Can you believe it’s been five months since we’ve updated the herd at all? Sorry about that! It was a busy summer after the Boston Pride Parade, and not in the fun way. Fortunately, we’re back just in time for hayride season with an all-new DIY project: Building a Load-Bearing Nylon Pony Harness!
After our first cart-pulling experience in March, our resident engineering pony, Tsaro, has been putting what we learned to good use. The result has been a complete redesign of our original nylon harnesses, this time with much prettier hardware and attention to comfort and weight distribution. The entire piece is designed around an off-the-shelf climbing harness, so many parts of this build are good enough to literally lift a pony off the ground. And with all those shiny steel accents, it’ll look good in a parade or in front of a team of friends.
Check out the entire process with TONS of photos at https://flutterspony.com/resources/diy/build-a-load-bearing-nylon-harness/
Form And Function
Personally, I’m fond of the halter rings at the shoulders and chest… all those jingly bits are just too much fun. They’re also functional as well! One thing we learned while pulling in Seattle was how reins are threaded for a multi-pony team. The shoulder loops aren’t just decorative, they keep the reins in place for directing the lead horses.
While Tsaro and I are of average build, this harness design can work for all body types. It’s adjustable, too, so you can loan it to a friend (or gain or lose a few pounds) and still feel that snug fit of straps all over.
The entire harness can be made for about a hundred bucks using just a sewing machine, scissors, a lighter, and a handful of hardware you can order online. While we’d love to do a write-up on making a leather harness… well, neither Tsaro nor I have any experience in that area. I know there are more experienced builders here in the Boston area, though, so if you’d like to share a how-to with the community, please let us know via email or in the comments!
