Harness Construction Our harnesses are available in a combination of polypropylene, nylon, and Biothane webbing. The three types of webbing and their applications are: Polypropylene Web
Nylon Web
Biothane Web
Colors Please click here to view our colors. Eyelets
Extra Wears
Hardware All our harnesses are made with solid brass or nickeled-and-chromed brass hardware, increasing the life of the webbing and of the harness. Non-rusting hardware must be used with nylon, polypropylene, and Biothane webbing to prevent deterioration of the webbing at the hardware. Stainless steel hardware is available for an additional cost. |
Polypropylene is a by-product of the oil
industry. It begins in pre-colored chip form, and then is melted down,
spun into thread, and woven into webbing. Polypropylene webs are
color-fast and have a tensile strength of 700 lbs. per inch of width.
Several of our harness designs use primarily polypropylene, as it is
lightweight, versatile, and inexpensive. We have found that multiple
layers stitched together provide sufficient strength.
Nylon webbing is used as the primary
webbing in our No. 2 Combination Harness, as well as for all harness parts
requiring extra strength. The tensile strength of the nylon we use ranges
from 850 to 2,000 lbs. per inch of width. Parts constructed out of nylon
webbing generally include hame and quarter straps, nylon/leather style
lines, and most bridle parts.
Biothane webbing consists of plastic
coated nylon with a shiny finish that resembles patent leather. It has a
slight rubbery texture, making it a popular material for lines. Biothane
webbing is similar in rigidity to leather, but remains flexible in cold
weather. Bio therefore produces a sturdy harness that is heavier than
nylon/polypropylene harness. The tensile strength of Biothane webbing is
2,000 lbs. per inch of width, making it ideal for heavy-duty traces and
super tough harness parts. Biothane webbing is more expensive than the
other webs, but makes a strong, elegant harness that is easy to clean and
wears well.
All our harnesses come with solid brass or
nickeled brass eyelets. Eyelets add to both the strength and the overall
attractiveness of the harness. 
We sew Biothane wears under certain pieces
of hardware to prevent the hardware from chafing the horse. We also add
extra layers of webbing around each piece of hardware to minimize the wear
of the webbing.