What did you do today?

[hihobaron]

Nanno pid='7891' dateline='1447439395']Cool photo! I too have driven horses both in teams and in a single hitch. I owned a horse carriage business for two years and conducted carriage rides around the historic downtown area in Lake City, CO. My horse harnesses have work collars, so I've never driven with team breast collar harnesses, but I've been thinking about how to fabricate a piece I can attach the yoke to that won't weigh down the goats' necks. The neck strap is fairly wide and sits right in front of the withers, which is the same place where a work collar rests. If I can hook a strap into that where it can't slide forward then I don't think the yoke will be too heavy for the goats. I could even make a pad for the neck strap if necessary. A properly fabricated yoke and pole should not weigh very much. I also need to make a pole strap that attaches from the yoke to the breeching. I can repurpose the holdback straps into quarter straps. I tried attaching my two goats by the ring on the breeching, but it didn't do any good because I don't have pole and quarter straps to hold the breeching in place when the goats decide to turn and face me. All they did was pull the breeching off! I'll get it sorted eventually. I have lots of scrap nylon and a good sewing machine. I'm sure I can fabricate something. I'll need to buy some hardware first, though.    

I've been daydreaming about how I would design the "ultimate" harness. The stage coach harnesses I bought for my horse carriage business are awesome--they are fully convertible from a team harness into two complete single harnesses. If I could get the same harness in breast collar style for my goats I would! The only other thing I would do differently from that harness is that I would not have buckle-in hold down straps on the shaft loops. I would use wrap-around style hold downs so the shaft loops could be repurposed into trace carriers in the team set-up. The less spare parts and pieces floating around the better!

Hello Nanno
So I take it Limited " Horse references"  are OK here :)
I also have done some time in the Carriage Trade. So we have common ground there too.
Back to goat Harness Ideas.
I can remember (through the fog of time) Seeing some sort of light chain and NO Neck Yoke rig on Fine Harness Carriage Driving with either Saddlebreds or Maybe Walking Horses, Possibly Morgans.
You could substitute nylon rope or web straps for chain.???
I to have had the experience of the team turning around in harness and facing you with the britching  hanging between them. (Horses)
I have driven Unicorn hitches and they are in my opinion the hardest to drive as you can fold back that lead animal alongside the wheel team and get into a wreck real fast.

On a wet cold night up there.
Look up the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin "The Great Circus Parade"
I worked with a 13 horse Tandum hitch there for 4 years. PERCHERON DRAFT Nothing under 2000 pounds in that hitch.
What you want to look for though is they had a couple goat hitches in the Parade too, One if memory serves was 20 goats.
They had some Clown Carts with single and teams of goats too.
I know they have many historical pictures that they will research for you related to Goats in the Circus over the years might give you some ideas..

In the mean time enjoy the following of my Wagonet and one of my horses that knows how to drive well.

It has been a while since he was last driven, I thing from the picture he might need a refresher course in driving 101

Enjoy

Happy Trails
hihobaron