Pictures of horses in headstalls with Blinders.

[rubyviewminis]

Thank you so much for this thread! Still learning and I had no idea the intricacies of blinder and harness bridle fit. I have only bought from Ozark so far, so I am happy to see that mentioned. I wondered if anyone felt like taking the time to explain how and where to measure for the bridles, and if there is a diagram of harness bridle pieces with names? I have one on harness but it isn't too in-depth for the bridle. Do many of you have more than one pleasure harness for different minis, not for showing, or do you adjust one harness for different horses? I have four Missy and her filly have very refined long dishy heads, avatar is filly at 2 months. One with a short dished head and wide forehead and large eyes, then one small and regular shaped. And adult height on all would be from 29" short coupled, 33" long bodied, and 31" average.

 

[Sandee]

Thank you so much for this thread! Still learning and I had no idea the intricacies of blinder and harness bridle fit. I have only bought from Ozark so far, so I am happy to see that mentioned. I wondered if anyone felt like taking the time to explain how and where to measure for the bridles, and if there is a diagram of harness bridle pieces with names? I have one on harness but it isn't too in-depth for the bridle. Do many of you have more than one pleasure harness for different minis, not for showing, or do you adjust one harness for different horses? I have four Missy and her filly have very refined long dishy heads, avatar is filly at 2 months. One with a short dished head and wide forehead and large eyes, then one small and regular shaped. And adult height on all would be from 29" short coupled, 33" long bodied, and 31" average.

I thought when I first started that I'd only do parades so the Amish type harness that came with my older gelding was fine. Ooo, then I decided to show so bought another one somewhat nicer with stays that actually held the blinkers out from the face ( he must have thought "wow, they finally did something right!").

Then when we got a second horse and started him driving, I thought I'd just use the one "show type" harness for him.....oooops, didn't fit good. Too much difference between a 31+" and a 34" in the face and, with age difference, in the belly too. Soooo, I broke down and got a second harness.

Then along comes the 3rd horse - another harness so we don't have to adjust and sometimes misadjust between horses. Then a second cart and another harness to match the brass fittings.......this goes on and on...just ask any of the drivers. Not only are the horses addictive but so is getting all the "right" equipment!

 

[RhineStone]

I wondered if anyone felt like taking the time to explain how and where to measure for the bridles, and if there is a diagram of harness bridle pieces with names?

I have a harness chart that I did on our website that has bridle parts.

http://rhinestone-ri...rness+Parts.pdf

American Driving Society also has some great harness charts that they made up for WEG. You can probably get one if you contact them. I laminated mine and hung it in my barn for students to see.

Most harness makers have measuring charts on their websites. Here is one: http://www.drivinges...0non%20fill.pdf

There are fine points to measuring, like I use one finger's width between the cheek bone and the cavesson, whereas big horses generally use two. It can also be a trick to get the browband just right on a mini. If you work with a knowledgable, reputable harness maker, they can help you with that (another reason NOT to buy an Ebay harness....

).

I have two mini harnesses for both training and showing, one considered an "A" size, and one a "B". But I have mixed and matched parts to get a custom fit on my horses. That is one advantage with having harnesses from one company. The parts usually interchange, as things like the buckles and leather width are the same size, etc. You can also order individual parts to suit a particular horse. I have an A mini with a wider head, so I just ordered a bigger browband and cavesson. The challenge with this is that every time I want to drive him, I have to take the bridle apart, and needless to say, he is the least trained horse in my barn!

Ideally, it would be nice for each horse to have their own equipment, but that basically comes down to cost. And I didn't get cheap equipment.

Myrna

 

[MiniHGal]

Coming to this thread a bit late, but figured I would share the blinders that I particularly like of my harnesses. They were custom made by a friend (very long time ago). They were made for more of an A sized horse, so look a little small on Fascination's not-A-sized head. But, the winker stays are wide enough to keep the blinders out of her eyes.

Excuse the extra people in the picture and our marathon gear. We were getting the End of Section A TPR (temp, pulse, resp).

By the way, Myrna, those ADS charts are great! I need to laminate one of mine.