Flexible traverse

The flexible traverse is a horse-friendly solution for harnessing a pair alongside the pole.
Up to now only two options were available for harnessing a pair alongside the front of the pole:
• with pole straps or
• with a metal crossbar
Using pole straps gives the pole so much latitude that the shaft could lash out against the heads or bits of the horses and the pole gets rather long since it has to protrude the horses by at least 15 cm. A metal crossbar prevents the shaft from lashing out but the freedom of movement is confined and pushes, when in a specific position, the emergency lock against the horse's breast.

The metal crossbar is pretty heavy and rattles (noise) which causes the breast harness to suffer a lot too.
The flexible traverse is not heavier than the ordinary front end of a pole and its flexibility bars rattling (no wear on the breast harness). When turning, the horse at the inside will get more space and the horse at the outside will get less.

Other plus-points are:
- shorter harnessing: pole -15 cm
- less weight
- horses have more freedom of movement
- shaft cannot lash out, horse friendly
- No seeking pole, it rests perfectly still between the horses and makes the carriage a lot steadier.

The flexible traverse has been tested by several drivers, among them Henk van der Wiel, who did not spare his praise for this equipment.