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Hello Vermonters. I'm Joe Worley, your podcast host.

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And today

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I'm going to cover harness shopping.

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What types are on the market, what to look for, what to avoid,

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and what you can expect to pay.

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Let's get started.

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is the Brabant Bulletin

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brought to you by the European Brabant

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Registry of America, where people, passion

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and preservation

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are our mission. Many European Brabant owners

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who are working their horse and harness

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are well versed in the myriad of styles

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and types on the market

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and have their horses

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fitted and kitted by now.

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For those who are new to the breed

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or harness work or both.

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Harness

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shopping and selection can be daunting.

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Full disclosure I'm no harness expert.

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My friends at the EBRA put together

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this no frills fundamental podcast

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to help simplify

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your first time harness selection process.

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Purchasing a harness

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for your horse can be overwhelming,

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especially when you don't know what

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to look for or how much to pay for it.

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So let's start with the materials. So, do you want nylon, leather,

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or synthetic harness?

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Nylon harnesses are virtually incomparable

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to leather and other synthetic harnesses.

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Typical nylon harnesses

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tend to be cheaper and construction

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more likely to wear quicker than good

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leather or synthetic

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and be more apt to rub the horse.

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So we're just going to skim, ride

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over nylon and focus on leather

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and other synthetic harness options.

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Leather is the most traditional harness

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making material

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that's valued in the show ring,

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especially at upper level competitions.

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Most leather harnesses can be upgraded

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with raised or rolled leather

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and double stitching embellishments, too,

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for a little pizzazz.

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I like pizzazz. One of the benefits of a leather

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harness is longevity.

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With proper care and condition,

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it'll last you indefinitely.

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Plus, most scratches can be buffed out

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or concealed with leather dye.

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But the downside of leather is

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that it needs to be conditioned regularly,

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and it's generally more expensive

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than synthetic harnesses.

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Speaking of synthetics, when people talk

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about synthetic harnesses,

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many of them refer to that harness

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as being BioThane.

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Many people also have opinions

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as to BioThane being better than leather,

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BioThane being stiff in the winter,

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BioThane being shiny, etc..

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Sometimes people use the term

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Beta or Beta.

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They think that Beta is a matte material

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that's softer and more desirable

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than BioThane. Just for clarity here, dear Brabanters,

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not all synthetic harnesses

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are BioThane or Beta,

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but all BioThane harnesses are synthetic.

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Confused. Me too. Thankfully, I've got a script

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in front of me that explains it.

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So let me try to clear things up

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using that.

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The first BioThane products

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used for making horseback

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had a shiny finish

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and were referred to as BioThane.

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Eventually, a matte finish version

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was introduced and was called Beta.

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Over time, BioThane became the leader

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in synthetic materials

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and the brand name became generalized,

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much like Kleenex for face

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tissues, a Xerox for paper copies

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and Band-Aids for adhesive bandages.

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Essentially, the brand became synonymous

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with all synthetic materials.

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But beware,

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there are more synthetic manufacturers

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out there than just BioThane

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that you need to be aware of

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and what you're getting buying

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when harness shopping.

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Not all harness makers use BioThane,

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and not all synthetic materials are equal.

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Some brands are more rubbery,

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plasticky, stiffer, flimsier.

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And don't forget,

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Beta is a BioThane product.

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BioThane can be shiny

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or matte as well as stiff or soft.

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Whether you choose leather or synthetic,

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be sure to pay attention

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to how it's constructed. Craftsmanship is everything.

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There should be no sharp edges, prickly

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stitches, or flat strapping.

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A good harness should be rolled material

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where the weight

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bearing areas of the harness sit

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against the horse.

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The comfort of your horse should be

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considered when shopping for harnesses.

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A good harness should be constructed

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with adequate built in padding.

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And even though harness pads can be added

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in, a well-built harness should require

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much extra padding at all. So now let's talk about harness saddles.

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Most harnesses are made with saddles

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that concentrate pressure over the back

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of the horse. There are now some new styles of saddles

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that distribute the weight of the vehicle

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over a greater surface area

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on the horse's back and down their sides.

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For those of you who plan to drive a two

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wheeled vehicle, this is very important.

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Many cheap harnesses have saddles

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that do not have a tree or any structure

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for support, and the saddles often

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sit directly on the spine

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with no goal clearance. Some synthetic harness saddles

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like those found on

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many marathon style

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harnesses do not have trees,

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but still provide gulletted spine

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clearance with built in padding.

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Now let's talk about breast pull style

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harnesses.

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The breast collar style

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also referred to as the pleasure or buggy

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type harness has a broad strap

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that runs across the horse's breast. It's

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best suited for cart and or buggy pleasure

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driving and some light draft work.

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A marathon style breast

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color has a contoured U or V-shape.

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I think if you turn that upside down and made a W,

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it might work on camels too.

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But that's a different podcast.

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The traditional straight line breast

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collars can lay across the windpipe,

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cutting off the horse's air while a gentle U-shape

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or deep V-shaped breast collar dips

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in the center and provides room

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for the horse to breathe.

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Also, when fitted to clear the windpipe,

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the straight line breast

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collar sits across the shoulder

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and restricts the horse's movement,

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while the you and V-shaped breast collar

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allows freer movement.

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Some breast colors are narrow for either

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a more refined look for the show

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ring or to fit in between the windpipe

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and the point of the shoulder.

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The more narrow the breast collar, the

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less surface for the horse to push into.

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A narrow bearing surface can be tolerable

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when pulling very light loads,

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but can be uncomfortable and even painful when pulling heavier

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vehicles and passengers.

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So when you're shopping, be on the lookout

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for wider breast collars with a deep U.

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Or V-shape that provides your horse

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breathing room., free shoulder movement,

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and maximum surface area for pushing.

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An entry level synthetic straight line

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breast collar harness can run as low as

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$400 for a quality V-shaped breast collar

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harness with all the bells and whistles.

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You can spend 1200 dollars or more.

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Again, you do get what you pay for.

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Most higher end harnesses will be made

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with the best materials

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or by the hands of knowledgeable

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craftsmanship

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with the horses, comfort

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and driver safety in mind.

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Ever wonder if you're pronouncing Brabant, Brabant,

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Brabant, Brabant!

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Build balderdash. Right. Me too. Hi, it's Joe here.

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And I'm here to tell you that no matter

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how you say it,

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the Brabant is the best horse

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on the planet.

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To learn more about this incredible draft

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horse breed, visit EuropeanBrababant.com,

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and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter

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while you're there.

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Again, that's EuropeanBrabant.com.

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And now back to the show.

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BOP, bop, pow.

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Now let's dive a little deeper

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into the various parts of the breast

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pull harness and what you should be

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looking out for when shopping for one.

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Cheaper

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harnesses have single neck and hip straps

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that do not provide the breast collar

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or breaching the support it needs.

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Often those single straps

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lead to sagging breast collars

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and breaching that shift out of place.

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A good quality breast

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pull harness will have split straps

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with two points of connection

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on the breast collar and the breaching

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that provides better support

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and keeps them in proper position.

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Now the bridle, which is arguably

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the most important part of the harness

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and therefore should fit correctly

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and be comfortable for the horse.

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An ill fitting uncomfortable bridle

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was akin to a lousy fitting hat or shoes.

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Blinkers or blinders

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should have structural

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stays that

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keep the blinkers off the horse's eyes.

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A lot of cheap harness bridles

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close in on the horse's eyes,

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making it very uncomfortable

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for the horse and unsafe for the driver.

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Other bridle features can be included

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to provide more comfort for your horse.

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A shaped crown can fit more comfortably

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around the horse's ears.

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A double buckle nose band

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with a padded jaw strap

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avoids the single buckle,

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digging into the jawbones.

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A rolled throat latch has a smooth feel

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that lays comfortably

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in the throat of the horse. There

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are other safety and convenient features

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to consider in a harness.

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Do regular tongued buckles are superior to

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Conway buckles for harness construction.

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Conway buckles are very inexpensive

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to use in the construction of the harness.

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However,

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not only are they difficult to adjust,

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they are also virtually impossible

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to release in an emergency.

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Regular tongued buckles are much easier

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to adjust and much safer to use.

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If you're going to buy a breast pull style

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harness, be sure to shop

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for the type where the traces buckle

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into the breast collar.

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This kind allows greater

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adjustment of the traces

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as opposed to the kind where the traces

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are sewn into the breast collar.

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More importantly, the buckle traces provide

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another way to get a downed horse

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out of the vehicle quickly

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by buckling the trace at the breast collar, you can avoid the thrashing

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hind legs of the horse in distress.

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Seek out a harness that has open tugs

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with an over girth to hold the shafts

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from flipping up and allow the vehicle

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shafts to rest lightly in the tugs.

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Some harnesses have wrap straps instead

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which transfer vehicle motion

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to the horse.

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Functional? Yes. Ideal. Maybe not.

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Be sure to keep in mind what type of vehicle you'll be hitching to

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when selecting your harness.

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If you use both traditional and marathon

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vehicles, dual ended traces are able

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to be used with both a regular slot

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or hook and single tree,

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as well as with quick release snap

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shackles on a marathon type single tree.

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Now, for those of you

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who want to do some heavier pulling,

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you'll want the collar and hames style

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harness.

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It's a great all purpose harness

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that will help your horse draft

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heavier loads,

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plow fields and pull a range of vehicles,

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a well-made entry level collar and hames

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single draft harness

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made with synthetic materials

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or run $650 or more.

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New plus the collar for somewhere

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between 250 to 400.

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And that sold separately and a set of driving line

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for around 60 bucks

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and some hold back straps for roughly $30.

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You add in a 64 ounce

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quick trip, Big Gulp.

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You're spending real money there. And that's sold separately too.

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And if you want to hitch to a pleasure vehicle, you'll need to buy a set of shaft

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loops for your cart.

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Now run you $65.

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And that's also sold separately.

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Now, if you want a fancy parade harness

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with all the bobbles,

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you can expect to pay upwards of $3,000

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for just one harness.

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So let's pause

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a moment, talk about collars.

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You'll have to pick a collar

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based off the shape of your horse's neck.

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There are three main shapes. The full face type is more padded

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and best suited for juvenile draft horses

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with narrow still growing necks who are

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just beginning ground harness training.

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Then there's the Half Sweeney,

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which fits the most draft

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mares and geldings with thick

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but not too cresty necks.

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And finally, the full Sweeney,

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which is geared towards

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the heavily crested stallions

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and beefy necked horses.

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There is also the Sweeney Todd,

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a show on Broadway

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and an award winning movie

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starring Johnny Depp.

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For the first time

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harness buyers out there.

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Think about what you want to accomplish

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with your horse.

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Do you want to hitch them to a buggy

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and trot on down the road?

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If that's the case, a simple, well-made breast collar style

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harness will do you just fine.

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If you want to do pleasure

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driving and dabble around with a fore cart

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and implements. Then you're better off just investing

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in a solid color and a hames style harness

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as you prepare to buy your harness. Remember that size

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and fitting is important.

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The harness must fit the horse correctly,

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or it could cause discomfort,

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rubbing or even injury. Likewise, the size of the harness will

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depend on the horse's weight and height.

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If you're uncertain about measurements,

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ask your horse.

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Most vendors also have a sizing guide

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before adding that seemingly fancy harness

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to your shopping cart.

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Remember that bling on a harness

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does not make it better.

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There are plenty of cheaply made harnesses

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with fancy baubles.

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Always choose a well-made, plain harness

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over a cheaply made, fancy one.

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Quality materials and construction

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should always be selected

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over all else

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before you click that buy button.

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Also, remember that a bad harness

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can cause major discomfort for your horse,

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and in a worst case

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scenario, may lead to an accident.

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At the risk of sounding dramatic,

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I'll say this

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You may save a buck at a checkout

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on that cheap harness,

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but you may pay for that bargain

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with your life.

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So why take any chances?

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If you're not sure whether the harness

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you want to buy is good or not,

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jump on the EBRA Forum

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and ask your fellow Brabanters..

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After all, we're a community

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that's here to help each other.

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All right Brabanters we want to

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see you and your horses

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all hitched up and driving around.

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So be sure to send your photos and videos

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to [email protected].

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And if you haven't already subscribed to the Brabant bulletin,

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be sure to do that now.

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I'll be back again soon. Until then, don't forget that to ride

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a Brabant is to fly without wings.