# WHat are the curved metal squares on the cart end of the traces???



## lillie (Oct 26, 2009)

i recently purchased some new harness, and it has the same metal square bits that you mention in the first part of your post. i too, would like to know about these, as i have no idea how they would attatch to the swingle tree.


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

without seeing a pic of the trace ends it sounds like they were made with a differant type of trace hook in mind and the extra leather is just decorative some one may have put the nylon on to feed trace lines through its hard to say without a pic


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## lillie (Oct 26, 2009)

type in dhf equine on searchbar, when you get to thier site, type in traces in search , and thier is a picture of the ones i have ( sorry i dont know how to do a link to it on here)


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

went on there and would you believe traces were the only pic that would,ent load up ,their other driving items don,t seem dear,but it looks to be paki leather ,[starts off fittin a shetland ]and stretches to a shire,but i suppose it would do for light driving


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## lillie (Oct 26, 2009)

it isnt the harness i bought jimmy, but i just typed it into computer, and thats what it came up with, and it looks the same fitting as the traces i have; think your right tho- that cheap it is probably indian, because the traces were priced at 31 pounds! do you have safety release on your traces? because i think it might be a fitting that couples to a safety release clip?


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

yes lillie,quite possible you would fit a quick release clip to it,1 set of harness i have fasten the same as barefoothooves,holes punched into the leather,the other ones have a swivel and chain attached ,the end of the chain looping into the trace hooks


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## lillie (Oct 26, 2009)

thanks jimmy,yep, i have always used the ones with a teardrop slot cut into the leather. i keep meaning to go up the road to ask a woman who i know that uses safety release hooks, if i can have a look at her traces, but you know how it is-shes never around when i am. i just keep using my old pair instead.


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## jimmy (Aug 26, 2009)

lillie said:


> it isnt the harness i bought jimmy, but i just typed it into computer, and thats what it came up with, and it looks the same fitting as the traces i have; think your right tho- that cheap it is probably indian, because the traces were priced at 31 pounds! do you have safety release on your traces? because i think it might be a fitting that couples to a safety release clip?


 i meant asian leather being a dinasaur i sometimes forget to be p.c haha


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## barefoothooves (Sep 6, 2007)

Found out what the squares are, they are for double (teams)hitch harnesses, so the traces must have come from a different harness, but the information I found was about how to hitch a team of carriage horses (With collars and hames, instead of the breaststrap). Normally, the breast strap harness has the holes punched in the traces.

And yes, the nylon straps are for running the traces through along the shaft. 

Thanks guys.


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## lillie (Oct 26, 2009)

thank you, barefoothooves! i bought my traces as a complete harness set for a single horse , and the person on the company end of the phone asked me whether i used safety clips or conventional, i said conventional, so when it arrived i just put it down to a mistake on her part; didnt bother to see about exchanging the traces as i have several sets anyway. thought i would sell them eventually, so at least now i know what they are for


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