# How long does it take to harness a horse?



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Looking at all of the parts of a harness, I started wondering how long it takes to actually get a horse harnessed up. Does it depend in part on whether you're using a neck collar or a breast collar? It just seems like it would take forever, but I'm sure once you get the hang of it, it doesn't, right?


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## Cerceify (Jan 11, 2021)

ACinATX said:


> Looking at all of the parts of a harness, I started wondering how long it takes to actually get a horse harnessed up. Does it depend in part on whether you're using a neck collar or a breast collar? It just seems like it would take forever, but I'm sure once you get the hang of it, it doesn't, right?


I keep most of my harness intact. Fifteen minutes ?


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Less than 3. 

It will depend on the harness, the number of couplings and adjustments, how well you horse stands, how is your harness kept, as in is it ready to be put on or do you have to sort it before placing it?

Also depends on the person harnessing. What you consider part of harnessing - grooming, passing a rag over the harness, hitching....


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Less than three minutes? Awesome! No, I wouldn't consider that other stuff part of harnessing. I think hitching is probably a whole other thing.


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## AragoASB (Jul 12, 2020)

Back when I was an 18 year old idiot 'kid' I bought a harness and a two wheeled cart. So I broke Tamar to drive by first leading her around in the bridle with blinkers. Then with the full harness with no sulky attached. Then I started dragging scary things behind like cans and folding chairs while I rode her in all this and she got used to it. So when the sulky was finally hitched with the two shafts she was pretty OK and I would drive her aound in a big fenced church parking lot across the road.This took about a week. I found that a sulky is not that great of a way to travel compared to riding. It is jerky with their strides and the view is of their hindquarters and the pooping. The ultimate drive was to the Baskin Robins ice cream store. Tamar was wearing a flowered straw hat and she got a green pistachio icecream cone. After that I did not drive her anymore. We were probably lucky to still be alive.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

When Sis first started with the Mini it took a lot of time as all the harness had to be sorted and fitted to him and we were new at it, I had harnessed work horses when I was a teen but not since then.
now it only takes about 10 to 15 min depending on how much grooming feet care is involved. Everything is set as far as the buc;kles are concerned. then two or three min to hook up to the cart outside.;


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Once you are used to your set up then you pick up speed. The harness is hung where we groom and in the order it is put on. The hooks were fashioned so collar hung on top, then harness and there was a small hook for the bridle. I would just put that on the hames though as it would get tangled in the harness the way the hook was set. The harness was hung front to back ad that was how removed and then put on back to front and everything connected.


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