More Carriage Harness pictures

[Dr. Pam]

This is the "1st edition" using my stockier 33" mare Jurgen's Cinnamon Swirl as a model:

 

[LittleValleyFarm]

Looking goooood!! PLEASE tell me where you bought that harness? It's exactly what I've been looking for!

 

[lilhorseladie]

Wow! that is just beautiful! I really like that. Now you are helping design this? I like what you have here!

 

[Bluerocket]

What a lovely harness!!! and a gorgeous horse too!

JJay

 

[nicole]

Please let us know where you got that harness it is what I am looking for???

 

[ClickMini]

Dr. P, that harness is gorgeous! Since I am a newbie, I have a couple of questions about it. What type of tugs are those, and how does it work? I have one harness with French Tugs that I have not used yet, and I have another that has the wrap straps. When I take a lesson, the lesson horse's harness has wrap straps, also. How does this one work?

Also, regarding the cavesson. Since you are helping design this, you must have had some thoughts on cavesson, vs. a noseband that connects directly through the cheekpieces. Please share.

Thanks for the closeups, that is really a terrific-looking harness! Would love to hear what the price range might be, you could PM me if you don't want to share publicly.

 

[willowoodstables]

OOOHHH...

Want a BRIDLE like that..so hard to find NICE mini ROUND blinkers!!!! I love the idea of a seperate caveson!!!

Kim

 

[WhyMinis]

I really like this harness. Did you say it was from Carriage House? Do you have closeups of the "2nd Edition"?

 

[ClickMini]

Kim, I am really trying to learn. What do you view as being desirable about a separate cavesson? As I understand it, the noseband arrangement where it feeds through the bridle cheekpiece holds the cheekpiece flush against the horse's face when the rein is taught, so there is no gaping where the horse can see behind his blinkers.

I have two harnesses, one is a fine show harness that has a separate cavesson, and one is a pleasure harness that has the noseband only. Would love to hear what people think of the different architecture.

 

[willowoodstables]

ClickMini..

I like them seperate due to the fact I find too many ponies/minis "pinch" when the noseband is buckled thru the cheek pieces. A properly fit bridle (sidecheck) should never "gape". The overcheck bridle tends to do this more so, so I use a big fat FLAT black shoe string tied from one cheek over to the other (across the nose). Never should it be tight either. On my harness it actually sits right above the caveson. My "good" (Freedman) harness actually has that piece in a rolled leather

Kim

 

[REO]

GORGEOUS!

That is so NICE! I love your horse too!

 

[MiniHGal]

That is gorgeous, Dr. Pam!

It's getting to look very nice.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Our harnesses have neither separate nosebands nor checks of any kind- I've never seen one gape or pinch, and we are not talking me pootling around here, we are talking right up to the very TOP!! I think it is just what you get used to, quite frankly. Dr Pam, I did think the breast collar was "V"'d??

 

[bfogg]

I have got to get some pictures of my team harness for you all to see sometime.

I had it custom made the way I like for a team I was putting together, and then sold the horses!!!!!!!

I love it and it is sitting here doing nothing, I had it made with seperate bridle and cavesons done in red patten leather, gold hearts on the blinders, patten leather teardrops with gold hearts on them, even had the hardware put in the top of each bridle for the plumes to screw into! With a set of red plumes and had another set of black plumes as well.

I need to get it on the darn sale board...........

Been out all darn day trying to buy a refrigerator that could get delivered before 2010!!!!

Jeez things used to be so easy!!!!

Love seeing photos of horses in harness!

Bonnie

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Also, regarding the cavesson. Since you are helping design this, you must have had some thoughts on cavesson, vs. a noseband that connects directly through the cheekpieces. Please share.

Kim, I am really trying to learn. What do you view as being desirable about a separate cavesson? As I understand it, the noseband arrangement where it feeds through the bridle cheekpiece holds the cheekpiece flush against the horse's face when the rein is taught, so there is no gaping where the horse can see behind his blinkers.

I like them seperate due to the fact I find too many ponies/minis "pinch" when the noseband is buckled thru the cheek pieces.  A properly fit bridle (sidecheck) should never "gape".  -Kim

This is interesting. I've picked up several great carriage driving books recently and I was fascinated to see that BOTH of them stated that the only purpose for a cavesson or nosepiece of any kind on a driven horse is to hold the cheekpieces close to the horse's head in case the horse takes hold of the bit in such a way as to make the bridle temporarily gape and allow him to see behind the blinkers. I come from big horses where the cavesson is to keep their little mouths shut (supposedly), and like Kim I never use it for that preferring to let the horse learn to keep their mouth shut on their own. Any driving horse of mine will also learn to drive in an open bridle so I'm not spectacularly worried about a stolen glimpse of the cart following.

I own the original version of this harness, Ozark Mountain's Carriage harness. On MINE, and it could just be my horse, the separate cavesson slides forward into my horse's eyes all the time and looked pretty bad. I finally figured out that a handy length of electrical tape attaching it to the cheekpiece eliminated the problem and now it's great. I also find that with all that leather run through keepers on the cheekpieces, it is stiff enough there is little chance of it gaping no matter what the horse does.

I like the addition of chain on the browband instead of brass spots, and I like the teardrop. I would still like to see the straps on that double-buckle noseband shortened (a real problem on mine), and I would raise and enlarge the new rein terrets on the neckstrap. You want to be able to run your buckle through there easily and never risk the rein getting twisted or stuck. MORE PADDING on the saddle! It really needs to easily clear the withers of any horse and not put pressure on that spine no matter what, and I don't see that yet. But this is a LOVELY harness and I think you're really on the right track!!

I would love to see two versions available in the end, one with a padded slim breastcollar like this one and one with a deep V for marathon. Maybe an option to purchase both in one harness set? That would be exciting!

Kudos,

Leia

 

[Dr. Pam]

I own the original version of this harness, Ozark Mountain's Carriage harness. On MINE, and it could just be my horse, the separate cavesson slides forward into my horse's eyes all the time and looked pretty bad

It's not you--it's the harness. I didn't like it either. I don't like nosebands that aren't fastened, and it was missing a keeper under the chin for it's tab.

Dr Pam, I did think the breast collar was "V"'d??

That was one of the corrections on the first edition--the collar didn't have a deep enough V and it wasn't padded enough. There also wasn't enough padding on the saddle, and there was no gullet. I wanted a firm tree, not the "surcingle" 99% of mini harnesses have. The hip straps on the britching didn't hang right either.

I like the addition of chain on the browband instead of brass spots, and I like the teardrop

I love the chain--and it's easy to remove for cleaning. I like the tear drops on the forehead and the false martingale, too--nice touch. BTW, these pictures show a sidecheck, which I left on for pictures, but I don't use them for CDE.

Did you say it was from Carriage House?

Nope, it's from Ozark.

The "Carriage Harness" she has available now is nice, but this one is a whole different critter. We've talked about some options and changes in the original for those of us with champagne tastes and a beer budget

 

[WhyMinis]

Did you say it was from Carriage House?

Nope, it's from Ozark.

The "Carriage Harness" she has available now is nice, but this one is a whole different critter. We've talked about some options and changes in the original for those of us with champagne tastes and a beer budget

433165[/snapback]

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I realized my mistake after I reread the posts. I really like this harness but am realizing that not only do I have a beer budget but I am going to need to build an addition onto the house just to store harnesses and carts.

But doggone it I am having so much fun!!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I love the chain--and it's easy to remove for cleaning.

Oh my God. It removes for cleaning?! I HAVE TO HAVE THIS HARNESS!!!

I actually like the more traditional look of the 1st edition breastcollar better than the deep v, I've seen both types in person and I really think a padded contour collar looks better for dressage on most of the minis with their small chests. It just makes for a sleeker visual line then this big wavy thing. But at least it looks like the new Ozark one correctly follows the line of the horse's shoulder. I'm not sure the one I have does...seems like the shoulder "swoops" don't come up quite high enough.

Have to drive with it more and get some pictures or video of him moving in it so I can see. It's pretty new at this point, I've only used it once and no one was taking pictures so I can't tell if he liked it or how it sat.

I LOVE this new harness though. Are there preview pictures up on Ozark yet, or a list of the options or prices or something?

Leia

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I agree Leia but a lot of Minis have a problem with settling the collar into the right place- the option of a "V" would be marvellous especially if you could buy it separately. Do you, on that side of the Pond, not go for what I call "reciprocating" tugs?? Ie the tugs strap passes through the saddle so the shafts can move- this almost negates a lot of the problems if the cart tips up slightly, as the cart can move up quite a way without actually affecting the horse, and s will not pull the horse with it as would happen with the fixed tugs. All my harnesses have always had this- I do not think you can get a European harness with fixed straps on the saddle, so there must be something in it. I would not, for example, want to do ADS or marathon with fixed straps.

 

[MiniHGal]

rabbitsfizz, I would like to see a mini harness with sliding tugs, but haven't yet.

We used to have sliding tugs on the big horse harness....but obviously, with independent shafts, that is NOT a good idea(marathon carriage). So we had to get them bolted(bolt is removeable). But with the sliding backband, the shafts could slide to where there is one shaft up by the terrets and one very low(we did not have this happen, but saw the potential, as well as being told about it at a CDE).

But with the EE, it was helpful--turns didn't wrench the cart shafts as it would with fixed tugs.

However, I don't know that I would use them with the minis--I have not observed enough shaft movement that would make them neccesary, or even preferred. I leave my wrap straps a bit looser to check the balance in any case on my marathon roadster, which would allow the cart to shift as it needs to on marathon.