality of leather to start with has a lot to do with the price. A lot of leather mini harnesses have a "papery" feeling to them.

You get what you pay for in harnesses (and carts). Both synthetic and leather have their place, but I would opt for beta over bio. I would never get a bio harness.

Myrna


----------



## hobbyhorse23 (Feb 11, 2011)

Ditto everything Myrna said almost down to the letter.



I agree 100% about the quality making a difference in either leather or beta, biothane being nasty and plasticky, synthetic being easier to clean but sometimes stiff in the cold, etc. I have some of each and love both kinds but they definitely have different strengths and I use them for different things. And funny thing...my synthetic is lined with treated leather, which is why I like it!



Most betathane harnesses are simply not going to be comfortable for my thin-skinned gelding. The Country Carriages harness WITH waffle lining might be okay, with the standard lining it's too stiff for him. A Zilco, if they made them with all the good features small enough for my guy, would be lovely. As it is the only synthetic mini harness I'll buy is the leather-lined ComfyFit harness. Otherwise I'd go to leather as at least leather will conform to the horse. A bad synthetic is bad indeed.





Leia


----------



## Shari (Feb 11, 2011)

Too right.. whoops... Beta... knew it started with a B.





That is interesting you are having that problem with a Zilco Myrna.

I have one of the originals back when they made a spring tree with a gullet, I can't even remember how long I have had it. And I sure haven't treated it nice.Holding up surprisingly well.

But there is one down side to the Zilco, you can't use fly spray on your horse, it will destroy the harness.

Is the one you use, have the original tree, or one of the later ones?

I don't really have a clear photo of it...






Haven't heard of the leather-lined ComfyFit harness, do you have a photo of it Leia?

Of course, if I could afford a Freedman harness



, would dump the Zilco in a heartbeat. LOL


----------



## RhineStone (Feb 11, 2011)

The Zilco we are borrowing is actually a big horse harness. There is no tree, but there is gullet clearance so it doesn't rest on the spine. With 21 yr. old Spider being VERY high withered (or maybe sway backed), it is about the only saddle that fits him anymore. Even the Smucker's Better Fit will bump him in the back of the withers.

The harness has a bit of wear where the shafts rub on the saddle and some of the holes are frayed. But he got a 7 in Presentation which is pretty good with a beta harness and a marathon vehicle. I wanted Chad to use the Gig, but he wanted the four-wheeler for Cones. Suzy Stafford told us that she didn't blame him for that, so I gave up advocating the Gig.






Spider LOVES the Empathy collar! The first time he took a step after putting to, he stopped and looked back to see if we were done!



Then he went off in the "proudest" trot I've seen him do in a while! He LOVED the freedom in his shoulder.

Myrna


----------



## drivin*me*buggy (Feb 11, 2011)

Ditto Myrna and Leia LOL I have a Camptown/Chimacum Sport harness which is what Leia is now referring to as ComfyFit, well the Chimacum is. Camptown has a different harnessmaker now. I love it but what they say is right about some of the drawbacks of the Beta, in the cold it is stiff and I have a bucklenose halter that is beta and is showing some wear/cracks. The ease of cleaning is nice for me. The harness mentioned above is leather lined as well as has some nice leather features on the bridle.

Leather is wonderful- I had a leather lunge cavesson made last year that I love and I recently had shorter leather reins made for my Hyperbike that I can't wait to try out. But leather is nice but does require work.

Angie


----------



## hobbyhorse23 (Feb 12, 2011)

Shari said:


> Haven't heard of the leather-lined ComfyFit harness, do you have a photo of it Leia?


Yes you have, it's the same Chimacum Sport Harness I've had for years. They just changed the brand name when the harness-maker separated from Camptown Harness and started selling through other vendors.

Leia


----------



## Shari (Feb 12, 2011)

Ah... the politics of harness making.


----------

