[drivingpairs] Coupling Rein on Pair Breast Collar Harness
- From: Hzlax@xxxxxxx
- To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:19:32 EST
There is a discussion on CD-L, which is very Pair related, so for those of us
who might not be on CD-L I cross post it here. If you are on CD-L, just
scroll past it.
Hardy
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2006 22:04:57 EST
From: Hzlax@xxxxxxx
Subject: Coupling Rein on Pair Breast Collar Harness
In a message dated 12/19/2006 6:05:02 PM Pacific Standard Time,
LISTSERV@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
> Somewhere, in one of my books - Maybe Max Pape - there is a comment
> about running the coupling reins through the neckstrap terrets of pair
> breast collar harness. The comment has to do with the neckstrap being
> flexible and able to be pulled out of place, and I'm thinking the
> comment finished up saying that they were fairly useless and to just run
> the coupling rein straight back to the saddle terret, bypassing the
> neckstrap terret. If you have Tjeerd Velstra's book, look on page 27
> and you can really see that effect on the off leader of the Welsh
> chestnut team on the bottom of the page. His neckstrap is pulled up
> half a foot off his neck! I am having trouble finding the passage
> about this in my books. I'd like the advice of drivers accustomed to
> driving pairs with breast collars - what is your experience? Does the
> neckstrap terret tend to vary your contact with your horses?
>
and
> We were taught to use a short adjustable buckled in strap from the terret
>
> with a ring to pass the bearing rein through. It gives length and support
> without pulling the collar out of line.
I think the picture in the Velstra book is an extreme and perhaps the
exception due to very light neckstraps (pony harness) combined with strongly
pulling
ponies (look at their heads). I have done it both ways, in as well as out of
the inside neck terrets. Either way works fine for me, but depends on how
light
the neck straps are and how strong the horses pull in the reins. Mine are
good size and horse size, and my horses are not pullers, so they don't pull
the
neck straps off to the inside. So I drive with the coupling reins in the neck
terrets, as otherwise it's incomplete harnessing - as long as you have inside
neck terrets. So if you don't want to use them, get harness without them. One
important thing is to remember, when you take the coupling reins out of the
neck terrets, you need to shorten the coupling reins at the rein buckles, as
they
are longer when they go directly from the saddle terrets to the other horse
without taking the "detour" through the neck terret. I know the buckle in
strap
with a ring to the neck terrets only from draft horses as spreaders.
Hardy
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