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I bought my driving harness from Plas Equestrian based in Camarthenshire. By doing this I am supporting skilled and traditional, local craftswomen, and I also get quality harness which will last and last - important in our throwaway society where so much stuff is not made to last and is made abroad.
I bought my work harness from Aaron Martin who are based in Canada. I did struggle a bit with this decision as I wanted to use a more local craftsperson and also English leather. In the end though I knew that I didn't want to spend hours every night after a hard day of work cleaning my harness, and I can't afford a stablehand! I know that Aaron Martin make really good quality harness at a reasonable price and I am still supporting a traditional trade, albeit in Canada. Many other working horse people use Aaron Martin. The only problem (apart from the distance) is the high import duties, but I can't find anyone comparable in price closer to home. I also use an Old English ploughing collar occasionally. These are hard to come by, and in a good condition, but I feel like they are the most comfortable collar for a horse to work in being so soft and pliable.
Carnog Working Horses has equipment for tree felling, snedding and cross-cutting with chainsaws (NPTC CS30, CS31 and CS32.) Other equipment and operators can be brought in for larger tasks as required. Carnog uses either a timber arch or a basic swingle tree and traces set-up for pulling timber. The latter is pretty much the best thing to have on a steep, inaccessible slope.
For the control of bracken, Carnog Working Horses use an award-winning roller (photo, left) to bruise the stems and knock the plant flat to the ground. It slowly 'bleeds' the bracken to death. Depending on how vigorous the plant is and how dense the growth is, the bracken can be eradicated by one or two repeat treatments.
Carnog Working Horses has invested in some Scandinavian harness, for using the timber arch and soon the bracken roller. Made of leather and wood, this harness is truly fine quality from Tarnsjo in Sweden which should last for years. The design is particularly good for the horse if it is working in shafts, keeping the weight off its spine with the specially designed backpads.