Keeping horses for harnessing requires not only careful maintenance and high-quality feeding, but also good equipment. Some horse breeders have absolutely no idea what a harness should be for horses. Let's look at the specified accessory, highlight its main elements.
A brief excursion into history
According to archaeological information, the first primitive harness for a wagon was invented a few millennia BC. The design of the device was extremely simple and consisted of only a few elements that were responsible for the traction of primitive two-wheeled vehicles.
Ancient Persians began to attach importance to the design and beauty of the harness, as they rode in closed wagons drawn by four horses. At that time, attention was paid to the creation of harnesses that ensured an even distribution of thrust to each animal and had an external appeal.
A more perfect harness was used by the ancient Greeks. During this period, the harness consisted of a chest belt, which was responsible for the traction of the wagon, yoke, cinch and reins. The richer the owner of the horses was, the more elegant was the harness. The same can be said about the harness of the times of the Roman Empire, when chariots acted as widespread transport.
In the Middle Ages, equipping harness with decorative elements lost its former relevance, as the wagons had a purely practical purpose and were used mainly as a freight transport.
Got similar features with a modern harness in the mid-sixteenth century during the widespread use of light and comfortable passenger crews. With the advent of carriages, the harness became even more perfect. At this time, the harness was designed for use in single carts, pairs, sixes and eights.
What is a harness?
Exit harness for horses - a set of devices that are used to harness draft animals into a wagon, saddles and controls. Based on the number of horses in the harness, a pair, one-piece, arcless and arc harness is allocated. A set of devices is selected for each animal individually.
A precisely fitted harness for horses, made of high-quality, reliable materials, will not only ensure safety during movement, ease of control, but also will not cause discomfort to the animal. Therefore, the choice of harness is a crucial task, on which the horse's working capacity and health directly depends.
Horse harness elements
Harness for horse harness consists of the following elements:
- A clamp is one of the most important devices, the task of which is to distribute the load on the shoulders and neck of the horse evenly. The indicated element is placed on the neck of the animal in the withers, in the lower part passes at the very base of the neck. The shape and width of the clamp is selected individually.
- Breast-band - allows to avoid sliding of a collar during movement. It is presented in the form of several sloping, longitudinal and transverse belts.
- Bridle - worn on the head of a horse. It is used to control the animal. The bridle can be with one, two bit or without them. A fixture without fishing rods is used to hold the horse during its movement outside the harness.
- Reins - used for remote control of a horse. They are made in the form of long, smooth, comfortable to hold belts. The ends of the reins are connected with the bits.
- A saddle pin is a structural element of a harness that is designed to maintain a deafness.
- Chessedelnik - performed in the form of a belt, which comes from the shafts through the saddle.
- Cinch - Used to fix the saddle in a static position. It is a wide, elastic belt.
Harness Types
Let's look at what varieties the harness for horses is divided into. Photos of each of them are presented in this material.
According to the purpose, these types of harnesses are distinguished:
- exit;
- transport;
- agricultural.
Transport harness is used to equip teams designed to transport people and small loads. Due to the relatively low loads, such structures are lightweight and are made for multi-horse teams.
Agricultural harness for horses can be single and parocon. Designs of mobile teams are particularly diverse. Their structure depends on the number of horses that will pull the cart. Below we look at other common types of harnesses.
One-window
One-horse harness for horses is performed in several versions - arc and arcless. As follows from the definition, such devices are designed for one animal.
Arc harnesses include arcs, tugs, clamps, suponi, nurses and interweekers, bridles, harnesses, reins. As for the arcless products, in such constructions the main burden of the cart is taken by a strong, wide harness. Often, along with a single-one harness, shortened shafts are used that connect directly to the saddle, and not to the clamp.
Line-by-line
Post-harness harnesses the simplest construction. Therefore, such a harness for
horses with their own hands can easily be made
. However, despite this advantage, its use brings considerable discomfort, since during moving forward it is not always possible to control the movement of the wagon.
The line-wrap harness for horses provides traction due to the line-wrap and clamp. In view of the minimum number of structural elements that are responsible for stabilizing the wagon, it is recommended that such a harness be equipped with additional brakes.
Column Drawbar
It is applied both to one-window, and for parokonny teams. The use of such a harness provides increased control over the movement of the wagon.
If we consider the parts of the harness of a horse of this nature, the main element here is the drawbar. For this reason, the post-edging structure is not a very suitable solution for agricultural use. The main disadvantage here is the increased drawbar pressure on the clamp, which causes considerable discomfort in animals.
Harnesses for horses for sports
They were a widespread variety of harnesses in the last century. Today, it is rare to find
horses harnessed to two-wheeled vehicles.
It consists of a drawbar and a lap. In this case, one horse or several animals harnessed to the sides of the drawbar. At the same time, the edging is connected to the wagons.
Combined Harness
The combined variety of harness acts as a Western European development. It is used to equip carts in which 6 to 8 horses are harnessed. In this case, the animals are located in the wagon according to size, strength and growth. For example, stocky horses are located on the cart itself, which inhibits movement. Next, animals of the running breed are harnessed, which are connected to the drawbar by hemming. Ahead are the weakest remote horses. The latter set the direction of movement and are also harnessed by beading.
Zug
Represents a German invention. It is used to harness six horses at the same time. Similar to a sports-type harness, such devices are not often used today. When operating a train, horses move in pairs or in single file.
Finally
The speed of movement, draft capabilities, the convenience of controlling the wagon and the comfort for the horse during riding are largely determined by the quality of the harness used. The manufacture and adjustment of the harness to the individual parameters of the animal contribute to the long and effective operation of the device. A weighted approach to choosing a harness helps to ensure safety and fulfill the tasks assigned to it.