In this second installment we present to you a few more harness designs, including some specialty harnesses, as well as two that were directly developed by Iditarod winners. Each harness maker and designer has specific goals in mind when creating their product. It is important to talk to them and find the one that best fits your type of dog and its activity.NordkynX-backThis is a time-tested design which is based on a regular x-back harness. The one unique feature of this harness is the sliding neoprene “X” where the top webbing crosses over. This allows the harness to compensate for different dogs, and for the off-center pull of standard gangline hitches. NordkynFreightingThis traditional harness is used for weight-pulling, sledding, and heavy-duty hauling. Frequently it is also used in wheel position, as the low-draft hitch is more level with the gangline. The harness comes with a wooden spreader kit, which can be trimmed to fit – slightly wider than the rear of the dog.www.nordkyn.comNooksackSplit Chest X-backThis harness, shown with fleece padding, but also available with nylon covered foam was developed to stay centered on more houndy type dogs which may have more prominent breast bones. This is a racing weight harness, which means it is very lightweight but strong and able to shed water quickly. NooksackLightweightStandard X-backThese harnesses weigh under 4 ounces, yet are made of 1000 lb. test polypropylene webbing. The breast plate is made in an unusual way with the webbing sewn together diagonally in strips, which allows the breast plate to lay flatter than other designs.www.nooksack.com Alpine OutfittersSprint Racing X-backCombining durability and light-weight wear, the Alpine Sprint Racing Harness is perfect for limited and open class sprint mushers. The harness has a form fitting chest piece that helps keep the harness in place even at high speeds and the lightweight webbing adapts better to the dog’s shape while running. Padding extends to the tail of the dog.www.alpineoutfitters.netReshaX-back FeatherweightLightweight and waterproof. Light but substantial, made with1500 lb. test nylon webbing, padded with durable closed cell foam padding wrapped with waterproof nylon material. All materials are waterproof and flexible in below freezing temperatures, even if wet. A nice touch on this harness is the reinforcement of the tug loop area with heavier duty nylon webbing. Many tug loops can fray the webbing at this spot. Resha Adjustable FreightStrong Siwash style designed for freighting and weight pulling.Hardwood spreader and steel ring hook-up. Heavily padded neck is set size according to dog’s weight. Neck to base, back straps, and base length straps are all adjustable to provide for the ultimate in proper fit, as well as allowing for changes in size and adjustment to level of pull. This harness is a Resha original and has proven highly successful.www.reshaequip.comMountain Ridge DistanceThis X-back harness is designed for maximum comfort for the working dog! The original design is 1” nylon webbing with a 5000 lb break strength which keeps the overall stretching to a minimum. The padding is triple thick 300 weight fleece covered with a waterproof nylon padded oxford fabric that runs all the way back to the tail. It is also available in race weight webbing with a 1900 lb break strength and the same great padding. Mountain RidgeLightweight RacingThis Race Weight Harness is an X-back style with padding that extends all the way to the end of the rib cage for maximum comfort, Made with 1900 lb test 1”nylon webbing and padded with closed cell foam that is covered with a durable nylon oxford waterproof fabric. The tug ropes are color coded to the size of the harness and graduated for an easy fit into the gangline. www.mtnridge.comTaiga – Seavey style This harness resembles a traditional collared neck H-back harness. The rear portion has been lengthened and fitted with a harness spreader with only loose elastic straps over the dog’s back. The allows the traces or “sidestraps” of the harness to ride lower on the sides of the dog’s hips, providing a straight line from the point of draft to the load, regardless of terrain or gait. Power is increased, as all pulling is straight forward, not angled. Crabbing is also decreased and harness rub is minimized. The dog’s hips are free from downward pressure and the spreader allows the rear portion of the harness to only lightly brush the sides of the hips. Taiga – Buser styleFor everyone curious about Martin Buser’s harness modification, here it is. We have added a 1” O-ring to the shoulder portion of the harness. This harness is the best of both worlds as hook up can be either “traditional”, or “shoulder style”. With the shoulder hook-up, the performance is similar to the new shorter style harnesses. The back portion of the harness and the tug simply ride on the dog’s back. All tugs have been shortened to make sure the tug stays up on the dog’s back when it is free. Benefits of this harness are the versatility, reduction of harness rub, consistency and familiarity of sizing.www.mushingsupplies.com
