My Harness

I see ponyplay as bondage with a purpose. Right from the early days I strove to ensure that I am unable to release myself from my harness. An advantage of being able to make it myself is that I do not need any 'adjusting' buckles, only those actually required to hold it on. This is particularly noticeable on the bridle, where 'off the shelf' ones have 1" or so buckles all over them - mine has only two 1/2" ones to fasten the chin strap. It also needed to be comfortable as I hoped to be wearing it for long periods.

This is a picture of me on the farm in Wales soon after I started playing pony. I had made a bondage belt some time before, and simply modified it - the crotch cover is from a Fetters belt. The attachments for the shafts were made from 22mm copper 'T' joints and brass end stops. The end of the shafts were pushed in and a brass pin passed vertically through the lot. It was a pretty elegant idea, but unfortunately I was the only one using it.

My collar I made from 16g aluminium, covered with thin leather and lined with the same leather as the belt. It is held closed with four dome head bolts into a brass plate. It is very comfortable, and I wore it for the four days we were there with no problem. I was also held very securely in the stable at night by it.

The bridle is pretty much the one that I still use, although I have added to it a bit. I decided right at the start that I should be able to wear it with or without the bit, and that is how it turned out - a variety of bits can be used as long as they have rings at the end. There are poppers to attach a blindfold, and the fancy frontpiece has straws stuck on the back to take feather plumes and the like.

Finally I have standard anklets with rings for hobbling, and am also wearing a Fetters single arm glove.

As can be seen (just) in the second picture, the only thing that had changed by Whiplash '97 is the crotch cover. The main component of it is a plastic cricket box covered with thin leather. I think it looks a lot tidier, and it is still part of my harness. Also still in use are the mitts secured behind my back.

	By Whiplash '98 my harness was practically in it's current form. The major change here is that I replaced the shoulder straps with a yoke. The problem with the straps was that they would ride up the shoulders and pinch my skin against my collar, resulting in very sore red marks. The yoke also spreads the weight of the shafts better than straps, especially when pulling up hill. The decorations, by the way, are fancy gold coloured door handles - unfortunately they do not seem to be available now. The back view shows how the ends of the mitts are clipped to the elbow cuffs and the wrist straps are clipped to the harness, so they are well supported for long-term play.
	My bit is a modified snaffle. I cut the simple joint from the centre and made a brass cylindrical swivel. As can just be seen in the picture, the bit is held in the mouth by the large rings, while a strap connects the top ring to the bridle just above the ears. The reins attach to the lower rings, passing through 'D' rings on my shoulders. When the right rein is pulled, the top ring gets stopped by the strap and the right half of the bit is pulled back - because of the central swivel the left side hardly moves. The shoulder rings help to give a slight outward pull, and this makes the arrangement very sensitive.

An important addition to my kit was the army boots with a really good sole. I added ankle straps with 'D' rings, which can be used to hobble, or as at Petweek, to fix bells to.

Another essential item is the pony blanket, because you can feel quite cold standing around immediately after a hard trot, even in mild conditions .

Finally, this is my last but one collar. It is mild steel covered with thin leather on a thicker leather base, which can just be made out. It is quite deep, in the style of a posture collar (I read too many Gord books!) and is fine while I am upright. However, the first night at Petweek 2000 I found it was totally impractical to sleep in, because it is almost impossible to bend the head sideways. I have made a new one out of aluminium that is not as high.

The name plate is 1/8" thick brass. I printed the words and stuck them on the brass, then worked round the letters with a small electric drill and burr used for engraving glass - it took ages. I sprayed it black and then cleaned the paint from the letters with emery paper. Not perfect, but I think it adds a nice touch to the outfit.

Here you see an addition to my tack that I made just in time for the SM Pride March 2002 through central London. It is a muzzle that can be fitted or taken off without removing the bit, using the same poppers that hold my blinkers on, and is something I have wanted ever since seeing one in the Pony Girl videos years ago. I think it serves to both enhance the appearance of the harness and provide a degree of disguise which I wanted for the march. The purple and yellow feathers are the colours of PonyPrideUK, since I was driven by Mistress Delta, the founder of the group.

On the right is my tail. While at Petweek, Kai Becker, the German guy that organises it, brought along a bunch of genuine horse tails. I bought two - at four pounds each. OK. I had to clean them, sort them, and finally make a support for them, but I think the result is magnificent!

Not exactly harness, but I thought some of you might like to see my feeding station. As mentioned before, I like to stay in role for the duration of activities, so I have to be fed! The platform was originally designed to fit onto a fold-up tubular framed seat that forms part of a picnic table set. I simply cut a right-angle piece out of each end so that it sits on the hitching rail at De Ferre. The bowls are meant for pets. However, you will notice that the one on the left has a green bottom to it. I cut a plastic plate to size and glued it in place to make the bowl shallower - water was no problem, but my tongue is not long enough to eat from it 'as is'. Not too visible is a 1/8th inch plywood strip fitted along the length of the platform to locate the bowls so that they stay in place as I eat.