How to Hook Up a Pony Harness

Halter the pony and hook it up in cross-ties. Groom it so that no dirt remains on its coat. Dirt can get beneath the harness and irritate the pony's skin.

Place the saddle on the pony's back, right behind its withers. The front of the harness saddle will sit at about the same point as the front of a riding saddle. Draw the backstrap and breeching pieces over the pony's back and hindquarters.

Buckle the girth of the saddle loosely, right behind the pony's front legs. The girth does not need to be as tight as a riding saddle's girth; there should be some space between the pony's belly and the buckled girth. Slide the crupper under and around the base of the pony's tail, buckling it. Make sure that no hairs are caught in the crupper and that the crupper is not biting into the tender skin beneath the tail.

Unhook the pony from the cross-ties and slide the breast collar over the pony's head. Rehook the cross-ties to the halter and situate the breast collar so that the collar (the wide strap that runs across the bottom of the breast collar) lies across the widest part of the pony's chest. Placing the collar too high or low can injure the pony. Hook the carrier strap to the check current on the saddle, if necessary.

Straighten out the reins and loop them under the backstrap to keep them out of the way. Pick up the front of the reins (the ends that connect to the bit) and feed them through the rein turrets on the saddle. Let the ends of the reins hang to the sides until they can be connected to the bridle.

Undo the cross-ties and unbuckle the pony's halter. Slide the bridle over the pony's head, slipping the bit into its mouth. Arrange the Cavesson so that it is beneath the cheek straps of the bridle and buckle it snugly. Buckle the throat latch loosely (you should be able to slide two fingers into the space between the throat latch and the pony's face). Make sure that the blinkers are centered over the pony's eyes and flared outward and buckle the front ends of the reins to the bit rings.

Move to the back of the pony and check the breeching to make sure that the large, horizontal strap beneath the pony's tail runs across the center of its buttocks. If it is too high or low, it can hurt the pony while it's pulling the cart.

Make sure that all hanging straps are secured so that the pony doesn't step on them or trip while being harnessed to the cart. If the pony won't be harnessed to the cart immediately, be sure to rehalter it and hook it to the cross-ties so that it doesn't get hurt. The pony is now ready to hook up to the cart as soon as it's time.