harness questions

[8BitFarm]

Hi all! Hope summer is treating everyone well. We’re having a blast here, having recently brought our pony home and started trying to get him back in shape(too bad, we have to go drive around the block and down to the winery and take picnic outtings. Bummer).
I hope I’m posting this in the right forum, if not, please feel free to move it, but I had a few questions for everyone as we think about buying work harness for our little dude. First, I love the idea of/what I’ve seen of the d-ring harness, does it function well as a single horse set up? I’ve only ever seen it used for pairs, and not much of that, anyhow. How easy would it be to buy a team set and convert one half to use as a single-harness while we work on finding a match for our boy?
Second, let’s all weigh in on harness material… leather vs biothane vs that heavy conveyor belt type stuff vs other(?)? Combinations of the different materials? What does everyone favor and why? I’m a big fan of good old fashioned renewable, sustainable, biodegradable leather, and don’t so much mind the care involved, but would love to hear input from those actually using harness of different types in the field. Drawbacks? Advantages?
Third, does anyone in the WNY area know where to get decent farm harness (and/or equipment) for a little guy(haflinger sized)? I used to be close enough to Lancaster PA and could run out there all the time and shop around, but would love to keep it a bit more local since I have to tote two kids along with me nowadays.
Thanks so much for reading, have a lovely day!

[dlskidmore]

Where in Western NY? Farmer Brown is south of Rochester: http://www.farmerbrownsplowshop.net/ He mostly does implements, but he’s probably know if there was a good harness shop nearby.

[Jean]

My D-Ring Harness is wicked easy to convert to a team from a single. I take off the shaft loops and add a part that hooks onto the yokes in front. My harness is for a smallish draft (little bigger than a halflinger) and it is dull biothane. I love it. Not sure where you might find one in WNY. I think mine came from Meaders in NH. I bought it with my horse.

[Donn Hewes]

Locust Lane harness shop is in Romulus, NY. Easy to find on Locust lane between 96 and 414, but no phone there. That might still be a long trip for you. I don’t think most Amish shops are all that familiar with D ring Harness. Will you possibly be adding another horse for a team in the future? I am not sure the D ring benefits you as much with out the tongue applications.

[8BitFarm]

yes, we will be adding another horse in the near future, but he is surprisingly tough to match, being a plain bay pony of no particular breeding.
And I forgot about farmer Brown’s plow shop, I should get in touch with him! I bet he knows who to go to! Thanks for that reminder!

[Gabe Ayers]

I used a single horse for the first 9 or so years with horsepower, and we always used a leather D-ring. I ran that harness with lots of different rigs – loose, forecart, haymower, rake, tedder, plow, cultivators-and the D-ring worked exceptionally well with them all. I do think it offers advantages over other types even with a single horse, as no matter what you hook to the angle of pull against the horses shoulder always stays the same (90 degrees). Whoever mentioned earlier that the Amish shops are not familiar with D-ring design is right on. I got both my current D-rings from Meaders, but they are made in Amish country and I had to modify a lot of the harness to get a good working fit. In terms of leather versus synthetics, I always had leather but one winter I broke a tug and my regular repair shop was too busy to do it. So, I bought a nylon D-ring and I have never looked back. I have biothane now, and I really like it. It stays supple, requires no cleaning or oiling, and seems to last well. I don’t think it has the same durability as leather and lacks a certain aesthetic appeal, but it works great.
-Brad

[8BitFarm]

Thank you so much, what a thoughtful reply! I keep hearing that d-rings are the way to go, but it’s hard to find one to actually touch and fool with, and I worry about being able to fit it properly. When you say it was hard to get a good working fit, could you go into more detail? I particularly worry about the bit of the tugs that runs from the hames to the girth, it doesn’t look too adjustable.

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