Back in harness
- Thread starter chunky monkey
- Start date
I would maybe pop the breeching up a hole and open his blinkers up a bit, looks like they could be actually touching his eyes/eyelashes which could well bug the hell out of him
this^^^
Can you get the width of your hand under the backstrap where the loin strap crosses it over the bony bit of his pelvis? If so that's the sort of slack you need in a backstrap, any tighter and if can make their back and dock sore.
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Thanks for the comments. Couldn't post very well last night as I was posting from my phone. So I just wanted to get some initial feedback. My thoughts are that saddle is leaning back. Funny thing is that the back strap Im sure is on the last hole. So that means that inspite the harness being for a cob it seems too small in length.
Crupper is nice and loose, in fact I think it needs to go up a touch. Its dangling under the tail. The loin strap is I feel almost two far down towards his tail. Will adjust the breaching up as you suggest. Maybe it will sit better. Need to check on the loin strap just looked at another photo I took, I am wondering if there is another hole on the backstrap that I can put the loin strap through. If there is then it might resolve why it doesn't look right. ill check on that tomorrow.
Blinkers I thought as well seem too close to the eyes. I read that the eye is suppose to be in the middle of the blinker. I think that his eyes are a little above the middle. Cant see how to adjust them out as Gimp suggests , but maybe with use they'll soften a bit.
That might account for some of the head tossing. Although hes been in the harness now 3 times and he seems to be getting better with that.
Im only long reining for now, but need to make sure it fits okay before I think about pulling anything.
Being this is all new to me I'm still getting to grips with the parts, the more I harness him up I notice different things and different adjustments. Every time I've put the harness on so far I've had to undo the girth as I keep forgetting this ones got a martingale. As I've never even ridden him in a martingale I don't even think about it, till I walk round the front of him and see it dangling. I've attached a couple of other shots I took. Will make some adjustments and then see how we look.
Crupper is nice and loose, in fact I think it needs to go up a touch. Its dangling under the tail. The loin strap is I feel almost two far down towards his tail. Will adjust the breaching up as you suggest. Maybe it will sit better. Need to check on the loin strap just looked at another photo I took, I am wondering if there is another hole on the backstrap that I can put the loin strap through. If there is then it might resolve why it doesn't look right. ill check on that tomorrow.
Blinkers I thought as well seem too close to the eyes. I read that the eye is suppose to be in the middle of the blinker. I think that his eyes are a little above the middle. Cant see how to adjust them out as Gimp suggests , but maybe with use they'll soften a bit.
That might account for some of the head tossing. Although hes been in the harness now 3 times and he seems to be getting better with that.
Im only long reining for now, but need to make sure it fits okay before I think about pulling anything.
Being this is all new to me I'm still getting to grips with the parts, the more I harness him up I notice different things and different adjustments. Every time I've put the harness on so far I've had to undo the girth as I keep forgetting this ones got a martingale. As I've never even ridden him in a martingale I don't even think about it, till I walk round the front of him and see it dangling. I've attached a couple of other shots I took. Will make some adjustments and then see how we look.
Attachments
They look like they have been stored maybe flattened at some point ( not aimed at you!) I'd just keep bending them outwards till they start to sit in a better position, I have found harness can be variable. My boy was 15hh cob, he fitted a cob harness but some things on last hole, and some things I had to punch holes in as he was quite short backed. His bridle wouldnt fit I had to buy another full size ! yet some full sized fitted the work drivers fine, and cob ones didnt! Theres always lots of tweaking! When its under strain of a carriage you will probabley find a dozen more tweeks!
The crupper does look very loose, it needs to be snug, but not to tight as either extremes can cause rubbing, it might just be the picture to but always make sure its sitting right under the tail with all the hair tucked through, thats another thing that can cause rubbing.
Looking at the back band it dosent actually look tight as in its really really pulling it back to such a degree in those pics but it does in the top it looks very stiff though the saddle and not sitting comfy, Hmmm I would maybe undo everything from the saddle and refit from there. I personally like to use pads under the saddle for general work ( I had the polypad velcro ones, and also for the breast collar) but thats more personal preference, I found it made the saddle sit well on my quite wide backed coblet
The crupper does look very loose, it needs to be snug, but not to tight as either extremes can cause rubbing, it might just be the picture to but always make sure its sitting right under the tail with all the hair tucked through, thats another thing that can cause rubbing.
Looking at the back band it dosent actually look tight as in its really really pulling it back to such a degree in those pics but it does in the top it looks very stiff though the saddle and not sitting comfy, Hmmm I would maybe undo everything from the saddle and refit from there. I personally like to use pads under the saddle for general work ( I had the polypad velcro ones, and also for the breast collar) but thats more personal preference, I found it made the saddle sit well on my quite wide backed coblet
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Are the winker stays on the last hole in the middle of the head. Make them a hole or two longer if you can .
agree with Gimp, you need to shorten the back strap and have the crupper on the middle hole, never have harness on the last hole, if it breaks you have no holes left to get you home in an emergency.
agree with Gimp, you need to shorten the back strap and have the crupper on the middle hole, never have harness on the last hole, if it breaks you have no holes left to get you home in an emergency.
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Thats a very good point Wally I forgot about, that was always drilled into me with harness, a leather hole punch is your best friend !
Thanks for the help. Was going to put it all on to make adjustments this afternoon and got called away to an emergency lambing.
The harness is all new so it hasn't had time to supple up and break in. Its been sitting in a cardboard box on my bedroom floor for 7 months. I bought it, then he bolted on me, wrecked the harness I had on loan. Its taken me till now to get it out and pluck up the courage to get him going again. Since getting it out the box last week its now all hanging.
Im not sure that there is an adjustment for winker stays on this bridle. Will look closely at it though. Its a part I haven't examined in close details.
Thank you for all your help.
The harness is all new so it hasn't had time to supple up and break in. Its been sitting in a cardboard box on my bedroom floor for 7 months. I bought it, then he bolted on me, wrecked the harness I had on loan. Its taken me till now to get it out and pluck up the courage to get him going again. Since getting it out the box last week its now all hanging.
Im not sure that there is an adjustment for winker stays on this bridle. Will look closely at it though. Its a part I haven't examined in close details.
Thank you for all your help.
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