Miniature horses are becoming very popular. Although minis cannot be ridden, many owners like to drive their pint-sized equines. We enjoy adapting "big horse" designs to fit miniatures.
The owner provided 23 lightweight stamped-egg bells and asked that they be made into two bell straps for her pair of driving mares. This particular set of bells had been made by W.E. Barton, an innovative bell maker in the mid 1800s.
There were really only enough bells to make a full-length body strap for one mini -- not two. To make the most of the 23 bells I had to work with, I adapted an old Norwegian design for this project.
This Norwegian "back" strap, as I call it, lies across the back of the horse. Each end of the bell strap buckles onto the shaft or trace. Because a back strap needs only half of the bells required for a full body strap, I was able to use just 11 bells on each back strap with success.
This particular item is a custom, one-of-a-kind project made for a past client. Items in this Custom Projects section are for information only; they are not available for regular sale.
