Pairing different sizes

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  • April 10, 2011 at 12:32 pm #42576
    TimB
    Member

    I’m looking into getting a horse that is a bit smaller than the ones that I already have. I was hoping to get people’s opinions on pairing horses that are different sizes… Let’s say an 18 hand and a 16 hand horse.

    Is there any reason not to pair them as a team, and if not, why not?

    If they are paired, is there anything to consider or pay attention to that would be different compared to the pairing of an “evenly” sized team (i.e. any adjustments you would make or things you’d want to keep an eye on)?

    Anything else to say on the topic?

    April 10, 2011 at 2:08 pm #66505
    Does’ Leap
    Participant

    Tim:

    I have not had problems pairing horses of different sizes. Here is a picture of with two horses with a 2 hand size difference.

    Jack%20and%20scoot%20030.jpg

    One thing that needs attention is line adjustment. If your cross checks both go through the hame ring on each horse you are essentially shortening the line to the shorter horse b/c it has a longer distance to travel (i.e. it goes higher to the hame ring on the taller horse and then lower to the bit on the shorter horse). Left unattended, you might see the shorter horse driving with the head to the inside. To combat this, I used a drop ring from the hame on the taller horse and went directly on the hame ring to the shorter horse. Even with this adjustment, you might need to make differential adjustments to the cross checks if they are not driving straight ahead (heads tweaked outward or inward).

    I also paid attention to making sure their heads were equal when adjusting the trace chains. I made notes on each piece of equipment on how many links to drop. Unlike horses of similar size, there is length difference between the horses and therefore the number of links you drop is different.

    Lastly, I kept a twitch with me. A little tap above the tail when needed got them in the habit of driving even.

    Good luck.

    George

    April 10, 2011 at 9:58 pm #66508
    TaylorJohnson
    Participant

    I drove a Fjord horse with a Belgian for about a year out of pure necessity . It worked OK but there was some adjustments in lines and evener. The fjord was also a rammy little guy so I rigged an addition line on him that was not on my big horse for extra stopping power when needed. It was actually fun at times and I got some crazy looks . I also think that there are some different size horses that are actually matched well as far as moving goes. I will try and find pics of these to rigged up together . Taylor Johnson

    April 11, 2011 at 12:52 am #66509
    Pete
    Participant

    Why would you drop a link or two on a horse not the same size as the other that does not make sense at all?

    April 11, 2011 at 9:58 am #66504
    Does’ Leap
    Participant

    Pete, I am certainly no expert, but if two horses of different lengths are nose to nose the shorter (we are talking length) is further away from the evener necessitating more links to be dropped (i.e. s/he is a greater distance from the evener). In fact, when I work my halflinger with one of my bay drafts the difference was so great (pushing 3 hands) I had to lengthen the trace chains on the harness to get them hooked evenly.

    George

    April 11, 2011 at 10:20 am #66506
    Does’ Leap
    Participant

    In the two previous posts I mentioned lining there heads up and making sure they are “nose to nose”. This is incorrect (in my mind, at least). What I did is make sure the collars are even and then made the trace chain adjustments from there.

    George

    April 11, 2011 at 12:21 pm #66510
    Pete
    Participant

    If the collars are even & the traces are the same length there would be no need to drop a link.

    April 11, 2011 at 1:37 pm #66507
    Does’ Leap
    Participant

    The front tug or trace on the smaller horse is shorter than that of the larger horse b/c it is a smaller harness. This differnce in length needs to made up by lengthening the trace chain on the smaller horse, no?

    George

    April 11, 2011 at 2:00 pm #66511
    blue80
    Participant

    I would agree George, there is a need to lengthen one set or shorten the other set so they are equal length hames to doubletree. Shortening is easier, but whether you lengthen or shorten is decided largely on what will be done to the line of draft….

    I have a few different sizes of harness, so I measure/keep in mind the hames to chain end dimension on each set. The tugs get set on both horses so they are equal, as the height difference in my horses is within a hand.
    Any adjustment to get alignment is done is now with the lines.

    Bowers and Steward book “Farming with Horses” explains this the best I’ve seen, with regards to longitudinal and lateral alignment. Pictures and diagrams…. The hames to doubletree length of tugs gets set the same, if one horse is longer in the body it just sticks farther back. If one head reaches farther forward, BOTH cross checks get adjusted. Keep in mind that working conditions of the horses heads can be different than standing conditions.
    So ideally, evener is perpendicular to the tongue, horses bodies are parallel, and spaced in the center of the doubletree/neck yoke arena and heads are straight as well; thus providing the most effective bit contact and draft efficiency. In an ideal world.

    I look at pictures taken from the side when I am working to let me know how much a given horse is flexing their necks and therefore a better idea of how my lines should be adjusted. I’ve started working 3 and 4 abreast and it is fun to tweak the lines and see them working straighter, without making rocket science out of it….

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