The two horses hitched to this Omnibus (New York, c. 1900) must’ve been been awfully good boys. There seem to be some pieces missing from their harness, as they have neither saddles (the part that goes around the horse’s midsection, where a riding saddle would go) nor breeching (the part that goes around the horse’s hindquarters and that helps him stop the vehicle).
I’ve seen old photos of work harness without saddles, and it was not uncommon for pair and team harness to lack breeching. But I think this is the first photo I’ve seen with just collars and traces, and nothing else.
The Slower Road 
August 13, 2012 at 1:23 pm
In front of the Mark Cross showroom!
August 14, 2012 at 1:13 pm
It is not uncommon to harness without breeching. The simplest form is collar and traces. Anything else was added for safety and control of whatever object is being drawn behind the horse. Oxen are often used with only a yoke.
June 15, 2015 at 8:46 pm
I have seen this unit in action at Perryville a few times. I have to support the photos 100 %. It is really simple physics in that the only horses directly attached to the Limber and Gun are the Wheel Horses and therefore the breeching harness. When coming to a halt it is these two that slow the limber. The other four horses are not directly connected because of the design of the limber. They were there to move the gun forward and maneuver in the field. In comparison a Concord Stage Coach had two rigid tongues supported by four of six horses. They required four in order to slow over a ton of forward moving weight. It is also the difference between military and civilian thought. Military design tended to be based on utility before comfort whereas civilian design was based on comfort and efficiency.