Post by Kouga on Aug 10, 2006 7:09:06 GMT -5
The chest and neck straps are usually buckled on, considering the necessary width (8-12") to make the belts stable enough to be used as support, there should be several buckles running side by side to keep the belts in place. This is also for safety, for if one of the buckles should give, then there would be others to hold the straps together long enough for the dragon to safely land. The chest strap is usually a little wider since it has to be longer to fit a dragon’s girth, a narrower strap would be weaker.
Riding straps are fastened from the riding belt to the nearest dragon strap (chest or neck), sometimes both neck straps, or even to the bridge straps as well. In emergencies, long enough riding straps or the safety straps may be looped around a passenger's waist to serve as a make-shift riding belt. It would be common practice to keep spare straps tethered somewhere on the neck strap.
To rig an emergency riding belt out of the longer safety straps, hold the middle of the strap at the passenger’s back, then bring the two ends forward. Tie a double knot (square knot) at the waist, then loop one line over each shoulder. Criss-cross them over the back, tuck them under the first section at the waist then tie another double knot around the first section. The two ends should still be long enough to come around to be fastened to the aft neck strap.
The bridge straps keep the neck straps and the chest strap the same distance from each other so that they do not shift awkwardly during flight or mounting. The minimum recommended number of bridge straps is 3, one running from under the neckstraps, between the forelegs to attach to the chest strap. The other two on either side of the dragon, usually conveniently spaced to have extra toe loops attached to make climbing easier or to brace one's feet.
Additional bridge straps may span between the two neck straps, mostly just used for extra climbing holds and fastenings. The neck plate keeps the neck straps from shifting from each other too much, but additional bridge straps midway between the top and the plate will make it even safer.
Riding straps are fastened from the riding belt to the nearest dragon strap (chest or neck), sometimes both neck straps, or even to the bridge straps as well. In emergencies, long enough riding straps or the safety straps may be looped around a passenger's waist to serve as a make-shift riding belt. It would be common practice to keep spare straps tethered somewhere on the neck strap.
To rig an emergency riding belt out of the longer safety straps, hold the middle of the strap at the passenger’s back, then bring the two ends forward. Tie a double knot (square knot) at the waist, then loop one line over each shoulder. Criss-cross them over the back, tuck them under the first section at the waist then tie another double knot around the first section. The two ends should still be long enough to come around to be fastened to the aft neck strap.
The bridge straps keep the neck straps and the chest strap the same distance from each other so that they do not shift awkwardly during flight or mounting. The minimum recommended number of bridge straps is 3, one running from under the neckstraps, between the forelegs to attach to the chest strap. The other two on either side of the dragon, usually conveniently spaced to have extra toe loops attached to make climbing easier or to brace one's feet.
Additional bridge straps may span between the two neck straps, mostly just used for extra climbing holds and fastenings. The neck plate keeps the neck straps from shifting from each other too much, but additional bridge straps midway between the top and the plate will make it even safer.