Adaptive Equipment

Five Point Harness »

A five point harness attached to a beautiful whicker carriage allowing the driver to be secured even in a unmodified carriage.

Loop Reins »

These loop reins can be made by both Smuckers and Hunt Harness and can be used by drivers with mobility issues in their hands allowing them to lengthen or shorten their reins as needed. www.smuckersharness.com

Rein Hand Holds and Double Rein Coupling »

Available for purchase at Driving Essentials www.drivingessentials.com

Double Reins Coupling Easily attaches 2 sets of reins to a bit, with each set creating identical pull and leverage pressure. Russet leather with brass or stainless. Made in USA.
Driving Essentials generously offers a 5% cash back rewards program to all PATH International members.

Rein Hand Holds These handy leather rein hand holds will easily fit over your existing leather reins, providing a secure grip for your drivers. Russet leather with brass or stainless buckles. Made in USA.
Driving Essentials generously offers a 5% cash back rewards program to all PATH International members.

Chariot Loops with Auxiliary Reins »

These loops are made of thick durable leather. They can be easily attached to a set of reins without having to punch holes in the ends. They simply thread through and on. They offer more adjustability since you aren’t restricted to whole spacing, but that adjustability makes it difficult to keep your reins even without marking them. These reins have some rubber therabands wrapped around the handle along with a hair tie. The hair tie allows for the loop to be kept tight around the drivers wrist, but is also breakable in case of an emergency. The theraband serves (though not well) to keep the hair ties from sliding, leaving the loops to pull off. The picture shows the loops buckled on the end of one set of reins (right side) with an auxiliary set buckled to the top (left side) that feeds to either side of the driver and back to the groom stand where the able-bodied driver can then assist if necessary. This looks a bit like a tandem set up making one long rein. The second rein buckles on top of the drivers hands to keep the weight of the buckle from bouncing on the horses mouth. These chariot loops can be purchased from Ideal Harness at www.idealharness.com though you may need to ask for them specially.

The Safe Way Reins »

These reins and loops are made of cotton. Each rein has a row of D-rings sown into the ends where the wrist loops will then snap. Each wrist loop has two snaps allowing for an able-bodied driver to unsnap one at a time while always having one securely hooked. This lets you quickly, but safely, adjust rein length while on the go. There is also a hair tie on each loop that keeps the loops from falling off, but are breakable in case of emergency. On the back of each loop is an additional D-ring. This ring is used to clip a short auxiliary rein on (looks like a lead rope to the right of the picture) that can be run along the sides of the driver and back to the groom stand where an able-bodied driver can then assist if necessary. These reins and loops can be custom made and purchased from Wayfarer Farms at www.wayfarerfarm.net

Whip Holder »

Whip holder with a built up grip made out of PVC available at any hardware store. The T-piece to the left is a stopper for the hand.

Whip holder with whip. The hose clamps serve to secure the whip in the holder. Normally, (not pictured) black vet wrap is used to wrap around both the whip and holder covering the clamps and stabilizing the whip. A bit can be used at the far left to keep the whip from slipping or bouncing.

Modified Grasping Cuff


This is a well used, very dirty modified grasping cuff. It is made out of faux leather to resemble a glove, for drivers with no hand function. This allows them to hold the whip. The photo on the left shows the top of the cuff and the photo on the right shows the underside.			In the left hand picture you can see a tan piece of plastic. This piece hooks around the wrist and is then secured (in the picture on the right) to keep the cuff from pulling off with the weight of the whip. Also on the right hand side, note that the thumb is tucked into a long thumb holder with a piece of Velcro attached to the end.


The photo on the left shows the driver placing her hand on the whip holder. The photo on the right shows the underside view.			This left hand photo shows the long strap running over the top of the fingers, feeding through a large D-ring at the wrist, and folding back adhering to the velcro. Securing the drivers grip on the whip holder. The photo on the right shows the opposite view. Note that the thumb holder still loose and has yet to be secured

In this photo the thumb holder wraps around the whip handle just like an able-bodied persons would. The velcro on the end wraps around adhering to the top of the wrist.

This photo shows a velcro strap running through the bottom of the whip holder.

This photo shows the strap from the previous photo wrapped around the driver’s wrist behind the cuff. This strap provides stability during use while still allowing the driver to flex and move the wrist. This lets the driver place the aid wherever they need it.

This set up is not the best. It tends to fall off during long bouts of use and has a hard time staying in place during the marathon section when competing. It does let the driver be in complete control though, which is worth its hassle. Feel free to take note of it and make any design changes you can think of. Just be sure to share with us!