Driving my welsh sec a

Jazzyb

Jazzyb

New Member
Jul 25, 2007
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Hi All

I am just starting to break my little 12hh welsh sec a to dirve and just have a few questions.

* What size harness will he need? He has to have a shetland bridle as he has a very little head but is quite big in the body, I have put a pic below for you to look at.

* How much weight will he be able to pull?

harleyb-1.jpg


Any other advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
x
 
Harness size is a hard one, I would expect Pony size (maybe with a Shetland bridle as you say) but thats a guess as they vary so much. Once fit he should happily pull two adults over any reasonable distance, and not necessarily light adults, I would expect him to manage two normal sized adults over a good distance with no problems, and two large adults over a short distance until he gets fitter and then a longer one. My distances are not stingey, I am talking 14 miles or so as a 'good distance'! My single shetlands used to manage 17 miles or so easily almost all in trot with two light adults up once they were fit.

He'll look nice in harness, he is a nice chunky traditional chap :)
 
I had a ride and drive 11.2 Welsh section A (slighter build than yours) who was fine with myself and daughter tooteling all over the place, he loved to be out and about. We had a lightweight framed trap for him and he seemed fine. As to harness we had very small pony bridle and pony harness.
 
Fab thanks guys, I cant wait to get him in a cart, ive just bought a small exercise cart which is quite light so hopefully that will be ok for him.

Harley loves being out and about although he has taken to be scared of cows, he is such a funny little chap he stops and spreads his legs everywhere when he sees them. So I am taking him out in hand on the roads and country lanes to get him used to them as we have a lot round our way.

I wanted to buy the synthetic harness from ebay its £50 and black with purple binding, (as im going to paint the cart black with purple seats) but didnt know whether to get shetland or pony. Does anyone know if these harnesses are any good?

Thanks
 
From my experience a standard pony size harness will be slightly too big for my 12.2hh chunky Sec B (I've had to add holes) and I am looking for a shetland size for my 11.2hh Welsh Mountain mare.

I did get a set of the black and red mini harness for my mini, although not from ebay but it is also sold on ebay, and I had to get the belly band adjusted smaller to fit him. The bridle fits him like a glove. He's 32".

Harley looks a cutie, much the same shape as my welsh mountain mare.
 
can i just say i really like your sec A he is a very nice type and well marked

i found the pony harnesses fitted our sec A s fine but the used to take the noseband off as it was huge on the leather harness.The synthetic harnesses are a lot lighter and have many holes for adjustment.a little 2 wheel exercise cart would be ideal for him there are loads for sale on the internet
 
Dinsarsio said:
can i just say i really like your sec A he is a very nice type and well marked
Click to expand...

Ah thank you, I love him to pieces, I only bought him in June as a project to sell on in the summer, but have fallen in love with the little man and can not bear to part with him. :)

Ive just bought the cart from a friend for £80.00 it is a lovely cart but just needs a little bit of painting and tlc.
Is that a good price for a cart, I looked on internet and couldnt see any nice ones much cheaper.
x
 
Welsh A's are excellent driving ponies, they can handle two adults with ease, a friend does RDA with hers and they cope with a wheelchair vehicle and rwo adults plus the wheelchair.

They are willing little fellows generally. Yours, in particular looks well suited for the job.

Harness size is a pain, some BIG Shetlands of mine are either dorwned by Shetland size or you cannot squish them into it.

Folk like Libby's will make you harness to fit at a very reasonable cost.
 
Dinsarsio said:
yes very good price.Have you thought about showing your little man?
Click to expand...

Yep I showed him last year but only went to 1 local show and he came third. Which I was very proud of and he was so well behaved considering he had only been gelded for 2 months. :)
He looks so different in the summer to winter, ive put a pic below of him in his summer coat. He looks like a different pony lol.


Harleydd.jpg
 
Hi, nice pony ! I also plan to break my section A, I measured him for harness, he has a small head. I measured him in various places, i;e bit to bit over poll, noseband, girth, back, I then e-mailed the sellers , the lady was very helpful and measured the harnesses she had for me, turns out he was Shetland !
Pony size is such a wide range, some headcollars swamp him, some are fine.
I would measure him , it worked for me xx:)
 
Your pony is a stunner! I'm not a huge fan of sec As but I love him!! You are very lucky.
I'm sure he will look amazing in a little carriage.
If you can afford it try to go for either Libby's or Tedex harness - both will chop and change bits and pieces for you to get an exact fit. And decent fitting harness makes their job so much easier. I'm sure you will find a good re-sell market if you wish to sell it second hand (for when you upgrade to good leather harness for the showring!!! ;) )
 
What a pretty pony! I have a 11.2hh Sec A ride/drive pony on loan. Ben is a very similar type to your pony. He has a small head (pony headcollars swamp him), but a chunky body (takes a 4'9" rug). I have got 2 sets of harness for him - both pony. The leather 'mix and match' set from his owners (they were very kind to go through their loft and put together a set that fits him), which still had to have extra holes put in the traces - and a black/purple synthetic cheapy set from Ebay. This had to have extra holes put in all over, but is nice quality for the price and everyone comments on how smart it looks :) Much lighter than the leather, and no need to spend hours cleaning it :p However, the bridle is not a brilliant fit - and I now use the leather bridle from the other set. Looking to get a Shetland or Small Pony synthetic bridle separately - but hoping to get him going bitless when he is back in work (being rested now, as he has just had his shoes off and is very sore in his poor quality feet).

Nice to hear that Ben could cope with 2 'normal' adults when fit. I was warning all my possible grooms that they may need to get out on steep hills!

Ali xx
 
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