Driving Harness FAQ, Farm/Work Harness, From Chimacum Tack
Just What is a Farm / Work Harness?
Feb
Harness for horses and other work animals are designed to fit the job for which they are intended. They do all share many of the same parts and features but each is adjusted to meet the needs of the work to be done.
Farm/Work Harness
The two pictures here show a pony size farm/work harness and also a standard horse-draft size farm/work harness. They both have the same parts – Bridle, Hames, Traces, Market Strap (used instead of a gig saddle), Bellyband – Girth, Turnback Strap, Breeching, Hip Drops and Tie Straps and Trace Carriers. The pony one is smaller in proportion and un-decorated. The hames are much finer than those of the Horse/Draft harness. Also the horse/draft one has one row of “spots” for ornamentation.
Pulling Harness has the same parts and functions like these work harness except that pulling harnesses are more heavily built and reinforced, designed to handle excessive amounts of weight.
Logging Harness
The picture below shows a Logging Harness. Since it is shown in use you can see the collar as well as the hames and you’ll notice that there is no breeching. Instead there is a longer hip strap attached to a “lazy strap” which holds the traces up out of the way allowing the animal to pull logs without being caught up in the traces. You can’t see in this picture that the harness has a backstrap and crupper which is needed to keep the market strap in place. The crupper is not needed generally on the regular farm style harness which is used to attach the animal to a tool or a vehicle.
The collar and hames are heavy duty on the logging harness to handle the heavy load of dragging logs.
Plow Harness
A Plow Harness looks very much the same because it’s job is also to pull something very low to the ground.
The goal of any work harness…
is to make the work safe and comfortable for the animal involved. Below are pictures of a work donkey in Kenya. We made harness specifically for the size and type of work commonly done in that area with donkeys. It was designed so that the harness could be easily copied and made by local craftsmen in hopes that more work animals could work in comfort.
Our goal has always been happy animals and educated owners. If you have something you need that is more custom don’t hesitate to give us a call! We will help get you set up.
Hello I’m Mick
I need some ‘hames straps’ I don’t use them they are mounted for decoration say’
They are approx. 26″ from top to bottom and the strap connecting points are about 12” apart, ‘I see all the different sizes on your chart I’d say medium or cobb size but you may know from the measurements I’ve quoted at least I hope so.
Kind regs’- Mick
Hi Mick! How big is the hole the straps will thread through on the top of the hames and at the bottom? That will help us decide what size hames straps you will need.
Thanks so much! Mindy~
We are looking for a harness that can be used multipurpose, logging, plowing, pretty much anything on a farm. Could you send me some options and pricing?
Yes I will email you a harness or two that will work for your needs! Thank you so much, Mindy~