Opinions on this harness

[nightmoves]

Very reasonably priced leather harness I thought it might work for showing my Welsh in the breed shows.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=560106828308%3A302553438&cm_mmc=site_email--new_site_share--core-_-View_photos_button

She sent me this note but I didn’t quite understand what it meant. “The bridle in these photos has the boxings on the outsides of the blinkers. Most people prefer to not have them and I think it gives a cleaner look to the face without them”

I also have a picture she sent me of it on a clients horse but I’m trying to edit the womans face out of the photo before I post it. O.K. here’s the photo of the harness in action with edited photo BTW the harness runs $655 and they make them themselves so I get them to my measurements. I do have an online aquaintence that owns one and is very pleased with it just wanted to get some more opinions. I do plan on getting a beta harness too.

I should ad I want to put it to this cart http://www.countrycarriagesusa.com/images/434_EBONY.jpg and this pony http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/copperhorse/Ponywelshcob.jpg

[China_Doll]

Is the noseband seperate from the bridle? Hard to tell by the pictures but if it is not seperate I would not get it. I tried one that the noseband was sewn into the headstall and the bit layed on the roof of the horses mouth and was not useable.

[Thomas_1]

For some reason I can’t open the link.

However I’m presuming that it means that there’s box keepers. In which case that’s what the best quality harness has.

[nightmoves]

Darn wish you could open the link hopefully everyone else can not just me. I cannot open anything that requires Adobe Flash player in Internet Explorer anymore for some reason so I have to use Firefox for any YouTube and editing on photobucket. I’ve tried repeatedly to download the Adobe updates and my computer freezes up immediately. I have no problems in the Firefox browser.

[Thomas_1]

You could either load the photo onto photobucket or else email it to me if you want and I’d be happy to take a look.

My email address is:

carriage@freeuk.com

[nightmoves]

Thanks Thomas I do have an email from her with a few photos also besides the slideshow so I will send you two of them and see what might work.

[tandem4u]

It’s not bad for the $$ it’s the right type of harness for the carriage and I think the pony will look good in it. Would make a nice turnout!
As Thomas said your friend was saying about the type of keepers on the bridle (box keepers). Not the nicest, but it will work!
Robert

[nightmoves]

Now I atleast understand the BOX KEEPERS. If I would have thought a little harder I might have figured it out. Our Standardbred race bridles used to have them back in the olden days. LOL This wouldn’t be an everyday harness just something for the Welsh shows and I will get biothane/beta for a working harness. Just wanted to make sure it would be nice enough to show in a few shows a year. So given the option is it best to go with the box keeps even if the regular keeps look better?

[goodhors]

I am going to disagree with the others the word meaning box keepers.

Boxings on a bridle for us, means a long, square tube on the cheek beside the blinkers. Was a cheaper method used to secure the ends of crown piece and bit loops quietly on the horse head. Just tucked the ends into the “box” out of sight. Individual square keeper loops were more expensive to put on bridles. Boxing option is common on less expensive bridles, out-of-the box harness, lots of Amish made harness.

I have nothing against a bridle with boxings, they do keep the ends out of sight and neat in appearance. If animal head is short, you may need to trim off the strap ends, so you can fit them into the boxings without a fight.

So snob appeal with KNOWING that loops cost more on a bridle, than a boxing, has many folks paying the extra for loops. Everyone looking at your horse, knows he has the expensive bridle.

I also think I am right because they have boxings in the other photos! If you use it one place, they use them other places too!! I am seeing boxing type keepers for the straps on photos 5 and 7. To me, boxing loops shown, do not match the rest of the leather well. Too shiny, not the same KIND of leather. Perhaps you could request ENTIRE harness made with regular loops for holding straps down. Double loop keepers (two beside each other) are attractive. They may charge extra for this, since individual loops ARE more time consuming to put in than boxings. Your choice.

I have no problem with boxings on the Driving bridle, very common on Smucker’s bridles for several price level of harness. Seeing boxed strap holders on other places, would catch my eye, means this is a less expensive harness. Sorry, probably not what you wanted to hear.

Such harness still would be a safe, sound, totally usable harness. Just not the options I want on my better harness if buying new.

[nightmoves]

I definitely think the regular loop keepers look better.

[tandem4u]

Far from the truth, on box keeper! If you understand harness (real harness) of high quality you see box keepers. A “box” keeper is only one style of keeper! As noted it is one single piece “tube” lol, of leather you tuck your ends in. In good quality harness, box keepers where added as a plus because of the added stiching it took to place them & because of the designs that could be added to the outside of the keepers. Indeed some harness makers would custom carve desings on the outside of the keepers that would tell a story on “each” keeper all the way down the harness.

What has happened to box keepers over the years is that they are no longer stitched on but stapled & stapled quite cheaply, taking away any look of quality for the harness. It’s quite sad really! But like most good things the imatation is never as good as the original.

Robert

[nuts4cowboybutts]

Thanks.

You know, I learn something new every day!

[nightmoves]

Great piece of information. Thanks

[Thomas_1]

I’m totally in agreement with Robert on this one.

[nightmoves]

I understand that part but if you’re purchasing a harness that’s not top of the line wouldn’t it be better to go with the loop keepers that looked good than the boxkeepers if they didn’t?

[tandem4u]

From the photo’s the harness doesn’t look to bad with the type of keepers it has on it. The only part of the harness that takes away the whole look of the harness is the bridle. It’s just typical Amish made. I’m not a fan of Amish harness, even Smucker’s looks horrid if you ask me. The understanding of comfort & fit is just not there on an Amish harness when left to there own design. This harness you show is Amish designed, it will get the job done for what you wanted it for. The price ($655) is “ok” I think your paying for the leather & not the craftsmanship! If it’s leather that you want that harness is of the upper low end of whats out there.

I always tell people to buy the best quality harness they can, where they can! You can buy new, second hand and at auction. It all depends on how much you have to spend & how quickly you need a harness. You can get great deals at an auction if you know what your looking at or have someone with you that does but in the end I’d rather send twice as much money than I wanted & get a quality set of harness that I could pass down to my childern than a lesser quality harness that just does the job.

You can always tell someone who is in driving for the long run, by the quality of harness they end up owning. So buy the best quality you can and think of it as something you could pass down. Theres something special, when your sat behind a horse or two with your grandfathers harness on them, you only get that with quality stuff.

You can look at your harness as “harness” or you can look at your harness as a peice of your history, it’s quite neet if you think of it as history in use.

There is a pair set for harness in England that is of the best quality I have ever seen and I sure I will never see the likes of again. It’s just stunning! Made in 1760-1 of Moroccan leather and stitched by “hand” with the quills from ostrich feathers. Still used today and as good as the day it was finished.

Robert

[nightmoves]

This was the other harness I was considering it’s about $400 more than the other harness. http://www.drivingessentials.com/harness_essential_plus.htm

[tandem4u]

Much nicer bridle! This is a perfect example of the same harness made by Amish design & “english” design. The two harnesses are more or less the same. Both Amish made, the first made for the English market by a Amish harness maker & the second, made by a Amish harness maker but designed by a modern person. I don’t think there $400 dollars worth of difference between them. But as you can see the DE harness looks better to the eye! the open keepers are nicer than the cheap pattern leather box keepers on the other harness & the bridle has some thought behind it! it’s still of the same style, but just “tweeked” here & there to give it a more modern look.

If you ask me, for people the bridle is the most important part of the harness for “looks”! ofcourse the rest of the harness is important for the horse & our safety, But the look of the bridle often “makes” the harness.

Often what you can do if your buying a used or even new harness thats in your price range is buy the harness, but look for a nicer bridle elsewhere to
dress it up a bit.
I wonder if you called Jack from DE and asked how much just the bridle cost, would that save you some $$$ to dress up the first harness? Just a thought!

Another thing I always recommend people to do is call high end harness makers Freedman, Hunt, John McDonald, Keith Luxford and so on and ask if they have any used sets. Most of them do have set taken in on trades that are well below the new price & the added benefit is that you will know for a fact that that harness has been looked over by a good harness maker for soundness.

Robert

[nightmoves]

Thanks Robert I was actually already wondering about upgrading to a different bridle or possibly just getting an extra. That was until I realized that that particular bridle purchased seperately is $375.00 but I can see why the bridle would be a lsrge portion of the cost of a complete harness. I will have to investigate used also I just think he may be hard to fit.

Can anyone recommend another leather pony harness suitable for breed shows that won’t break my wallet. I already have THOUSANDS invested in equipment for my other horse my husband is going to make me get a full-time job soon. Actually I wouldn’t mind but there isn’t much out there for a 48 year old woman that’s only groomed and ridden horses her entire life:(

[Drive_NJ]

sent you a PM