Let’s dive into the unique characteristics of the Pair Harness, also known as the Double Harness, and how it fundamentally differs from the Single Harness—primarily due to the type of vehicles employed.
The Role of the Vehicles
In the world of horse-driven transportation, the choice between a Single and Pair Harness often comes down to the vehicle involved. Predominantly, except for a couple of outliers, four-wheeled vehicles serve as the primary mode of transport when it comes to the utilisation of horses in pairs.
The design of these vehicles introduces a significant change when compared to their counterparts designed for a Single Harness. Our four-wheeler friends sport a central pole in place of the typical shafts.
The Power of the Pad and Pole Straps
With the switch to a central pole, these vehicles also adopt lighter saddles, widely referred to as ‘pads’, which replace the hefty standard saddles otherwise employed. This adaptation streamlines the overall weight distribution and improves the performance and comfort of the horses in action.
One key component in this setup is the incorporation of pole straps, which may also go by the names ‘pole chains’ or ‘pole pieces’. A particularly defining feature of the Pair Harness, these straps serve the vital purpose of connecting the pole head to the kidney links located at the nether region of the names.
Generally, pole straps are firmly fixed in place using either buckles or spring hooks to ensure a secure binding. This important addition maintains rigidity by counteracting the natural tendency of the horses to diverge from each other, preserving the formation and alignment in their stride.
Additional Features: Crupper, Pad, and Short Martingale
In the enhancement of support and functionality, the Pair Harness incorporates a few more unique components. These include a hip strap that accompanies the crupper, featuring dual trace carriers for added support. Such an adjustment enables the traces to effectively fasten into the tug buckles located on the pad, adding an extra degree of security during operation.
Furthermore, a short martingale is typically part of the harness setup, designed to be wrapped around the base of the collar and hames for safety purposes. This seemingly small addition plays a crucial role in increasing the overall safety and efficiency of the harness and, by extension, of the carriage ride itself.
Traces: An Essential Component
Traces play an important role in the world of horse-driven vehicles. Let’s explore the two main designs employed across different harness setups: the French loop and the quick-release design.
The Classic French Loop
The French loop traces offer simplicity and reliability through their leather-sewn loop design known as the running loop. The key element of this style is the metal ring through which the end of the trace is threaded. To facilitate easy access and opening, a short piece of leather is attached to the ring.
Quick-release Traces: A Timely Innovation
An alternative to the French loop, quick-release traces are increasingly popular due to their practical application. This type of trace is characterized by two shackles—one fixed and one which is loose and moveable. When the shackles are connected, they form a loop that is held together by a leather tongue sewn to the trace. In an instant, a simple tug of the leather tongue initiates the release of the loop, allowing the trace to be freed effortlessly.
Quick-release traces shine in emergency situations, offering convenience and speed when it’s needed the most. However, it’s crucial to verify that the leather tongue is positioned on the outer side of both traces, ensuring seamless release from the side of the vehicle.
Balancing the Traces: Understanding Length Variations
Given that most horses tend to pull towards the pole rather than away from it, combined with the preference for coachmen to have the horses’ heads leaning slightly inwards, it becomes necessary to consider differences in trace lengths. Typically, the outside traces should be longer than the ones on the inside, but maintaining a balance is key.
Too much discrepancy can lead to issues, so it’s best not to exceed a difference of a single hole, which represents roughly 32mm (1¼in.). To accommodate this, wrapping a 12mm (½in.) piece of leather around the two central roller bolts offers a viable solution, effectively shortening the inside traces. If swingletrees are implemented as part of the harness setup, this trace length issue is no longer a concern.
Reins: Their Purpose and Adjustments
Functioning of the Draught and Coupling Reins
In a pair horse harness technique, the use of reins is divided into two sections. The draught reins—often referred to as outside reins—extend directly from the hand to the exterior of each horse’s bit. While some farm hitches join the inner bits with a cord or short strap, private or commercial driving operations often favor coupling reins due to their ability to command both horses through the action of a single rein.
The coupling reins connect to the draught reins roughly 0.6m (2 ft) from the hand. Ensuring the optimal length, these reins are typically kept about 13cm (5 in.) longer than their draught counterparts if they are buckled in the center of 15 holes.
After attachment, the functionality of the coupling reins is highlighted. For instance, the near-side coupling rein connects to the inside of the off-side horse’s bit and vice versa. Such a setup is formulated to keep the horses’ heads approximately 25 cm (10 in.) apart, considered the optimal distance for keeping their motions aligned and controlled.
Adjusting the Reins: Balancing Different Horse Characteristics
Due to variations in horses’ behaviors or physical traits—such as enthusiasm levels, head carriage, or neck length—adjustments to the rein length may be needed. If one horse demonstrates more energy or different movement patterns, it might need to have its coupling rein lengthened or shortened.
When such alterations are made, the coupling rein of the other horse has to be adjusted by the same number of holes but in the opposite direction. This measure maintains the optimal distance between their heads.
Take for example a draught rein with 15 holes. If both reins are buckled in the center, there will be 14 spare holes on each side of the buckle. Maintaining balance requires that if one rein is extended, the other is appropriately shortened.
Both draught reins and coupling reins pass through the ring terrets on the pads before they’re attached to the bits, effectively ensuring a secure and comfortable fit for the horses.
Tip for Fitting Harness: Ensure Extra Holes
When fitting any harness, it’s always a wise idea to make sure that there are extra holes in every strap or trace. This allowance allows for easy customization in length, adding to the convenience of adjusting the harness. The freedom to lengthen or shorten the harness as needed can save a lot of hassle and time in the long run.
The Curricle and Cape Cart Harness
It’s fascinating how drastically the harnesses for two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles differ. The uniqueness doesn’t end there—two-wheeled vehicles specifically designed for a pair are quite rare too. For example, the curricle hailing from Britain’s early 19th century was an exclusive two-wheeled vehicle that was precisely built for a pair.
Distinguishing Characteristics of Four vs Two-Wheeled Vehicle Harnesses
Usually, in the construction of four-wheeled vehicles, the pole pretty much holds its own due to it being inserted into the slots in the undercarriage known as ‘futchells’. The story dramatically changes when we talk about two-wheeled vehicles, where the harness design needs to mitigate the fact that the weight of the pole has to be borne by the horses themselves.
Harness of a Curricle: Bearing the Pole’s Weight
The curricle harness stands out for its robust construction. Unlike standard harness saddles, these are outfitted with two central terrets adorned with rollers, along with rein terrets. The central element here is a steel bar that goes through the roller terrets and rests above the horses’ backs, ready to support the pole’s weight.
Here’s how this works: a sturdy leather strap slots through the bar’s centre and loops around a robust, leather-covered spring ring encircling the pole. This design makes the bar take on the pole’s weight. Additionally, a special bellyband, which runs over the pole and under the horses’ bellies and is strapped to their girths, serves to prevent the pole from rising too high.
Cape Cart Harness: A South African Variation
The harness used for a Cape Cart—which is a two-wheeled vehicle constructed and operated in South Africa—features distinctive differences compared to the curricle’s harness. Instead of a steel bar, it uses a wooden bar about 1.5m (5 ft) long to support the pole.
This bar, leveled to the height of the horses’ chests, hangs by four rings located at the end of staunch leather straps. These straps are connected to the horses’, maintaining the balance and control of the vehicle.
