# Is a back pad necessary on a team?



## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

When it comes to driving harness with the breast plate, I can understand why the back saddle is necessary for a single harness. Without it the shafts would not be able to be used for steering because there would be nothing to hold them. 

Fast forward to a team harness, and I can't figure out the purpose of the back pads. They go around the horse and the only things that fasten to them is the over check and the back strap to the crupper. The breeching hangs off of that back strap....... 

Especially on miniature horses, because they are so short, why have a back pad at all on a team? the crupper strap can run from the neck strap to the crupper and the breeching hangs off it, with the hold backs running to the martingale without a girth. A team harness on a pair of miniatures looks so cluttered that you can't even see the horse. Why can't one not use a back pad??? what do you think??


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

What do I think? I think you are far too new to horses and harnesses to be reinventing the wheel.
The backpad connects to the belly band and together keep the tugs in place and the correct angle of the collar. The belly band holds the back straps in place that run up to the whiffle tree.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

I have no experience with driving harness, but 40 years with horses and a lot of that was working draft horses in the woods and gardens

. I know what the back pad does when it is used with a collar and hames, but I don't see the traces attaching to the belly band in most breast harness, but I just thought I would ask what it's job is.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

As haypoint mentioned, if there's a strap running beneath the horse, a belly-band is required to keep it snug to the horse at all times, to prevent his getting a leg through it. Easiest way to keep a belly-band in place is with a back pad. But it can be done other ways.

This is called a Y-back harness. It was commonly used in the arid wheat-producing eastern portion of my state. It is thought to keep the horse cooler.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Here's another shot.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

If your pair breastcollar harness is the kind that is more of a "side-backer" style of harness (where the britchen is connected alongside the horse directly to the breastcollar), then I guess technically you could do away with the back pad and belly band. I haven't done much pair breastcollar driving. Goodhors would undoubtedly have more insight on that topic.

It seems to me, however, that if the trace was unsupported by the back pad, it would place *more* strain on the neck/withers strap when driving a pair. In a cart, the traces might go straight back from the breastcollar to the singletree, which is often mounted quite high on the cart. But in a pair, your singletree is often lower, down by the axle of the vehicle. If the traces went straight from the breastcollar down to the evener of the vehicle, that would be putting a lot of strain on the neck/withers strap.

I forget... are we talking about a hypothetical harness or do you have your team breastcollar harness yet?


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

I am having the harness built at a harness shop. So far I have only purchased the team breast collars. I can only afford so much at a time

I priced the back pads and cruppers, but they are about 500$ for the set...... that is what got me wondering. The fellow said that that the back pad is the most expensive part of a harness, because of the amount of work that goes into it.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

I'd believe that. Out of curiosity, though, are you pricing gig saddles for fine driving or just the work harness type back pad?

These are definitely expensive:



















But these (in the image of the spotted parade harness below) can be made relatively inexpensively. Well, maybe not compared to simple strap goods like the rest of the harness is made of.










These types of back pads are not meant to be load-bearing. I have seen people improvise cart shafts onto this kind of back pad, with disastrous results and scarring. With care and caution, a draft horse could carry a well-balanced cart with this kind of back pad, but it isn't advised.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

He priced it both ways. They were about a hundred dollars difference for the pair. The back pad ones that he priced were leather with felt under them. Because there are no hame rings, I need the terrets on the pad for the reins.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Oh, heck. Yeah, I'd forgotten you would need the line terrets. Well, shoot.


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## goodhors (Sep 6, 2011)

Can you get us a photo of what backpad the Harness Maker is talking about? Jenni put up good photos, but maybe what you are talking about is quite different. 

That Gig saddle new, is about $1800, all by itself. I am sure it is NOT what you are talking about.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Last Tuesday, I watched hundreds of horse harnesses sell at auction for $50.00 to $2000. Lots of choices. They have a Draft Horse auction twice a year. Topeka Indiana. Also several driving horse auctions each year. Lots of different styles to see. Also, several harness makers on site selling harness.


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## minister man (Jan 14, 2007)

I found a Canadian harness shop that has cheaper parts. 

http://www.aaronmartin.com/product.php?cat_id=2602&catview=231&submit=View

I don't have any pictures of what the other fellow was building. The only thing is my new breast plates and traces are leather, and these are granite, but that probably won't make much difference.

Here is another place, this one is within driving distance of home. I know that this is a single harness, but I have the team breast plates, and if I bought two of these the only things I would be missing would be the hold backs, to the girth and the martingles. It would be cheaper I think, but nylon. http://www.ronshorseharness.com/product/liberty-miniature-single-nylon-horse-harness/


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