Horse harness

Throughout the ancient world, the 'throat-and-girth' harness was used for harnessing horses that pulled carts; this greatly limited a horse's ability to exert itself as it was constantly choked at the neck.[2] A painting on a lacquerware box from the State of Chu, dated to the 4th century BC, shows the first known use of a yoke placed across a horses's chest, with traces connecting to the chariot shaft.[3] The hard yoke across the horse's chest was gradually replaced by a breast strap, which was often depicted in carved reliefs and stamped bricks of tombs from the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD).[4] Eventually, the horse collar was invented in China, at least by the 5th century.[5]

Complete breast collar harness and bridle, laid out

Elements of a skidding harness

These are parts of a harness.[6]

Collar

A collar to allow the horse to push against the harness with its shoulders and chest. The two main designs are the breast collar harness and the full collar harness.

• A breast collar. A padded strap running around the chest from side to side. Used for light work, or for somewhat heavier work it is used together with a swingletree evenly on each step without rubbing.[1]^: 42
• A horse collar (or full collar). A padded loop fitting closely around the horse's neck and resting on its shoulders. Used for heavier pulling, especially when used without a swingletree or whippletree.
• Hames (if a full collar is used). Two metal or wooden strips which take the full force of the pull, padded by the collar.

Breeching

Breeching is a horizontal strap that goes around the horse's haunches allowing the horse to slow a vehicle or hold it back when going downhill. It is usually hooked to the breeching dee on the shafts by breeching straps. Used for a single horse, a pair, or in a larger team, only for the wheelers (the animal or pair closest to the vehicle). The leaders in a team do not have breeching, as they are in front of the shafts or pole and so cannot slow the vehicle. Breeching may be omitted for vehicles with efficient brakes or when pulling very light vehicles such as in fine harness.[1]^{: 42–4, 168}

Traces

The straps or chains which take the pull from the breast collar or hames to the vehicle or load.[1]^: 277

Saddle

A harness saddle or pad is the piece of the harness that lies across the horse's back.

Carriage harness saddle (left); heavy-cart saddle (right)

It is not the same as a riding saddle. The saddle is a stuffed piece of leather that helps support the weight of the shafts on a two-wheeled vehicle (cart). A saddle pad may be placed underneath the saddle for extra padding. Saddles for heavy commercial carts may be quite substantial in size to help distribute the weight bearing down from the shafts. The saddle is held into place by the girth, a strap which goes under the belly of the horse. Together, the saddle and girth encircle the horse. Attached to the saddle are other parts of the harness: the rein terrets, the tugs on each side of the horse, the back strap and crupper to the rear, and bearing reins or overcheck to the front. Pads or back pads are for harnesses not built for holding heavy shafts—for example logging, plowing or a pair of horses pulling a 4-wheeled vehicle—and is a wide leather strap without stuffing.[1]^{: 204, 233–4}

Girth

The girth is a strap that goes under the horse's belly and is buckled firmly to the saddle. A surcingle is a term used within certain fine harness designs to describe the combination of a light girth and harness saddle.

Belly-band

A strap that goes over the girth, but more loosely under the belly of the horse. It prevents the shafts from rising up, especially on a two-wheeled vehicle where weight on the rear of the cart may tip the front up.[1]^: 21–2

Back band

A strap going through the harness saddle, or attached to it, to join the belly band on both sides of the horse.[1]^: 14 It takes the weight of the shafts. In heavy cart harness it is replaced by a chain running in a groove in the harness saddle, hooked to the shafts either side.

• Sliding back band. In a two-wheeled vehicle, the shafts are fixed to the vehicle to hold it level. On a side-slope, one shaft will be higher than the other, and in this case the back band is normally allowed to slide sideways through the harness saddle, so the horse can walk upright without strain on the harness.
• Fixed back-band. In a four-wheeled vehicle, the shafts or pole must be allowed to hinge up and down, to allow the horse and vehicle to pass over hillocks and dips. Often the shafts are independently hinged, and on a side-slope these will each hinge to follow the horse, and a sliding back band is not needed. However, if a sliding back band was used with independent shafts it might allow one shaft to ride up higher than the other, and so for such shafts the back-band is normally fixed to the harness saddle. On other four-wheeled vehicles, the two shafts hinge together, and a sliding back band is needed as for two-wheeled vehicles.

False martingale

A strap passing between the front legs, from the bottom centre of the collar to the belly band, to hold the collar in position. Called "false", because unlike a true martingale it does not attach to the bridle or have any influence on the horse's action.[1]^: 119

Crupper

A crupper is a soft padded loop which goes under the base of the tail and is attached to the back strap, which runs across the back and is attached to the top-rear of the saddle. The back strap and crupper together keep the keep the saddle from slipping forward.[1]^: 98

View of harness from above

Back strap

A strap running from the crupper to the rear of the saddle or pad. The back strap and crupper together keep the keep the saddle from slipping forward. The back strap also holds in position any loin straps or breeching straps.[1]^{: 14–5, 42–4}

Shaft tugs, or tugs

Loops attached to the back band to hold up the shafts of a vehicle in van or fine harness (not needed in cart harness, which attaches to hooks on the shafts). Two types:

• For two-wheeled vehicles the tugs are stiff leather loops, fitting fairly loosely around the shafts (which are rigidly attached to the vehicle), to allow flexibility as the animal and the vehicle move against each other.
• For four-wheeled vehicles with independently hinged shafts, the tugs (Tilbury tugs) are leather straps buckled tightly around the shafts so they move with the animal.

Terrets

Terrets are metal loops through which reins pass. Terrets are mounted on the saddle or collar to support the reins and keep them in position. Where one horse is hitched in front of another, the rear horse's harness may have extra terrets through which are run the lines to the horse ahead of them. There may be terrets attached near the rear horse's ears, called Roger rings, or double rings on the saddle to separate the lines for the rear horse from the lines to the forward horse or horses.[1]^{: 229, 272}

Reins or Lines

Long leather straps (occasionally ropes) running from the bit to the driver's hands, used to guide the horses. In teams of several animals these may be joined together so the driver need hold only one pair.

Harness bridle

Bridle

When working in harness, most horses wear a specialised bridle that includes features not seen in bridles used for riding. These usually include blinders, also called blinkers or winkers, behind and to the side of the horse's eyes, to prevent it from being distracted by the cart and other activity behind it. Harness racing horses sometimes have a shadow roll on the noseband of the bridle for the same purpose.

Bit

Bits for harness (often a Liverpool bit, but the Wilson snaffle is also popular) may be similar to those used for riding,[1]^: 25–7 particularly in the mouthpiece, usually operating with a curb bit and adjustable leverage to help balance the effect of the reins on different horses in a team. The bridles of the rearward horses in a team (the wheelers in a four-horse team, and both wheelers and centre horses in a six-horse team) often have rings at each end of the browband, through which the lines of the forward horses pass.

Bearing rein

A bearing rein—with variations known as side check, check rein, overcheck, overhead check, and overdraw—is a strap system which attaches to the saddle, goes to the top of the horse's head and downward to attach to a bit. In American fine harness and harness racing it is referred to as an overcheck, and the strap passes between the horse's ears. In English light carriage harness, a bearing rein, or side check, usually travels through rings hanging from the bridle's crown, to the outside of the ears. In both styles, it is usually attached to a small bradoon bit.[1]^{: 20, 204} Some horses pulling lighter vehicles, particularly at horse shows and other public exhibitions, may have an overcheck to assist in holding a desired head position. Sometimes used for safety reasons to avoid the horse's head and neck going under the shaft and getting entangled, such as during a stumble, or to scratch an itch or eat grass.

Martingale

In some cases a specially designed running martingale may also be added. A looser overcheck may also be used in a working harness to prevent the horse grazing. The overcheck hooks to a pedestal on the harness saddle.

Horse brasses

Horse brasses are ornamental brass plaques mounted on leather straps, used for decoration, especially on working harness. Made in a wide range of designs.

• Carriage horse harnesses
• 
  Fine show harness
• 
  Sporting breast collar harness
• 
  Russet colored harness

• Work horse harnesses
• 
  Decorative parade harness
• 
  Working horse in harness
• 
  Logging

• Needham, Joseph (1986). Science and Civilisation in China. Vol. IV. Physics and Physical Technology, Part 2 Mechanical Engineering.