Driving, Harness and Blanketing Questions

[KellyAlaska]

As you know from my last post I am brand new to driving. I am in the process of purchasing my first Mini and trying to learn as much as I can about carts, harnesses ect. I have been looking on the AMHA, AMHR various forums and websites but I am having a hard time finding the answers to a lot of my basic questions. Sorry if any of these are stupid questions! I am hoping that some of the more experienced drives won’t mind giving me a basic lesson about harnesses and acceptable tack options.

The mini I am planning on buying is a loud colored black and white Pinto driving horse. He is about 35.5/36 inches tall and though he is very pretty and refined he is a little stocky. Now from what I have been reading online because he is not 34 inches or below he cannot be shown at AMHA shows. Is that correct? He is registered with both the AMHR and the ASPC. He looks great pulling the cart but I am not sure what style of driving would best describe his gait. He does not carry his frame as low as a country pleasure driving horse but he does not have the high knee action of a park horse. I am assuming maybe he is a pleasure horse? So if he is a pleasure horse what type of cart and harness is appropriate for shows? Do most people have both show and pleasure equipment?

I also have tons of questions about picking the perfect harness. There seems to be so many options. My main concern for my horse is comfort! It looks like the V fit or comfort fit breast collars would be the most comfortable for the horse. Can you show with these? Do you recommend buckle in traces? What are French tugs? Do you recommend Betathane, Biothane or Leather? Listed below are a few links of harnesses I am considering.

http://www.lilacmeadowsminihorse.com/tack/harness/sport.html

http://www.countrycarriagesusa.com/betabiharness.html

http://minitack.com/mwcde.htm

Another unrelated question I have is about blanketing a Mini during the winter. I have never had a horse that needed a blanket but his current owner blankets him in CA so being that we live in Alaska I am sure that I will need to do so as well. (I want to do anything possible to make him comfortable) Any recommendations for a good warm winter blanket would be much appreciated. Also some basic blanketing advice or guidelines would be useful. We do have a stall for him that is in our heated garage so please know that he WILL NOT have to weather harsh winter conditions outside. He will be in his stall every night for safety as well as when the weather dips into the -20’s ect.

Thanks in advance for all of your help and advice!

Kelly

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Looks like we've got about five threads in one here!

I'll try to answer your basic questions at least.

The mini I am planning on buying is a loud colored black and white Pinto driving horse. He is about 35.5/36 inches tall and though he is very pretty and refined he is a little stocky. Now from what I have been reading online because he is not 34 inches or below he cannot be shown at AMHA shows. Is that correct? He is registered with both the AMHR and the ASPC.

First of all, congratulations on your new mini.

35-36" is a great height for the kind of driving you've said you're interested in pursuing and it's probably good that he's got a little body to him instead of being terribly refined. He cannot be shown AMHA because he isn't registered AMHA, and he can't be registered because he isn't under 34".

He looks great pulling the cart but I am not sure what style of driving would best describe his gait. He does not carry his frame as low as a country pleasure driving horse but he does not have the high knee action of a park horse. I am assuming maybe he is a pleasure horse?

Park is a little-used division in the miniatures. There's basically Country Pleasure and Single Pleasure, and the real difference is the action the horse has. A horse in Single Pleasure can often be dropped down to Country by asking them to work in a longer frame and not animate their stride as much. Similarly, a Country Pleasure horse can sometimes drop down to the new Western Country Pleasure division with a change in how they're driven but horses suited for one of the lower divisions can rarely be transitioned successfully to a higher one. Reason? The headset. A horse with a QH-style neck set for instance simply isn't going to be able to hold the Saddlebred-like headset looked for in the Single Pleasure division. If your guy has the loft and the animation for Single Pleasure, good for him. If not, he can be taught to carry his head a little lower and with less tension and enter Country Pleasure.

So if he is a pleasure horse what type of cart and harness is appropriate for shows?

For AMHR shows most horses use the same general type of cart and harness- a fine harness-style turnout with a light 2-wheel show cart. This type of harness is NOT appropriate for cross-country driving!

Do most people have both show and pleasure equipment?

Yes. It's good to school the horse in their actual show harness so it gets broken in and the horse is used to it, but most folks have training harnesses to use for every-day stuff. If you're going to be driving over rough terrain you'll want a harness with breeching, a good wide saddle with padding, a comfortable breastcollar and preferably no check (or at least a removeable side check.) It is certainly possible to use one harness for both purposes as breeching is easy to remove and you can make other modifications, but it depends a bit on what level you want to show at.

I also have tons of questions about picking the perfect harness. There seems to be so many options. My main concern for my horse is comfort! It looks like the V fit or comfort fit breast collars would be the most comfortable for the horse. Can you show with these? Do you recommend buckle in traces? What are French tugs? Do you recommend Betathane, Biothane or Leather? Listed below are a few links of harnesses I am considering.
http://www.lilacmeadowsminihorse.com/tack/harness/sport.html

http://www.countrycarriagesusa.com/betabiharness.html

http://minitack.com/mwcde.htm

Those are very nice harnesses- you have good taste! I have the ComfyFit Sport harness for my kids to use in CDE and for trail drives and love it. That type of harness is perfectly appropriate for combined driving but looks a bit out of place at AMHR shows. Buckle-in traces are a very nice feature on both show harnesses and CDE harnesses. French tugs are shaft loops (or "tugs") which snug down around the shaft rather than maintaining one diameter. They tighten by buckling the overgirth tug strap (what did we decide those were called, Myrna?

) down and are best for a show cart without breeching. They are used instead of a wrap strap arrangement and can be quite a time saver when it comes to harnessing up for shows. For driving cross-country you might look at saddles with "open tugs" (the term ComfyFit at least uses for shaft loops that don't contract down) and something called a "sliding back band." ComfyFit has both of those. So does the Country Carriages harness. Avoid Biothane like the plague, it's a thin plasticky material which looks and handles terribly. Betathane is much nicer and very durable but it comes in a lot of different grades and there's still nothing like a good leather harness.

I adore my good Betathane harness for regular work as it is SO much easier to clean but miss the way leather conforms to the horse and how easy it is to cut in an emergency.

Another unrelated question I have is about blanketing a Mini during the winter. I have never had a horse that needed a blanket but his current owner blankets him in CA so being that we live in Alaska I am sure that I will need to do so as well. (I want to do anything possible to make him comfortable) Any recommendations for a good warm winter blanket would be much appreciated. Also some basic blanketing advice or guidelines would be useful. We do have a stall for him that is in our heated garage so please know that he WILL NOT have to weather harsh winter conditions outside.

Ohhhh yes...your California beach boy is going to think he's died and gone to Iceland!

I'd start by asking his current owner what brand of blanket fits him well and work from there. He ought to be shipped in one if he's coming before summer and I'd let him have a natural coat even in the summer until he's really adjusted to your climate. No clipping before shipping in this case! For pure warmth the Kensington blankets are very hard to beat.

As for when to blanket, I follow the same guidelines I would for a child's coat. If the horse is perfectly happy without one, leave him alone.

If he's shivering or looks close to shivering (standing hunched, huddling into you or other horses, generally looking miserable) add some layers. If he's sweaty or feels too warm under his blankets, take them off or downgrade to a lighter model. Normally I'd say to blanket at night when the temperatures drop but since he'll be coming into a heated space at night you may want to do the opposite. Don't let the garage get too warm though or he'll be in for a tough time adjusting when suddenly chucked outside. California critters, like Florida ones, tend to think they're freezing if it drops below 60

but most horses prefer a colder temperature and adjust very well to snow and ice. Once he's been up there a year or two and gets acclimated he'll grow a spectacular coat of his own and no longer require blanketing except when clipped.

Leia

 

[KellyAlaska]

Looks like we've got about five threads in one here!

I'll try to answer your basic questions at least.

Leia,

Thank you so much for addressing all of my questions.

I have a few more for you. lol What about the style of Blinders/Blinkers. I have seen both square and rounded shapes. Is there a certain style that is prefered? What type of bit should be used for showing? Is there a certain bit brand that is prefered? Is there another harness brand that you would recommend? It sounds like you like the Comfy Fit Sport harness which is the one I am leaning towards at this point.

Thanks,

Kelly

 

[Sue_C.]

What about the style of Blinders/Blinkers. I have seen both square and rounded shapes. Is there a certain style that is preferred? What type of bit should be used for showing? Is there a certain bit brand that is preferred? Is there another harness brand that you would recommend?

I'm not Leia, but will pop in as well.

Rounded blinders are generally for all pleasure-type of driving, and square, usually considered "roadster" blinders...yet in the mini world, we do tend to see more of the square blindered bridles for some reason. I suppose it is so one only needs one harness to show both pleasure and roadster.

If the horse you are buying is already trained, and the horse doing well in what he is wearing now...I would just go with that, and keep him happy, rather than change it. What is allowed, depends on the breed, and type of show. If you are showing AMHA, you are allowed a leverage bit, but only using the snaffle or first leverage link. If you are showing AMHR, you are not allowed leverage bits whatsoever. Then again, in open driving, you are allowed both the snaffle and leverage bits, with pretty-much the same rules as AMHA.

As to what is preferred, it is a personal choice for the horse and driver... Myself, I like the french link snaffles, but have to admit that both my green mare and myself are enjoying the comfort snaffle by Myler. Expensive, but worth every penny if the horse likes it...as it is with any well-made bit.

 

[RhineStone]

I agree with what has been said, but will add some more.

What is your equine experience? If this is your first horse, do you have an instructor set up?

We brought a Dutch Harness mare and her 2 mo. foal up from Florida to Wisconsin in early May a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it was about 60-70 there and 30 here when we hauled them. When we stopped in N. IL for fuel, I put a blanket on the mare and kept it on overnight until we could turn her out in the sun the next morning. We didn't need to blanket her after that because the weather here got warmer. Baby still had baby hair, so she wasn't cold at all. In fact, I had bought a blanket for her and we put it on her the first night, but she is opinionated and DID NOT like having that blanket on. However, I didn't give her a choice.

In the middle of the night, I was concerned about what she did with the blanket, so I went out and checked. They were in our indoor arena and when I flipped the lights on, there was the blanket in the middle of the floor with the filly looking at me like, "I told you I didn't want that thing on." All of the straps and buckles were intact (leg straps, belly straps, and chest straps), so I have NO idea how she got out of it without killing herself! But she wasn't shivering, so I let her be.

Like was said on another thread, your inside space shouldn't be much warmer than your outside space, unless the horse is clipped or used to a different climate. We have had to stable clipped horses in heated spaces until the weather broke, but unless you plan on keeping them in the heated space all the time (which I think is terrible for their respiratory systems), I wouldn't plan that the heat will be needed for much longer than the acclimation of the horse. As long as they can get out of the wind and stay dry, horses are better off outside vs. a heated space. Moving them from a warm stall to a cold paddock so that they can exercise is a recipe for pneumonia. And far from some people's belief, minis are NOT fragile, but quite the opposite. They are much more hardy than all of my big horses, especially my English breeds. About the only thing fragile about them is their digestive systems and their reproductive systems.

Myrna

 

[KellyAlaska]

I agree with what has been said, but will add some more.

What is your equine experience? If this is your first horse, do you have an instructor set up?

Myrna,

I have quite a bit of equine experience but this is my first Mini and my first horse in Alaska. It can dip to -60 up here but I see horses all over the place so I know they can be kept here in Alaska. We have all of our full sized horses in Missouri and they never require a blanket so I have no experience with blanketing at this point. His current owner does blanket him in CA but like was said in an earlier post maybe he is clipped ect. We will be flying down to CA for several days and taking driving lessons/harnessing lessons as well as learning everything we need to know about our Mini. We do not have an instructor lined up here in Fairbanks. There is a very knowledgeable Mini person here and I am sure that she would be more than willing to answer any of my questions. We will keep the heated garage as cold as possible but we have radiant floor heating so we must maintain a certain temp so we don't freeze our floor. The Mini's that are here in Fairbanks do not wear blankets and I think she just limits the time outside when it dips to -20. His current owner and trainer have been incredible to work with so I am sure I can call them at any time with any question but like everything else you ask 10 people about blanketing you get 10 answers.lol I like to hear everyones opinion. No matter how experienced you are sometimes you learn something new.

 

[RhineStone]

That is GREAT to hear. Sounds like you are on the right track!

(We have radiant floor heat in our shop and LOVE it!)

Myrna

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Leia,Thank you so much for addressing all of my questions.

I have a few more for you. lol What about the style of Blinders/Blinkers. I have seen both square and rounded shapes. Is there a certain style that is prefered? What type of bit should be used for showing? Is there a certain bit brand that is prefered? Is there another harness brand that you would recommend? It sounds like you like the Comfy Fit Sport harness which is the one I am leaning towards at this point.

About the style of the blinkers- it really depends on what looks best on your horse. I've seen many horses that look quite nice in the square blinkers you commonly see on miniature show harnesses but my boys both have very long, narrow heads and I've found the D-shaped blinkers look best on them. Round ones make Kody's eyes look buggy, square ones look cheap on Turbo...the D-shaped seem to be the best for them. And properly scaled! I've had bridles where the blinkers were too large and they looked like The Fly!

Too small looks silly too.

Regarding bits, wow, that's the subject of many a thread.

I agree with Sue below:

If the horse you are buying is already trained, and the horse doing well in what he is wearing now...I would just go with that, and keep him happy, rather than change it.

:yes

Every horse is different and is different in what they're going to like. I've met horses who couldn't care less what's in their mouths as long as it doesn't pinch or poke, and others that fuss and fling and gape until they find just the right bit. Since I show both AMHR and ADS and want to use one bit for both I use a snaffle cheekpiece. French Link mouthpieces are very nice and my horses like them, they've also been okay with basic broken snaffles and mullen mouths but I've given up and coughed up the money for a Myler for my fussy boy and will buy one for his partner so they match when driving as a pair. (Not necessary, by the way, but nice.)

My two favorite harness brands are Ozark (particularly the Carriage Harness and the deluxe rolled leather show harness) and ComfyFit, usually purchased from the original designer at Chimacum Tack. Their website is horribly out of date due to tech issues but Janie is the best and gives incredible customer service! There's other brands I like for other things but those are the two I find the most versatile and with the best leather/materials and fine details. I have my ComfyFit for cross-country work including trail drives, CDE's, etc., and a deluxe rolled leather show harness from Ozark for AMHR shows. I started out with an Ozark Carriage Harness to do both and it worked very well for many years until I got the two more specialized harnesses.

Leia