Adjusting the cart seat

[Yip]

Mine has 4 adjustment settings. The dealer told me for us 2 adults, I’d probably want it all the way back.

How do I find the proper adjustment for just one adult? And it might be different for hubby and me because he outweighs me by a lot.

Is it OK to sit in the cart when a person is holding up the shafts? I’m thinking that’s how we’ll gauge the adjustment?

Thanks!

Wendy

[pricestory]

Thinking that you want the shafts almost floating in the tugs, try the seat in a setting and then lean back. If the shafts go up, but seem to float, you are probably about right. If you can’t get them up by leaning back, you are too far forward. Once you figure out where you want to be, it will stay as long as you don’t change the weight in the vehicle or anything about your harness. If you move the cart forward or back, by adjusting harness, it will change your balance.

[Cartfall]

To test the cart–you need a helper. You pick up the shafts and place them in a circle of your thumb and pointer fingers. Your help will climb into the cart–be ready to grab the shafts if the cart appears to want to flip up.

You will be surprised to see how much weight is put on one side when your helper enters the cart. Have him sit in the center of the cart. You should be able to balance the shafts easily in your thumb and pointer finger without struggling.

If the shafts are incrediblely heavy and you are struggling to hold them up, think of all this weight in the back saddle on your horse’s back. You need more weight behind the axle.

If the shafts want to go up and you are having a hard time holding them level, then your horse has a girth pulling on him. You need more weight in front of the axle.

Hope tis helps.

[Yip]

Thanks to both of you! Your explanations are perfect!

Wendy

[goodhors]

Also while the person is seated in the cart, have them lean forward and back. Stretch out their legs with spine against the seatback in a lounging position.

You the shaft holder will be AMAZED at the weight changes put on the harness by some shifting around. People get tired of sitting still, sitting in correct body position, so they do move about.

Then you will want to try holding shafts with TWO people in the vehicle. Again, moving by one or both people can have a lot of effect on the shaft weight on horse.

Horse has to “just DEAL WITH IT” a lot of the time. Part of being a Driving horse. He stays cheerful with changes that happen, keeps working, not reacting poorly because life is not perfect for anyone!

You can’t change how a cart shifts as you enter it or get down, gets shaft heavy on downhills with breeching pushing on him. People can not be expected to go driving and never move for an hour or more, unreasonable. Body parts go numb!! Helping the animal with a wide harness saddle, good padding under the saddle tree, will spread the load out. You try for good cart balance, a floating shaft most times, but sometimes float is just not possible and animal works a bit harder for a short time. You as passengers can sometimes make adjustments with your body or seat adjustment, to help horse for that short time.

Holding the shafts for people moving around in the seat is a real eye-opener on “cause and effect”. Some vehicles transfer EVERY movement, horse can feel you breathing!! Other vehicles have a more deadening effect with their shaft set-up, horse only feels big changes in body positions on the seat.

Do hold shafts TIGHT as you figure balance. VERY easy to loose control with two people in the seat, sitting wayyy back against the seatbacks. They can have more leverage than you might think!!

[Thomas_1]

When teaching people to drive I always get them to sit in a 2 wheeler and also to just hold the shafts and see and feel the effects that balance has.

Same as described aforementioned. I get someone to merely to incline their head and shoulders forward to see the effect that has of putting weights through the shafts and onto the saddle. Then likewise leaning slightly back to bring weight off the horse. Doing this helps folks to see the affect that their balance has on the action of the horse.

Only thing to add in terms of getting the balance right to what others have said is that you need to balance the weight for what you will actually have in it. So if it’s driver only then sit at the side you would sit and not in the middle (unless that’s where you do intend to sit - but you shouldn’t) and if you have driver and passenger then balance for both those. If you look at the sticky FAQ’s at the top of these forums I posted a little more to expand on balanced seat in post 6

[Yip]

Thanks again, everyone!

I’ll be sure that both hubby and I hold the shafts and move around in the seat to get the cause and effect of how weight shift affects the horse.

Cookie is so blessed that I have you for support! I really want to do this right the first time.

Wendy