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Use and Care of Farm Harness
From old Farm Encyclopedia



Important note from Shady Grove Haflingers: The information below is not advice from us or even advice that we endorse. It is from a text that is approximately 100 years old. It is fascinating information and very interesting reading. Some of the advice is still true, some is outdated. However, we should understand that these univeristy professors spent their lives working with and studying horses in a day when horses were a way of life. In many ways, we will never understand horses like they did. Please enjoy.

Introduction

By J. L. EDMONDS, Assistant Professor, Horse Husbandry, College of Agriculture of the University of Illinois, where since 1910 he has had charge of the horse breeding, the experimental horse feeding, and one of the Animal Husbandry Department farms. He graduated from the Ohio College of Agriculture and then spent 2 years in charge of horse work at the Minnesota College. He has obtained additional practical experience by working on a number of general farms, and the following large stock farms where horses are an especially important feature: Irvington Farm, Sewickley, Penn., Meadow Lawn Farm, St. Cloud, Minn., and Oak Hill Farm, Amie, Va.—EDITOR.

Skill in the selection, fitting, and care of farm work harness contributes much to the economical use of horse power on the land. The horse that works comfortably will do his work on less feed than will the horse that is irritated by poorly-chosen and unproperly-fitted harness; furthermore, it is less likely to form bad habits. Injuries caused by ill-fitting harness increase the possibility of a horse becoming restless when being harnessed and hitched, and may lead to the more serious vices of balking and running away. Making a good appearance with a team has a tendency to improve not only the horsemanship of the driver but also the quality of his other work. Because of the direct and indirect benefits dependent upon it, this subject of harness is worthy of careful consideration.



Harness making. Harness values are quite largely determined by the quality of the material and workmanship employed in their making. The best harness leather is made from steer and heifer hides which are free from cuts, scars, and rough grain. Packer steer hides make the best grade of harness leather; country butcher hides make the cheaper grades, the reasons being that the best cattle usually go to the larger markets, and the big packers located there exercise more care and skill in taking off and handling the hides. After the hair has been removed, these hides are carefully tanned by being soaked in a series of bark baths of gradually increasing strengths. Most harness leather at the present time is tanned with combinations of materials blended in varying proportions; the principal ones employed are oak bark, hemlock bark, chestnut wood extract, and quebracho extract. There is very little harness leather which is either pure oak or pure hemlock tanned. It takes approximately 5 months properly to tan and finish harness leather, although the cheaper grades are rushed through faster.

The quality of the leather is largely determined by its feel, and can be much more readily judged in the side than after being made up into harness. Good leather has a firm and mellow feel. The strength of a strap depends upon the part of the hide from which it is taken and upon the way it is cut. Neck, belly, and leg pieces have not the strength of those cut from the back and side; cutting across the grain very materially weakens the strength of a strap. For reasons of economy, the harness maker sometimes uses weak pieces where they should not be used. Because these things are not easily determined after leather is made into harness, the honesty of the manufacturer counts for much.

Metal parts. Metal mountings, buckles, etc., vary greatly with respect to their design and the materials from which they are made. Commonly, they are either of brass, japanned white metal, or nickel-plated. Brass is the showiest material and is almost universally used on heavy show harness and harness of which the use has advertising value. Too much brass on a farm harness looks out of place, and its proper care requires time and labor that might be more profitably used elsewhere; brass does not rust, but tarnishes quickly. Where the teamster has but a single team to look after, as is often the case in the city, this brass may well be worth the effort needed to keep it bright because of the extra attention it attracts. On the farm harness, it is well to confine the brass to the rosettes and brow band on the bridle and, possibly, to buckle shields; the balance of the hardware may well be japanned, thus presenting a neat appearance without requiring an undue amount of time for cleaning mountings. In this connection it should be said that the use of large numbers of celluloid rings is to be discouraged as they do no good but are in the way, and also add useless weight to the harness. In general, the same considerations hold true for the farm buggy harness as for the work equipment. Genuine rubber mountings or trimmings (which are really iron parts , covered with hard vulcanized rubber) are to be preferred on light harness. A harness so trimmed is not only more easily kept clean (since wiping off is all that is required) but also looks better than the one on which cheap nickel and brass mountings are used.

Hand vs. machine made harness. The best- appearing and highest-priced harness was formerly made throughout by skilled handlabor, and some high-class custom shops still make their best harness that way. A point is finally reached, however, beyond which additional hand labor adds mainly if not solely to the appearance rather than the strength of the harness. From the machines for stitching is entirely satisfactory. They draw stitches tighter and lock them more securely than can be done by hand. In these machines the thread is worked through hot wax which thoroughly penetrates the thread. With hand-stitching the wax is put on cold, and hence gets no farther than the surface. Hand-stitching is always necessary in the case of small parts, such as around buckles, rings, etc. Plain stitching should always be chosen. The employment of scrolls and other fancy designs detracts from the appearance of the harness and adds nothing to its strength. In the end, and all along the line, it pays to pay for good material and good workmanship. The so-called cheap harness always looks the part and is short-lived.



Harness styles. All harness should be neat and appropriate in design and so constructed as to be heavy enough to withstand severe strain. Some farm harness, however, are made heavier than need be; this (especially with regard to those parts which do not bear the heavy strain of the load) involves needless expense and makes them cumbersome. The particular style of harness to be chosen depends upon the use to which it is to be put. Prevailing styles, if by chance there be enough similarity to permit this statement, vary greatly in different sections of the country, sometimes with considerable reason and sometimes without much. A mountainous country requires a different style from that which might serve well in the level plains country. Again, a harness of few parts might answer the purpose when used largely for plowing, harrowing, and similar jobs, while much pulling and backing of heavily-loaded wagons would require a much more complicated outfit. Obviously, much would be gained if a style well suited to local requirements were selected for use on a given farm and all harness purchased thereafter were chosen to conform closely to the original pattern.



Fitting harness. An ill-fitting harness lessons both the quantity and the quality of work a horse is capable of performing; and, as has been pointed out, it may be the means by which an honest, free worker is made into an unreliable one, or even into a balker. Proper attention to fitting harness is particularly important in the case of farm horses; the working season in the spring is so short as to make it imperative that all losses of time due to poorly fitting harness be prevented. The bridle. The Factors which govern the fitting of the bridle are the shape of the horse's head and his disposition. The cheek-pieces should be so adjusted that the bit will not be so low in the horse's mouth as to bother him and permit him easily to get his tongue over it; on the other hand, it should not be so high as to raise the corners of the mouth and pinch the cheeks. It is generally advisable to adjust the bit rather high in a young horse's mouth so as to prevent his getting his tongue over it. The best plan is to fit the horses that are worked regularly with strong, jointed snaffle bits. Good horsemen, however, find it necessary, occasionally, to resort to something more severe, such as a double-twisted wire or a "bicycle" bit. Needless to say, pressure should be strongly applied to these bits only when the horse attempts to bolt. Mouths are easily ruined by severe bits



used by unskilled drivers. The brow band must not pinch the thin skin at the base of the ears. Blinkers or blinds must be kept in place and must not fit too closely in front. The propriety of training and working some horses without blinds is not questioned. However, experience with large numbers of work horses has convinced the writer that the great majority of horses work more pleasantly and are less likely to "loaf on the job" when blinds are used. The moderate use of side check-reins or plain bearing-reins is to be recommended for work horses to prevent their getting their heads down to eat grass when stopped, and also to prevent their bridles being caught on the end of the pole.

The collar. For heavy work, well-made leather collars give the longest service. No part of the harness deserves more careful fitting than the collar. With the horse holding his head in the position in which he keeps it when at work, a collar should so fit that, when pressed firmly back with the hands, it has an even contact or bearing against all parts of the shoulders, and leaves enough space at the windpipe to insert the flat of the hand. By making use of some one of the many different styles of collars, and keeping them clean, it is possible to fit properly almost all horses and keep their necks and shoulders in shape for work. Hame straps should be properly adjusted and buckled as tightly as possible at the bottom; failure to do this has spoiled many new collars. A short trial will show what adjustment of the hame tugs is necessary to bring the pressure at the proper points. If a new leather collar is wrapped over night with wet gunny sacks before using, it will shape to the horse's neck much more quickly than if not so treated. A considerable saving in collars will result from putting them on and taking them off over the head rather than by unbuckling them at the top, as is generally practised. Such careless handling is the reason for many collars breaking at the throat. Sweat pads are a necessary evil since horses undergo considerable shrinkage in weight during some seasons of the year, when it becomes necessary either to use a sweat pad or to change the collar. The cutting away of portions of sweat pads sometimes relieves galled spots. A still better way of handling such trouble is to use a small cork-filled pad between the collar and the sweat pad. Wabash pads are useful, in the case of sore necks, to remove the pressure of the collar from the injured surface. The use of smooth deer-skin pads or zinc pads does much to protect the neck from becoming galled. Breast collars are useful for light work. The shoulder strap should be so adjusted as not to allow the breast collar to interfere with the windpipe, or be so low as to hinder movement. Any extra-heavy breast collar which has been lined with sheep skin is useful in place of the regular work collar where necks or shoulders are galled. Draft stallions frequently develop so much neck and shoulder that they can be best worked in a heavy breast collar. Patent horse collars, referred to as "humane collars," are useful for field work, and as a change in case of sore shoulders or necks. The right adjustment of some of the other parts of the harness may be worth mentioning, - although it should come easily. The saddle should fit the back, and the back strap should not be too short. The crupper, when it is present, should be of good size, smooth, and well-stuffed. See that the breeching is not too low or too tight. Careful observation of the methods employed by skilful teamsters will be of much aid to the young or inexperienced farmer. In putting a horse to a vehicle, remember that the lines should be taken down and adjusted first. The careful observing of this right order in "hitching up" has prevented many accidents.





The Care of Harness

At the outset, it should be said that a harness cannot be properly cared for unless one has a suitable place in which to hang it. In damp stables it molds quickly. The presence of mold indicates that moisture is taking the place of the oil, upon which the life of the leather depends. A harness should not be stored where the ammonia from the manure can reach it. However, in regularly cleaned, airy work-horse stables, most of us prefer to have the harness hung on a hook back of each horse; or by means of a rope and pulley, to haul it up and out of the way on the post at the rear of the stall partition. In stables where a number of teamsters are employed, too much time is wasted in going to and from a central harness room; such a room should be provided, however, for the storing of supplies and extra sets of harness. In this room should be a bench and materials for making small repairs. Valuable harness should be kept in tight cases in a room where there is some artificial heat.

At least twice a year all work harness should be entirely taken apart (particular attention being paid to the straps at the buckles) and then cleaned and oiled. At these times, all needed repairs should be made. In cleaning harness, as little water as possible should be used; warm, soft water is best, but hard water may be



used if a handful or two of salsoda is added to each tubful. Some harness is so dirty that sponging alone will not remove the dirt; in this case it should be soaked for 15 minutes, then scrubbed with soap and a brush, rinsed, wiped with rag or chamois, and hung on a wooden horse to dry in a warm place but away from the stove. As soon as it is dry, apply neat's-foot oil (diluted one half with a good standard harness oil, or about one fourth with kerosene) with a rag or a piece of sponge. Several applications of oil are generally needed, and it will pay to rub it well into the leather with the hands. Neat's-foot oil, when used straight, is likely to cause the work harness to become too stretchy. It may be made black by adding a tablespoonful of lamp-black per pint. When the leather shows up very red after washing, give it a coat of edge blacking before oiling. Under no circumstances is it advisable to use a drying oil, such as linseed oil. Low grade vaseline is useful for smearing over a harness which is to be stored for a considerable length of time. After the oil has soaked in, sponge the straps with a good grade of castile soap. The frequent sponging over of a harness and the use of any of the good dressings are to be recommended.

When a brilliant black finish to the harness is desired, it becomes necessary to use some one of the standard harness "compositions" which are quite similar to the best pastes used for polishing black shoes. There is, in fact, no objection to using shoe polish, except for the extra expense entailed in purchasing it in small boxes at retail stores. The paste should be evenly applied to the harness with a dauber then polished with an ordinary blacking brush, and finally with a flannel rag.



For cleaning the metal mountings, one may use most any of the liquid or paste find the paste to be more economical because it does not evaporate nearly as readily as do the liquid polishes. Steel bits are cleaned by washing with soap and water, then smearing over with a cake of soap and polishing with silver sand. The soap film makes the sand stick. The fingers are of most service in rubbing the sand on the bits; a soft pine stick can be used in parts too small for the fingers. After sanding, rinse the bit, dry with a cloth, and burnish with a small steel burnisher. Forged steel bits are the strongest and also the best looking if they are kept clean. Careful drying and wiping with an oily rag after using will prevent their rusting.

It is so satisfactory to use a harness which is kept in first-class shape that one is surprised that more people do not make the effort to keep their equipment so. In the end, proper care will save both time and money. On the farm much of this work may be done at times of the year when work is slack. Minor repairs may be made at home if one has provided himself with a small repair outfit; those sold at moderate prices by the large supply houses are very satisfactory for small repairs.

Among accessories which contribute much to a horse's comfort are fly nets in summer and blankets in winter. Well-made cotton cord nets give satisfaction. Covers made of old gunny sacks are much to be preferred to none at all and should be used when economy is of first importance. Ordinarily, farm horses are healthier and better off generally, if not blanketed in the stable. A heavy blanket should, however, be used to cover the horse warmed up from work when he is stopped in the open for the taking on or putting off of a load. Heavy, waterproof, duck blankets should be worn by horses while worked in the rain in cold weather.