Another accidental purchase...

Ive cleared out all my cupboards today of stuff that hasnt been unpacked since I moved a year ago! Ebay is now in operation to reclaim some pennies haha
 
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The traces which are connected to the collar around the horses neck/chest ( the traces are the long straps which connect to the cart you can just see them under the red shafts) keep it the correct distance so that the shafts dont slip out the tugs ( tugs what the shafts sit in on the Harness saddle). If the traces were to long the horse could be further forward and then shafts would slip out the tugs. This is where lots of tweeking comes into play as well as tug heights and breeching !
 
This is what happens when you have no clue and your traces are far, far too long, and your shafts are in danger of coming out the tugs, If that happens it's a really horrible accident
 
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So the friction between the wood and/or leather and the traces is all that keeps the cart on?

Jeepers!
No, the tugs (loops they are resting in) just support the shafts, They cannot fall out because the traces are what the horse is pulling the cart by and unless a trace breaks (or both) the shafts cannot come out of the tugs. If your traces are too long then the shafts won't be far enough into the tugs like that photo.

You work out how long the traces need to be to keep the shafts in the right place by startng off by putting the shafts in the tugs so they are hard up against the tug stops, This is where you want them on the level when the horse is pulling. So if you do the traces up short enough to keep the tug stops hard against the tug and the tug in the middle of the pad they cannot come out. Then you adjust the breeching so you have enough play between the two.
 



Here you can see the traces are too long and they are actually loose in the top photo. The horse is hurting his back by pulling the cart from the tugs and pad rather than through the traces via the collar. This wlil wear the horse out and hurt him.
 
Here's one where you can follow the collar along the traces all the way to the cart. and you can see the shafts in the tugs in the correct place.
 
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