D-Ring

[LStone]

HI guys,

I am starting a new D-Ring thread because I don’t want to hijack the other D-ring thread started by DraftDriver. I am turning into a big fan of the D-ring as well I have used it with my bigguns for 4 years now. Although I am learning, I think I am starting to understand the principles behind the design and I am starting to get the hang of adjustments. I think that the benefit would be greatest on a pole with a load such as an arch or even ground skidding. But even if the pole weight is only 30-50 lbs as on a wagon pole isn’t it still 30-50 pounds that is not their neck if properly adjusted? With me it seems to be just degrees of benefit with using this harness.

Mitch, to your point about the breast snaps of a belly backer getting caught up in bridle / halter I can see that. But I also had a problem this summer with my D-ring “Jack Strap snaphooks” (there are 4 for 4 times the potential for trouble) getting caught in my mare’s mouth hooking on her lower jaw somehow she got her teeth caught in there. After the fact everything turned out ok with no lasting effects. I am sure we lucked out with that incident and things could have turned out terrible but didn’t. I know the value of a horse standing still and not playing with there head in harness and we are trying to work to that, but it is what it is presently. I run with the hooks turned in on the jockey yokes, but I tape them up since that happened. Has anyone ever had this problem? if so what have you done to solve it? Short of turning them out, and I wonder if that is not the proper way to have them, I don’t see a better solution. Should they turn in or out? is there another way to handle this?

Thanks for your help.

Larry

[Carl Russell]

Larry I have had a horse get its bridle stuck in the hold back hook about twice in 24 years. It may be because of the type of hooks I use. They don’t hook in, or out, but down away from the horse’s mouth.

Here are a couple of pics. They also show how there is no weight hanging on the collar.

You can also see how the trace angle changes at the D-ring…… not to usurp the point of your thread.

Carl

[mitchmaine]

hey carl, now isn’t it because of the pole and pole strap keeping the tug at that angle and letting the rear tug pivot to the load? if so, without a pole then its your girth and saddle trying to keep the ring in position. i love that harness in the woods. my problem with it is out in a hot august feild. it has to be snug to work like it should and then your horse is prone to sores under the girt,saddle, britchin, and collar because you have to fit it so hard. just seems like to much harness for the light work (i’m not saying haying and plowing are light work, just not woods work).
larry. we need a new buckle or snap. i wanted to try a lead snap that turns out to open, but thought it might be too weak or brittle. or open too easily. any ideas????
best wishes, mitch

[Carl Russell]

Replied in Bold

mitchmaine;20319 wrote:

hey carl, now isn’t it because of the pole and pole strap keeping the tug at that angle and letting the rear tug pivot to the load? if so, without a pole then its your girth and saddle trying to keep the ring in position.
No. It is the Belly Band that holds that angle, regardless of the work.

i love that harness in the woods. my problem with it is out in a hot august feild. it has to be snug to work like it should and then your horse is prone to sores under the girt,saddle, britchin, and collar because you have to fit it so hard. just seems like to much harness for the light work (i’m not saying haying and plowing are light work, just not woods work). Never had those problems.

larry. we need a new buckle or snap. i wanted to try a lead snap that turns out to open, but thought it might be too weak or brittle. or open too easily. any ideas????
best wishes, mitch

[LStone]

Ah yes, down, that would seem to do the trick. The stock hooks that came with the harness from Meaders don’t allow for that. Nor do the hooks they sell seperatley. I guess that would be a custom job for a welder? Or do you have a source for those? I hope in 20 years we can still be talking and it hasn’t happened to me (or you) again.

Thank you,

LStone

[Gabe Ayers]

Larry-
Your best bet for the type of snaps Carl and I use is old harness. I got my hands on a bunch of old, abandoned harness and there were a number of old forged snaps on it. Otherwise, they are hard to find and the Meaders types don’t work well and are not durable at all…
-Brad

[Carl Russell]

Bradbury Johnson;20336 wrote:

Larry-
Your best bet for the type of snaps Carl and I use is old harness. I got my hands on a bunch of old, abandoned harness and there were a number of old forged snaps on it. Otherwise, they are hard to find and the Meaders types don’t work well and are not durable at all…
-Brad

I’ll second that, Carl

[grey]

Is there some way that a heel chain hook could be used in this capacity? Maybe feed a ring on there behind the bolt so you can buckle on that narrow strap that connects to the lower hame ring. Do you call that a jack strap? Or a neck strap?

[grey]

Something along these lines:

Not sure what gauge the rings are at the ends of your jockey yokes. This particular hook is about 1/16 away from admitting the rings at the ends of my regular one-piece neck yoke.

This being sized for traces, it will admit a nearly 2.5″ wide strap. There is 5/8″ of gap between the bolt sleeve and the back of the hook.

The halter ring I found is not the strongest. The ring is welded, but the triangular ring is not. But since those straps aren’t typically load-bearing… Might be okay?

[Joshua Kingsley]

In place of the triangle + ring you could try an old hame ring from a bolt on type hame. It goes in where the trace hooks on that often has a link hooked in to a ring. that may be an option as well.

[CharlyBonifaz]

before you heat up the forge…..
have you ever tried these shackles (to be found in maritime/nautic stores, nowadays at least over here also in harness stores, otherwise in mountaineering/hang-gliding stores, if lucky one can get them used….)
http://www.hba-nero.com/images/p021_1_04.jpg
or definitely not to be opened by a horse
http://www.toplicht.de/thumbs/tbn_1385085.JPG
I use the first kind on my trace-ends, very satisfied

[Carl Russell]

I have not found it difficult to find this style of hook.

[grey]

That’s a nice one. Do you have a source to purchase them new?

[Carl Russell]

I have found many on old harness, and have just kept a supply of them on hand. Being drop forged they are pretty hard and last a long time. Meader Supply does have them cut from 3/8″ flat stock. C1-499 N.E. Sidebacker, Black Steel SB 2” $9.00 pg. 66 of their Tack Catalog. I have used them before and they are OK, but just not as good as the old style.

Carl

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