work horse help

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hi all i have a bel/quater horse and would like to haul manure from the barn to the garden. I dont have the money for an expensive harness etc. I was hoping someone might know a good pattern to make one also i ride with a halter and 2 dog leashes as a bridle if anyone knows of a neat plan to make a home made one pleas e let me know thnx thnx thnx thnx

-- inga klaus (miloo@telus.net), April 21, 2002

Answers

I have seen my Grandfather use his horses (in the 50's)to pull light loads using only a horse collar and straps. He led the horse, did not ride.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), April 21, 2002.

Might get some helpful information from these sites:

Harness Measuring Chart, http://www.carriage-driving.com/harness01.htm is at the bottom of this site.

Harness Parts & Diagram, http://www.heavyhorses.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/harnessguide.htm

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 21, 2002.


A collar and chains would be okay for pulling a stone boat or other dragged object like a log, but not a wheeled vehicle like a manure spreader. The butt strap and harness, along with the shafts of the vehicle are what helps the horse hold back the load. Withou them, going downhill, there will be no way for the horse to control the load and the vehicle will run up on him. If there is an Amish community near you, look for farm auctions in that area. I've seen serviceable harness go for $150 or so. If there is a sale barn near you, watch for the horse sales. Around here, they usually have one every month or so and usually sell tack pretty cheap. You could pick up bridles and reins there or watch the papers for barn sales in the country.

-- Deb Foster (DFoster987@aol.com), April 22, 2002.

Finding used tack is a great way to cust costs. However be extremely careful that whatever you buy fits your horse correctly. The money you save on a piece of equipment which doesn't fit properly will not be worth the troubble of a horse who gets nasty and sour from soreness or worse yet needs to be layed up. The best advice I can give you is to either buy from someone who will let you try out the equipment and return it if it doesn't work, or even trailer your horse to the tack sale. This will give yu a chance to actualy try it on and be SURE that it fits well. I used to have an arab who was absolutely impossible to fit a saddle to. I brought three saddles home from the tack shop (1 and 1/2 hour drive each way) before I just gave in and paid a friend to trailer her to the shop. I had to try 10 more saddles on her in the parking lot before I found the right one. This might sound like more troubble than it's worth but the change in her attitude once I got a propper saddle on her was definitely worth it. In short, do whatever it takes to get tack that FITS.

-- Erika (misserika129@hotmail.com), April 22, 2002.

I definitely think you should invest in a new collar that is fitted to the horse at least. The rest of the harness CAN be cobbled together nebraska farmboy style if you must. There is at least one Peace Corps publication on animal traction that goes into harness construction on the (extremely) cheap. The previous posts are correct in that you MUST have a britchen on the harness to brake the load with on a wheeled implement. To make something stong enough is a lot of work with big pieces of leather or webbing. You don't want to skimp on harness strength cause nothing wrecks a work horse like a really intense runaway and when harness breaks you get runaways.

-- Tim Springston (springston77@yahoo.com), April 22, 2002.


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