Horse Harness Instructions

A good-fitting harness is one with a collar that fits snugly at the base of a horse's neck, close to the shoulder without crowding shoulder movement. The breeching on the horse's rump should fall about halfway down the flank, crossing the meatiest part of the backside to cushion the horse during braking or while going down hills. A driving bridle should have blinkers that are adjusted with the horse's eye parallel to the center of the blinker.

  1. Collar and Hames

    • The best way to approach harnessing is with the collar and hames first. The collar fits around the horse's neck, hanging on the neck just in front of the withers. It can be slipped over the horse's ears, buckle-side up, or it can be unfastened and slipped under the horse's neck at chest level, refastening it into place. The mane underneath the collar should be smoothed to keep from irritating the horse's neck, and the collar pad should be straightened as well.
      The hames are then placed snugly into a groove on the collar. The hames strap buckles tightly at the chest. This strap is the one that ultimately holds the harness to the carriage. The long leather traces which are attached to the hames can be unrolled and slid across the horse's back to keep them from being stepped on.

    Breeching and Reins

    • The breeching is the main section of harness that fits onto the horse's back. The cushioned saddle should sit about three inches past the withers, slightly farther back than a riding saddle. The crupper slides underneath the tail and refastens on the opposite side. Tail hairs should be straightened underneath the crupper to make sure it's fitting smoothly without irritation in this tender area. The saddle's girth can be tightened under the belly, slightly looser than you would a riding girth. The belly band is fastened loosely.
      The bridle end of each loop of rein is stuck through the rein guides on the saddle, and then up through the rein guides on each side of the collar. Both reins should be pulled through the collar until they hang about to the horse's chest. The excess rein should be looped on the saddle guides to keep them off the ground.

    Driving Bridle

    • The bridle is the finishing touch of harnessing. The driving bridle slides over the horse's ears, as the bit is slid into the horse's mouth. The horse's forelock is straightened for neatness. The driver makes sure to fasten the throat latch. The over-check strap is lifted over horse's ears and looped down over one hame. Each dangling rein end is lifted and attached to each side of the bit. A good driver double-checks all her straps and buckles before attaching to cart.