Bio Driving Harness

[shandoaharabmini]

Hi everyone. I am looking at buying a bio driving harness that I found on ebay that will fit my 29.5 inch mini. Since I only have had leather harnesses, I would like to know some pros and cons of bio harnesses. Are there chafting problems with these harnesses? Do these harnesses lay down nicely like leather or do they stick out on the horses body? Is there info that you wished you had known before buy a bio harness? Any info is greatly appreciated.

Shandoaharabmini

 

[hobbyhorse23]

There are good synthetic harnesses and bad ones and I can almost guarantee you that if it's on ebay it's a bad one! We always tell new drivers to never, ever buy a harness from ebay. The big problem with them besides the typically poor quality is that you will be unable to exchange any parts that don't fit and believe me, there will be some! If you buy from a reputable vendor they will usually exchange anything that isn't right free-of-charge to ensure a good fit. You might be able to find a hidden gem on ebay but by the time you have enough experience to recognize it you'll already know where to get it much cheaper within the driving community.

As Myrna says, "buy quality, cry once." You'll end up spending more trying to get a bargain than you will buying the right thing the first time.

A GOOD synthetic harness can be quite nice, long-wearing and strong and easy to clean. A bad one will indeed stick out from the horse and may look quite plasticy or cheap. One thing to consider with synthetic harnesses in general is that the straps don't stretch so it can sometimes be hard to get a precise fit if one hole is a little too long and another a little too short. Nice squishable padding can help with that!

Synthetic harnesses from Iowa Valley Carriage, Country Carriages and the Carriage House in Florida are all quite nice and tend to fit well. My personal favorite is the Comfy Fit Sport Harness from Camptown or Chimacum Tack as those are leather-lined and combine the best of both worlds. The leather is specially treated so you don't have to worry about it and it makes the harness much softer against the horse's skin than a pure synthetic. Janie at Chimacum Tack also has special harnesses for the little guys and would be able to custom-fit your boy to perfection. I know it's a bit pricey but you won't regret your purchase! And the prices have actually gone down this year, not up.

Leia

 

[RhineStone]

Yup, what Leia said!

The other thing to know is that biothane is shiny and more plastic-like. Betathane (beta) is more leather-like. A student of mine purchased a bio harness (not with my knowledge

) and the FIRST time she had it out to a show it scratched! They were just sick about it! The good synthetics that Leia mentioned are beta.

(To the OP: this next stuff is meant more for the masses reading this, not Shandoaharabmini specifically.)

The other thing to know about buying on ebay is that those harnesses tend not to fit ANYTHING! I'm not kidding. They are marketing to people who don't know any better and the horse is suffering for it!

Here are some examples of crappy fit on a $100 pony harness I tried to use:

* The blinder stays don't hold anything so the blinders touch the horse's eyes/lashes. (Ouch!)

* The saddle is made for a horse whose back is a square. (When's the last time you saw a horse's back that is shaped like those saddles?) All the pressure from the cart ends up on the horse's spine. (Ouch!)

* The backstrap is so long that the crupper hangs at about the middle of the horse's tail. And if you shorten it, all of a sudden the breeching strap is pulled forward so that the only place the breeching can go is up under the tail, which by the way, is a good cause for a wreck!

Nope, get a harness from a reputable harness maker/dealer! I can't tell you how many wrecks are CAUSED simply because of cheap, ill-fitting harnesses! It would be like telling you to put on high heeled shoes that are too small and rub your heels, and then tell you to carry around a six year old kid on your hip who is kicking your spine while you push a wheelbarrow! THAT, my friends, is what we do to our horses when we use crappy equipment on them, all for the sake of saving a buck. I know I am going to be torqueing off some people in the masses that are reading this, but if you can't afford good equipment, don't drive your horse! You are a wreck waiting to happen. Buy quality, cry once...from opening your wallet...not from having the equipment break or the horse react to getting pinched, pulled, rubbed or bumped, and the driver and passengers in the hospital.

Myrna

 

[hobbyhorse23]

It would be like telling you to put on high heeled shoes that are too small and rub your heels, and then tell you to carry around a six year old kid on your hip who is kicking your spine while you push a wheelbarrow! THAT, my friends, is what we do to our horses when we use crappy equipment.

*LOL!* Great visual, Myrna. I've used all the pieces before but never put them together into one image.

I know I am going to be torqueing off some people in the masses that are reading this, but if you can't afford good equipment, don't drive your horse! You are a wreck waiting to happen. Buy quality, cry once...from opening your wallet...not from having the equipment break or the horse react to getting pinched, pulled, rubbed or bumped, and the driver and passengers in the hospital.

And just to clarify for the masses, "good equipment" does not have to mean top of the line.

Heck, there are some extremely expensive harnesses that I wouldn't buy even if I won the lotto because they put looks first and the horse's comfort last! "Good" may not necessarily equal "expensive" but there will always be a big difference between a cheap harness and an inexpensive one. I'll go for a bargain any time but draw the line at unsafe or uncomfortable.

Leia

 

[RhineStone]

And just to clarify for the masses, "good equipment" does not have to mean top of the line.

Heck, there are some extremely expensive harnesses that I wouldn't buy even if I won the lotto because they put looks first and the horse's comfort last! "Good" may not necessarily equal "expensive" but there will always be a big difference between a cheap harness and an inexpensive one. I'll go for a bargain any time but draw the line at unsafe or uncomfortable.

Yup, what she said!

 

[Sanny]

You have seen most of our driving horses and we have Lutke harnesses which are biothane and we really like the look and how easy they are to maintain and clean. Some of the harnesses we have had now for several years and they have held up really well and they still look great. Having said that, we did NOT like the fact that the girth does not shape to the horse nor give or breathe the way leather would and after talking to Dale Lutke about this he designed a new girth (that he named after us) that is more padded and does stretch and will flex with the horse and we use that now and have no complaints. We don't have horses sharing harnesses so they all are adjusted specifically for each horse and they do conform to and mold to each individual horse. Some of them we bought new but we bought a couple that were used and were several years old and they look as good as the newer ones. The only harness I've ever had a problem with or "equipment malfunction" with was a leather harness that I've had problems with pieces breaking twice.

I am a fan of biothane harnesses but name-brand. I'd be careful of anything on Ebay.

 

[shandoaharabmini]

Thank you to all those who have responded to my questions. I decided to not buy the harness I was looking at on ebay. Most of the harness would have fit him but a few parts would have to be replaced with smaller parts. Plus I was not able to fell the harness to determine if I would like that type of material on my horse. If it had been leather I would have bought it. Never have had problems with leather or even them breaking. I think it will be better to just have a harness made for him, at least I'll have the winter to pay it off. The little guy this harness is for is still in training so I have some time to look around to find a nice refinded one that will compliment him. I do not want a harness that over powers him so all you see is harness not the mini under it. Thanks again.

Shandoaharabmini

 

[RhineStone]

Good idea.

The little guy this harness is for is still in training so I have some time to look around to find a nice refinded one that will compliment him. I do not want a harness that over powers him so all you see is harness not the mini under it. Thanks again.

Be careful that "refined" doesn't mean "uncomfortable". In a lot of cases, wider is better, especially in the case of the saddle and the breastcollar. The more surface area (within reason) that the horse is using to hold up or pull a vehicle, the more comfortable it will be for him and the better the performance will be. If there is just a fine little piece of leather digging into him, he will not be comfortable and that can create behavior and performance problems.

Myrna

 

[ruffian]

You can find good, well fitting leather harnessess from reputable miniature horse/pony tack dealers for a very reasonable price. Most are around $300-$500. I myself prefer leather as I like the fit better than biothane or betathane, but that's my personal preference. I would definitely go with a leather if you are just getting a horse trained to drive. The leather may break in case of an accident or upset, but in some cases the synthetic won't, and I always want the harness to break instead of a bone.

 

[Sue_C.]

I absolutely love both of my beta harnesses from Country Carriages USA. I got rid of all of my leather harnesses since I got them.

 

[LazyRanch]

*LOL!* Great visual, Myrna. I've used all the pieces before but never put them together into one image.

And just to clarify for the masses, "good equipment" does not have to mean top of the line.

Heck, there are some extremely expensive harnesses that I wouldn't buy even if I won the lotto because they put looks first and the horse's comfort last! "Good" may not necessarily equal "expensive" but there will always be a big difference between a cheap harness and an inexpensive one. I'll go for a bargain any time but draw the line at unsafe or uncomfortable.

Leia

I found a very nice betathane harness from a harness house in PA. They do leather and beta, and draft to VSE. They were very good with the measurements I gave them and the harness was exactly the harness I expected, with quality stitching, padding where I wanted it, and the price was very reasonable. My only problem was that I could never get the bridle to fit correctly. It fits the other horse just fine, but my horse. Since then, I have changed the bit, so the bridle fits much better.

As I am learning more, and PJ muscles up more with conditioning, I can make the adjustments I need, but I am also seeing that I will be adding things, like quick release parts and another bridle.

It wasn't the most expensive harness, but it has proven extremely durable, safe, well fitting, and comfortable for the horse. I was very lucky to have had words of wisdom from Myrna and others, so I only cried a little once - but I have blessed it many times! The only reason the bridle is getting replaced is because this horse just has an oddly shaped head - the measurement is taken up in width, rather than length. And it doesn't help that he was bitten by a rattlesnake and that has left a lump.

I have learned from my driving coach - and from having seen it happen on several occasions now - mini heads don't always carry a bridle well. Lots of mane and forelock and very little ears are part of the problem. After watching a bridle fall off a VSE at an ADT (he put his head down to graze and it just fell off as we watched), I added a gullet strap to my bridles.

 

[susanne]

Yes to the gullet strap!

LazyRanch, what company did you use for your harness?

 

[LazyRanch]

Yes to the gullet strap!

LazyRanch, what company did you use for your harness?

I got it from Zimmerman Harness. They don't have a website or email, so are phone only. But Becky was amazing and kind - particularly since I only had about a hundred questions.