harness style education

Off the top of my head, the only online harness type references I can think of are on harness makers’ web sites. Samson Harness has some nice illustrations of harnesses and harness parts. Although some of the line drawings are small enough that it can be tough to pick out the nuances unless you already know roughly what it is you’re looking at. I’d recommend downloading his catalog and saving it on your computer. It is a nice handy reference.

http://www.samsonharness.com/publications/catalog-hi.pdf

Looking forward to hearing what other people have to recommend as well…

I’ve used both the box type and the Yankee or Mormon brichen. The theory behind the Yankee style is to bear weight on a down slope or when backing on the top of the hips. The box brichen does the same just under the pin bones down on the rear quarters. I mainly use the box brichen because it’s what I have most of. If properly adjusted it’s a good brake system. If it’s too low or high and quarter straps/pole strap too long it will pull down on your horses neck instead, bearing weight on the top of the collar.
I had to learn this having about 100 ton of hay to haul down my dougway most years. Bringing a ton to a ton and a half off there on a wagon with no brakes will school you.
My cousin and uncle stifled a horse with their harness out of adjustment. Shoved him hard enough down the hill with too big a load and ill adjusted harness.

Type in (Neil Dimmock harness) at you tube or go to the link. I took my lead from his videos. He has many in you tube but the link will take you to the first one that covers harnessing and adjustment. About what J L said but shows and explains step by step.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU2FftmwWMM

@Kenneth F 37124 wrote:

Very interesting videos

That is what I thought. Me being totaly green with team harnessing I have watched those videos several time and pick up something I somehow missed on the viewing of them before. After watching the videos I have found the team harness I purchased was not compleat and have made the missing straps/parts.

@J-L 37148 wrote:

His harness is different than mine. My tugs are solid from the hames back to the tug chains, where his go to a ring first. Never saw any like that. More similar to a D ring style.

My tugs hook to the hames as well but I do kinda understand his saying to pull at a direct 90 degrees off the collar. His style would do that. Not sure how important but for heavy pulling I can see how it would help.

@grey 37154 wrote:

It is very important for anything but the lightest of wheeled vehicles. The traces should pull from the hames at a 90 degree angle. To do otherwise will – at the very least – make the horse work less efficiently. At the worst, you will injure the horse.

I would guess that Neil Dimmock has that type is because of his heavy wagons where the double tree is quite high. To pull at 90 degrees the double tree would have to be just above the horses heels. Am I correct my thinking?