06/21/2024
Hello everyone I just wanted to introduce myself this is Jeff Merschdorf owner and operator of Otter Run Harness/Leather & Fur. I’ll tell you a little about myself and how I got into horses and harness making. Well it all started, LOL😂😂😅, back when I was a kid and I had a love for horses and I knew one day I would own one or two, I didn’t get my first horse until I was in my early thirties and it was a Haflinger mare that was given to me. She looked like a small Belgian work horse only 12 hands high. Ha Ha But I imagined her dressed out in a harness and working pulling something so I started on the hunt for a harness and I ended up by the Amish harness maker not far from here and got to know him and he had an old sewing machine that was hand powered, converted, and he sold it to me then I was off and running, that was over 20 years ago, don’t ask me where the time went😜😅. Since then I have been accumulating sewing machines like crazy and am still in the market for a medium leather machine but for now I will get by with the seven or so machines I have.😁 I ended up giving up my Haflingers after only having them for @9 years , I ended up with about 5 at one point, and didn’t have horses for a few years, my choice, but got them again about ten years ago when I purchased my first two Norwegian Fjords, how I ended up with them is a story for another time. So of course I did some research on Fjords and took interest in the harnesses they used in Norway and said that someday I will have one like that. Well I had to make it myself cuz believe me I searched the internet looking for one and the only place I found was in Norway and they were quite pricy. It took me a few years to accumulate all the woodworking tools I needed to make the wooden parts and also welders and a forge to make the iron parts, luckily I already had experience with leather working so I knew where to get the rest of the supplies I needed. And now here I am today able to make an authentic Norwegian Bogtre harness to sell to you. A little bit about the Norwegian harness it is weight wise quite a bit lighter than our traditional harnesses we have here and much easier to put on your horse with not having to worry about a collar as it is all built into one with what we would call the hames. Is it an all around good harness to have? Well for a single horse pulling a cart or sleigh it is fantastic and with minimal conversion to your existing equipment. If you wanted to drive double then you would have to make up a set of shafts that look like a trident which can be researched on how to make and you would be all set. Also I can make tugs with heel chains that snap onto the main pulling ring and you could use our traditional equipment the way it is. For all who are interested I encourage you to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have. And thank you everyone for all your support!! And very special thanks to all my Norwegian friends that have helped me over the years with pictures of their harnesses , your all Awesome!!😁👍🏽❤️🐴
