Zilco breeching for ZGB and Elite harness, complete with hip straps. Breeching straps not included but available separately.
Breeching is essentially part of the braking system for the harness. It is fitted around the rear end of the horse. As the horse slows, it uses the breeching to provide a means with which to hold the vehicle from running on.
Breeching is not generally used on leader horses (in tandem or team), as this function is taken care of by the wheeler horses. Some drivers also choose not to use breeching where the vehicle is very light and/or has very efficient braking systems – particularly on modern vehicles with disk brakes.
The ZGB breeching is a heavy duty style with double hip straps for improved stability.
- Smooth padding 80mm (3.5″) wide
- Double hip straps 16mm (3/4″) for cob 25mm (1″) for full and xfull, to allow better adjustment & stability across different breeds
Cob Size: Length: 121cm (48″)
Full Size: Length: 132cm (52″)
XFull Size: Length: 142cm (56″)
What is the Breeching?
The seat of the breeching is the wide strap which passes around the horses bottom to allow breaking. It is attached to the vehicle via breeching straps and the height is adjusted via the loin or hip straps.
It is very important that the breeching is in the correct position. If it is too high, a consequence of the hip straps being too short, the seat of the breeching may slip over the point of the buttock and lodge under the dock. This would most likely happen when you were traveling downhill and would lead to the horse being placed in a great deal of pain and potentially running from this pain down the hill. If it is too low, the seat of the breeching will be putting pressure too far down the leg where the horse is unable to support the weight of the vehicle. This may cause him to slip or run to get away from the discomfort.
To set the breeching seat to the correct height look for the widest part (point of buttock) and narrowest part (approx a fist above the hock) and set the breeching roughly in the middle of those two points. If you are still unsure you should contact a professional who can assist you.
