Fitting a Comfyfit Deep V

[MajorClementine]

I'm having a heck of a time getting the right fit to the cart with this new breast collar.



In this pick I know that she is too close to the cart. However, when I lengthen the traces to move her forward she ends up pulling with the saddle rather than the traces. I've made sure to push the cart back and wrap the tug straps as far forward as I can so they aren't hanging up on the shafts and causing the problem. I am getting really frustrated because I can't, for the life of me, get a good fit. You can see that the traces have plenty of adjustment at the breast collar.

Also, this is the size C collar. I did all her measurements and talked with the harness maker and this is the way he said to go. I have gotten so used to the skinny straight breast collar that I've used for 2 years that I can't tell where this one should sit. I only have this side pic but opinions?

I'm also having a hard time getting the neck strap adjusted in a way that I feel like the collar lays like it should. She has a really low throat so getting it to sit up over her shoulder but under her throat is a bit of a challenge.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have the Camptown. It is lower on my horse. Do you think your shafts are too upward?

 

[MajorClementine]

Now that you point it out I'm wondering if I need bigger tires on this rig. She's a pretty tall mini....

Okay so as long as that arch is free of the point of shoulder I can drop the pad down it looks like. That makes sense. I think I need to drop it quite a bit. As for the shafts... I don't want them any lower but I do want to get motorcycle tires for my cart. I'm thinking if I go up a size it would be a good thing.

I may break down and get a full comfyfit when I go to Iowa this summer. I think I'm not helping myself by piecing the comfyfit to my current harness.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have the Camptown breast collar and traces. The saddle et al is my original harness. I had to buy the traces as they buckle to the collar. The horse shown is my 32" Dapper Dan, but Rowdy is about 35 inches and he fits fine in the same cart/harness. He actually looks a little better in it. This picture is Rowdy last January; his second time driving, I think. Pretty hairy but maybe you can see the breast collar.

Not sure about larger tires.

 

[jventresca]

I think it's important to have the shafts as level as possible, or tipped up slightly. I like having the shafts come only to the point of the horse's shoulder. If they stick out farther it's harder to make tight turns.

These horses are wearing breastcollars I designed before the deep V collars came in mini sized. My Amish harness maker made several for me. I use a small loop of leather to tie the neck strap back to the check turret so the weight of the neck strap is placed on the saddle rather than the horse's neck. This doesn't matter so much with the type of carriage above but if the draft is lower like in the picture below it makes a huge difference.



I think we tend to get hung up on padding for our horses when a well fitted harness that works with the carriage is best. Forget the fuzzy pads. They just cause heat. Too much padding on the breastcollar makes it hard to fit under the windpipe and over the point of the shoulder.

My pet peeve is saddles without a tree to hold them off the horse's backbone. We wouldn't ride in a saddle like that!

 

[Squeaks]

These horses are wearing breastcollars I designed before the deep V collars came in mini sized. My Amish harness maker made several for me. I use a small loop of leather to tie the neck strap back to the check turret so the weight of the neck strap is placed on the saddle rather than the horse's neck. This doesn't matter so much with the type of carriage above but if the draft is lower like in the picture below it makes a huge difference.

I'd totally be interested in a collar like the one you designed. Were they measured for your horse or a comfortable margin for different builds? What was the expense on it? It looks lovely!

 

[Margo_C-T]

Sorry to be a bit late in replying on this thread ; I don't check in here as often as I once did. I have enlarged and been carefully studying your photo, Major Clementine, and since you asked for opinions, I will offer mine. I can see what you mean about the difficulty in properly positioning the deep V breast collar; the mare does appear to have what I've heard some longtime drivers refer to as a 'nest'(neck that 'becomes' a chest w/o much definition between the two 'parts' of the body)....kind of frequent in minis, actually. Upon close examination, I would say that your 'original' harness(not to include the new deep V) is actually too small for your mare. I see the breeching being too short(the ends of the breeching itself, not counting the rings, should 'come to' the front of each stifle fully.) This would also allow the breeching hold back straps to be properly attached to the footman loops(meaning the ability to wrap the leading end back around the shafts at least once better, twice, as it goes back to the buckle. The saddle also should really be wider and have a proper tree(I agree w/ Jaye on the pad; a really good properly fitted treed saddle shouldn't need one, but if one IS used, just not one of fleece..nowadays, there are several better options.

You are correct in noting that the mare is hitched too close to the cart in the published photo. Best I can tell, you have the traces in the center hole up front, so if you moved them up to the 'front' hole, it appear that would bring your shaft tips back to about right('even with the point of each shoulder), but I'm not sure whether even that would move the mare to a proper distance from the front of the cart....can't really tell just from one photo. It is possible you would still need longer traces(?)I suspect that her ending up pulling w/ the saddle when you lengthen the traces 'could be' from the wrap straps being too snug...that is, too much tension from the over girth. Wrap straps are not supposed to be 'tight'; they are there to prevent the shafts from 'flying up' when you get in/ get out of the cart, not to put downward pressure on the shafts. Proper balance is always an issue in a two wheeled vehicle; once 'loaded' with driver (and any passenger(s), the shafts should ''float' or at least,rest lightly in the tug loops, which should only bear significant weight when the cart is empty, strange though that may seem. Wrap straps should not be fastened to put downward pressure on the shafts....but I've often see people 'snugging them down' unduly!

As for larger diameter wheels: I cannot speak from personal experience, having never tried to change to different diameter wheels on any of my carts. I do note that the braces for the shafts do not allow for any adjustment, and that could be a factor in whether going to a larger diameter wheel would work as you want it to. No adjustment of the braces means that the relative angle of the shafts would not change, and since there is already a 'maximum' upward slant of the existing braces, if the cart itself is 'raised' via bigger wheels, the shafts would be 'raised' at their current angle also. Trying to visualize this projected onto the photo provided, I wonder if it might then result in the shafts being 'too' high? Can't really say, but would caution taking that possibility into consideration before investing in said wheels. Also,I've seen it pointed out that a new, stronger AXLE may be required when making certain kinds of changes, for safety's sake.

One more thing. In case you have not heard about or seen it, I strongly recommend an excellent 'basics of hitching and driving' book to one and all. After my own

nearly 25 years of driving , I bought one as soon as it came out, and consider it an invaluable resource! It is "The Essential Guide to Carriage Driving', by Robyn Coffey and Jaye-Allison Winkel , from Trot- 0nLine Publishing...from my copy, it says you can order individually from www. CarriageDriving.net(info from book published in 2004). It has a LOAD of useful information in an easy-to-comprehend format...all about harness fit and fitting,etc.

Much good luck!

 

[MajorClementine]

Thank you for your post. The reason I got her the deep V collar was because of this "nest" situation. A straight breast collar cut into her throat or rubbed her shoulders. Maybe the standard V instead of the deep V would have been a better option?? My other mini is an easy fit.... I agree with you that the current harness is indeed too small. I have been planning on a new comfy fit harness this spring and your observations along with my previous concerns have convinced me. I am also hoping that maybe, with a harness all by the same maker rather than one with pieces of a few harnesses, I may have an easier time fitting her.

I do have a longer set of traces as well. This shorter set is needed when I hitch her to my sulky so maybe I'll try the longer ones on this cart....

I do own "The Essential Guide to Carriage Driving" but should probably read through it again.