Breaststrap
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A breaststrap is a type of horse harness. It uses a wide padded leather strap going horizontally across the horses' breast, which attaches to the traces and thence to the load.
This contrasts with the other main type of harness, the collar and hames harness.
The breaststrap harness (also called breastcollar or breastplate) is used only for lighter hauling, since it places the weight of the load on the sternum of the horse and the nearby windpipe. This is not the heaviest skeletal area; also heavy loads can constrict the windpipe and reduce the horses air supply.
By contrast, the collar and hames harness places the weight of the load onto the horses shoulders, and without any restriction on the air supply.
