hitching 3 or 4 abreast question.

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  • March 29, 2013 at 1:59 pm #78080
    PeytonM
    Participant

    Well I’m happy to say I added another team of belgians to the barn her, a team of  to be 7 year old’s mare gelding team. now I have questions about running abreast now that I have enough horses to be able to. from my understandings the out side horse on each side runs just like the team normally would have it but the middle horses would have a short lines that would clip on the bit and go to the ring that the line normally goes through had has a snap on it or buckle on it. I just dont know what horse I want in the middle and if people use a shaft set up in a way to make the run the middle of the wagon or cart. I know people run then off set on a pole but i didnt know how you would center them.

    March 29, 2013 at 2:15 pm #78081
    mitchmaine
    Participant

    hi peyton, not sure if this is what you are saying, but the center horse gets both cross lines to her bit. the outside horses get the outside line to the outside of their bits. the checklines go from the top hame ring on each side of the center horse to the inside bits of the outside horses. when you swing either way the center horse puts pressure on the last horse to make the turn with that checkline. in other words, imagine taking your team in harness, unhooking the crosslines and putting the third horse in between them. hooking those crosslines up to the center horses bridle, and hooking checklines from the center horse out to the insides of the two outside horses.

    March 29, 2013 at 4:05 pm #78082
    dominiquer60
    Moderator

    With a single pole, most commonly you only have 2 on the pole with a regular yoke and backing power, the 3rd horse is there for forward power.  For a plow this works fine, but if you want 3 to hold a load down a hill you may want shafts or some other alternative set up.

     

    This is the first photo that I have been able to post in ages, Thanks Gabe!

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    March 30, 2013 at 10:11 am #78095
    j.l.holt
    Participant

    One of the people I know who hitches four.  had a set of lines made up so it has extra  side lines. This way he says every horse is hooked to his hands when he is trying to back a load.

    Another I know has it set to drive the left three when turning left, the very right hand horse is led with a short check strap.   Same way in reverse for turning right.

    March 30, 2013 at 10:16 pm #78115
    PeytonM
    Participant

    Dom, I’ve seen that and the 4 abreast with the middle 2 on pole and one on out sides, I have 4 horses now both are normally only teamed with their mate. I haven’t tried to mix them on a hitch. I just really dont know what horse should go where. say on 4 abreast should i go a team on the right and team on left or should i have team split and team in the middle on the pole like normal? the only thing I have where I would hook 3 or 4 is a plow. and I don’t have a very big spot to plow.  I guess I’ll know more this spring cause a friend of mine said he would show me with his team. I just want to have an Idea before hand.

    March 31, 2013 at 2:10 am #78119
    j.l.holt
    Participant

    You’ve got now until spring to hitch and see what happens.  Hook a team to the pole and split the other one. Trade them around, see how they feel about where they are at.  You might have it all figured out by spring !

    March 31, 2013 at 8:29 am #78129
    PeytonM
    Participant

    how long are the short lines that clip on the hame ring? Im gonna make them out of nylon

    March 31, 2013 at 7:35 pm #78144
    dominiquer60
    Moderator

    When we hitch 4 we put a team on the pole and split another team with each of the split team going to their respected side.  For example Dylan is the near horse and Sam the off horse, Dylan goes on the near side of the pole team and Sam on the off side of the pole team.  We can switch them up but, we find this works the best for us.  On the picture above with 3 we have the black mares with Sam on the off side of them.  Each horse has something that they are really good at, that Sam horse will follow a window, furrow or crop row and stick to it, even if father falls asleep raking hay 🙂

    April 1, 2013 at 2:17 pm #78153
    mitchmaine
    Participant

    hi peyton,

    i think 38″ is the standard for that check, but make yours adjustable. a wider yoke stretches them out and the check has to too.

    there are other options. you could also make up a full set of lines by adding a ten foot cross that goes to the outside horse. that way everyone has a line from driver to bit.

    or, you could drive the team with lines and put the third horse (outside) on a jockey stick. a solid stick or peice of tube that hooks the bit of the jockey horse to the lower hame ring of their neighbor.

    all work well depending on your needs

    April 1, 2013 at 5:40 pm #78161
    PeytonM
    Participant

    now my next question, I have a harness that uses a martingale and a harness thats a twin neck yoke would I be able to use both those harnesses in a abreast hitch?

    April 1, 2013 at 11:04 pm #78177
    carl ny
    Participant

    Sure,your outside horse or horses don’t use a yoke,unless your middle horse is in shafts.Look at the pic. in Dominiquer60’s post above. I’m guessing that by “twin neck yoke” you are talking about a yoke with jockey/baby yokes(looks kinda like an evener).

    carl ny

    April 2, 2013 at 10:42 am #78189
    dominiquer60
    Moderator

    Depending on the task we use our D-ring harness with jockey yokes, but for others we attach a belly backer set up.  As long as the 2 on the pole are the same and your rigging is safe and secure you should be fine using both.

     

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