Educational Articles - Horse Harness

Harness Selection, Fit, and Care

For my undergrad degree, I had a three-credit course in Ergonomics, which the Cambridge Dictionary describes as the study "relating to the design of furniture or equipment which makes it comfortable and effective for people who use it."  This class caused me to seriously evaluate how our driving horses use their equipment, or more specifically, the harness. 

Here is our collection of articles we have authored addressing how to choose a harness, what styles are available for a particular driving sport, harness fit, and maintaining your harness.

Harness Selection

Leather or Synthetic Harness? - Which material would best suit your needs

Beta vs. Biothane? - Explaining synthetic materials

Brass or Stainless? - Which metal should you have on your harness

Selecting a Harness - Points to consider...based on our experience

Don't Buy This Harness! - Educational blog on cheap leather harnesses

Styles of Harness - Which style of harness would best suit your needs

Shaft Tugs - Types and use

Carriage Driving Reins - History and selection of reins

Harness Purchase & Care - PowerPoint PDF, Given at the 2018 Midwest Horse Fair

Measure a Horse for a Harness - How to measure your horse for a new harness

Harness Measuring Mistakes - Typical measuring mistakes

Measure Horse Harness Parts - How to measure to match your parts

Convert Your Harness for a Marathon Vehicle - What parts you need

Harness Fit

Ergonomics of Harness Fit - Presentation given for the 2021 ADS Annual Meeting

Driving Saddle Placement - Where the saddle should be placed on the back

Saddle Gullet Clearance - Importance of space for the spine

Bridle Gullet Strap - What is it and why do I need one?

Our Harness Fitting Mistakes - The first educational article in the blog series "We've Made All the Mistakes So You Don't Have To"

Why We Love the Mid V Breast Collar - Educational blog post

Harness Maintenance

Leather Harness Maintenance & Detailing - Cleaning your leather harness

Synthetic Harness Maintenance & Detailing - Cleaning your synthetic harness

Storing Your Harness - Properly storing your harness

Harness & Vehicle Care Mistakes - 2nd post in the blog series "We've Made All the Mistakes..."

American Driving Society Videos & Resources

Harness Parts Poster - learn your parts of a horse harness

Harness Fit & Adjustment - how-to video with Dana Bright

Harnessing and Putting to with a Marathon Vehicle - how-to video with Dana Bright

Harness, Bits, and More - webinar with Jeff Morse

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