Saddles and Harness

     Draft horses require much larger bridles than standard horses. Draft Horse Bridles are available in various materials such as leather, nylon, beta, biothane, etc. Leather is the most widely available but the beta and biothane are by far the most durable and the easiest to care for.

     The most common measurements used to check for fit on a draft horse bridle are: bit to bit over the poll ( top of head behind the ears )

noseband, and browband. With these measurements you can easily determine if the bridle will fit. It is common to find companies that sell oversize bridles and call them draft horse size. These bridles are typically designed for warmbloods which have smaller heads than the larger draft horses. It is important to make sure that the bridle is truly designed fo draft horses and not just a slightly larger version of a standard horse bridle.

     Fly masks come in a variety of sizes, colors, and styles. Sizes range from foal to full draft horse size. The horse size is very easy to find and they are available at most tack shops. Our favorite fly mask is the Cashel Fly Mask.

     Cashel masks are made of superior quality materials and have deluxe features. They are available in warmblood and full draft horse size. They are also available with long nose for additional protection and also available with ears. The Cashel brand has darted eyes to keep the mask away from the horse’s eyes. They are the best designed and most durable fly masks on the market today.

     Draft horses are used for many different types of riding from trails to police patrol work to field work, and even dressage. A myriad of Draft Horse Bridles are available for these different disciplines. The most common bridle materials are leather, beta, and biothane.

     Some draft horse riders are now using draft horses in Spanish type riding. For this type of activity they will need a Spanish bridle in draft horse size. These bridles are typically made of leather and have mosqueros made of real horsehair in various color combinations. These special bridles can be used on any type of horse and in any type of discipline as they are very decorative.

     Draft horses are ideal as trail riding horses - their smooth easy gate and calm temperament make for a comfortable and enjoyable outing. The Australian saddle is one of the most popular saddles commonly used on draft horses. They are available in a variety of seat sizes, colors, and gullet widths. Not all draft horses require a full draft horse 10″ gullet. Some Shires and Clydesdales have high withers along with a wide body. In this case you will need a saddle with smaller gullet width , perhaps 7″ or 8″. To check for proper fit make a wither tracing.

      The best known producer of Australian Draft Horse Saddles is Sydney Saddleworks.

Their saddles are available with gullet sizes up to 10″ which will fit the largest flat backed draft horses with ease. The Australian saddles are exceptionally comfortable for horse and rider due to the deep seat and low tension fenders and riding position. After riding for hours in an Australian saddle you can dismount without the soreness typically experienced after riding a western saddle.

Some horse drawn carriages found in Celtic graves show hints that their platform was suspended in a frame, elastically. First century Romans used sprung wagons for overland journeys. With the decline of these civilizations these techniques almost disappeared.

In the Middle Ages all travelers who were not walking rode, save the elderly and the infirm. A trip in an unsprung cart over unpaved roads was not lightly undertaken. Closed carriages began to be more widely used by the upper classes in the 16th century. In 1601, a short-lived law was passed in England banning the use of carriages by men, it being considered effeminate. Better sprung vehicles were developed in the 17th century. New lighter and more fashionably varied conveyances, with fanciful new names, began to compete with one another from the mid-18th century. Coachbuilders cooperated with carvers, gilders, painters, lacquerworkers, glazers and upholsterers to produce not just the family’s state coach for weddings and funerals but light, smart fast comfortable vehicles for pleasure riding and display.

In British and French coaches, the coachman drove from a raised coachbox at the front. In Spain, the driver continued to ride one of the horses, as also in the 1939 state visit procession in Canada.

From the 1860s, few rich Europeans continued to use their posting coaches for long-distance travel: a first-class railway carriage was the faster modern alternative. Then, in the 1890s, just as automobiles came into use, “coaching” became an upper-class sport in Britain and America, where gentlemen would take the reins of the kinds of large vehicles of types generally driven by a professional coachman.

Cleaning a draft horse saddle isn’t a difficult process for something that is an imperative part of horse riding. Here are some easy tips:

• Place your saddle on a saddle rack, preferably a moveable one that you can put in your garage or outside where you can work on it.
• Keep a new saddle in good condition and prevent it from darkening by lightly wetting and wringing out a soft dust-free cloth and wiping the entire saddle. Wipe off any excess water and allow the saddle to dry naturally.
• Use a little extra elbow grease for older saddles. With a sponge, apply glycerin saddle soap to the entire saddle. Work soap in circular motions on smooth surfaces.
• Use a soft-bristle toothbrush to clean basketweave and intricate scrollwork on the saddle.
• Wipe soap from the saddle using a damp towel. Lightly dry saddle with a clean, soft, dust-free cloth.
• Twist both fenders of a Western saddle to the outside and place a broomstick through both stirrups to help keep the proper form; let the saddle dry naturally.
• Use the same materials for the rest of your tack.