WHY IS OUR DISTANCE HARNESS BEST CHOICE OF A HARNESS FOR SKIJORING, BIKEJORING OR CANICROSS?

The Distance Harness works better for skijoring than the standard sled dog harness. The line angle between the dog and the skijorer (or biker, runner) is steeper than the line angle between a dog team and a sled. When a skijoring line is connected to a typical X-back harness, the steeper angle will cause a lifting force on the harness (see picture bellow). The design of the Distance Harness creates a flatter line angle and the dog's pull force is more evenly distributed.

A picture of a skijorer and her dogs wearing X-back harnesses. Notice the lifting and twisting of the X-back harness on the dog on the right, resulting in uneven pull force distribution 

Dogs wearing our Distance Harnesses - no lifting!!!

Development of the Distance Harness

The Distance Harness (originally known as the Guard Harness) was first designed as a walking harness. After it's introduction to the market the Police Department of the Czech Republic became interested in it. They needed a harness with more even distributed pull force and they worked closely with ManMat (the manufacurer) on slightly changing the original harness design to meet their needs - especially the needs of guard/attack dogs ( that's where the name of the harness came from  - Guard). At the present the Czech Army also uses these harnesses on their dogs.

After some more testing, we started recommending the Distance Harness for use in bikejoring. The harness proved to be a better choice for this discipline than the X back harness. the line angle between the dog and the bicycle is steeper than line angle between a dog team and sled. When the line is connected to an X back harness, the steeper angle will cause a lifting force on the harness. The design of the Distance Harness creates a flatter angle and the dog's pull force is more evenly distributed.

After a few other small design changes, the Distance Harness quickly became popular among skijorers. Similar skijoring harness design (harness reaches only half way down the dog's back) has been used for years in Scandinavia.  Most competitive Scandinavian skijorers prefer this kind of harness design because it gives the dog more "freedom to move". European race courses are often very hilly. The top racers are exceptional athletes, often better than their dogs. Often  the dog ends up running along side the skier (or even behind him, especially going down hill full speed or going up hill).  That's when this special harness design really becomes superior to other designs. The Scandinavian type of skijoring harness was first introduced to the U.S. public at the 2001 IFSS World Championship in Fairbanks, Alaska. After that the sales or our Distance Harness really "took off". This harness soon became popular as a roading harness for hunting dogs.

The Distance Harness is being successfully used by Iditarod Champion Jeff King. The use of this harness design in long distance mushing has great potential and has attracted the attention of the large distance community.

In the 2003 Iditarod (the first year Jeff used the Distance harness during the race) Jeff King arrived in White Mountain with 12 dogs, his highest number ever. Further up the trail, his daughter Cali still had 14 dogs, the largest team left in the race. King credits the lack of injuries to the use of the Distance Harness. The harness pulls from up by the shoulders, rather than from the rear. Unlike the X - back harness, it only reaches half way down the dog's back, which eliminates the pressure a standard harness puts on the dog's hips (a common "sore spot" for distance dogs).  Because the harness puts less downward pressure on the dog's hindquarters, it helps to eliminate ankle problems in the rear legs. In addition to that, the harness design minimizes the occurrence of shoulder and wrist injuries. Distance Harness can rotate freely around the animal's torso. Once the team starts pulling, the harnesses of dogs on the right side of the gangline roll to the left, closer to the gangline, making dogs run straighter. The harness with it's floating tugline connection allows the dog to run without crabbing outward. Crabbing is often a cause for a front leg, wrist and shoulder injury. A wrist injury is the most common injury that takes dogs out of a long distance race. Dogs tend to trot more with these harnesses on. 

A quote from Jeff King at Eagle Island during the 2003 Iditarod:

“I am confident I have some dogs in this team that would not have made it here without them (the harnesses).”

 The Guard Harness design is protected by a certificate of registration issued by the Office Of Industrial Copyright of the Czech Republic no. 13225/ 2003 - 14028 / MPT B 68 G 11 / 02. Reproduction of this design is prohibited.

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