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Another Stupid Question About Carts UPDATE #29 Training

I am searching for an easy entry cart and there seem to be several manufacturers and styles. Some claim to help the cart not tip over by having a metal bar that crosses over the wheel about halfway down. I think I want the mesh between the hooves and my legs because it may prevent debris getting kicked in? But all these other options…brakes, special tires, etc…are so confusing.

What really matters when buying your first two wheeled cart to be pulled by a pony or donkey on sandy or gravel roads?

I know that aluminum is out of our price range, so who makes the best steel carts that will last in the humid South? The cart will be stored in the barn.

And, thank you, a hundred times.

Well, thanks anyway.

One of the most important things to consider with a two-wheeled cart is balance. You don’t want there to be too much weight bearing down on the horse’s back, so you want a vehicle that you can adjust to get the proper balance. If you’re driving a small animal, the total weight of the vehicle may also be a concern. You definitely do not want brakes on a two-wheeler, in my opinion. Use of the brakes on a two-wheeler forces all the weight down on the animal’s back. Your breeching is the brakes for such a vehicle. How well the vehicle rides is also something to consider. You’re not going to have fun if the cart has a bouncy ride. It gets really uncomfortable after awhile. Try to drive before you buy, if possible. Contact other drivers (maybe through the Facebook CD-L site) - see what they have, and what they like and dislike about the vehicle.
I would stay away from the little pipe carts that you find on State Line Tack and other websites. I think they’re ok for light driving in a ring or indoor, but if you really want to go down the road, you’ll want something sturdier.
I don’t know what part of the south you’re in, but Claudette Robinson of Country Carriages USA (North Carolina) might be better to advise you and maybe help you find something. Good luck!

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I don’t know nothin but it took me two years to find a cart. With all the variables it’s important to decide what you must have, what is a plus, and what is irrelevant. I knew I had to have wood wheels, a cart that fit my horse, and in budget. Easy entry was a plus but it wasn’t to be. I assumed it would be a steel cart but ended up with a beautiful wood cart. I hope the gods of horses blesses you as they have me.

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Thanks for the responses! There seems to be a lot of people that get a cart and then lose interest, so I might find a good used one, if I’m lucky. We actually were given a pipe one, like you are describing Morgangirl13, but it was too rusted and dangerous to be of any use. I did see Country Carriages’ website, so I’ll give them a call.

Gunter’s Guy, some of those carts are absolutely beautiful!

Country Carriages and Claudette is a wonderful place to start. She sells very nice wooden carts, harness that is also quality.

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Well, I went to the website you were talking about, but those carts were in the thousands, which is above our budget. Beautiful carts and carriages, though. If I thought about competition, that would be a perfect place to go. I did, however, find another shop in South Carolina. While they don’t have the extras, they do have well-made wooden carts that are a step up from the basic tubular metal ones. They also have larger, fancier rigs. My husband is a woodworker and can help me maintain the wooden cart. I have seen a few used metal ones down here that are in terrible shape after only a few years. Thank you all for your input and suggestions.

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You probably should take the time to read the highlighted posting at rhe beginning of this Driving group, Sticky. It contains a GREAT deal of information, to add to your knowledge of driving. Tips on getting a correctly sized vehicle for your horse, things to avoid on vehicles, harness purchases. Sometimes the cheaper vehicle is a bad bargin. Points to check in looking at vehicles. WHY these are poor choices, to prevent accidents while driving. There is a LOT more to being safe driving than riding a horse.

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Thank you. I did order a biothane harness for Maggie, (after measuring her in ways that caused her pudgy, little pony self a bit of embarrassment) so we can start reintroducing it.

Still researching carts.

Oh, and her mane. I pulled her forelock to one side, but it’s so thick that the check rein moves it around. I wouldn’t want it to get tangled and worry her. I didn’t get a picture with her bridle on. We are using her regular snaffle bit for now.

You may not need the overcheck. I drive without & no problems, even though my mini was broke to drive wearing one.
He also has a trolldoll forelock & I slip it over the browband, between the blinker stays or braid it & it goes under the browband.

Harness looks decent except the saddle should sit squarely on her back, not pulled back as shown in the picture. Moving the girth should correct this, or you may need to lengthen the backstrap (attaches the crupper).
You should have more room for adjusting pieces, so having them on the last hole is not ideal.

All that aside she is a cutie :cool:

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Thank you. I was worried about how the saddle was tipped backwards. Is the saddle too far forward as well? This is a small harness, not a mini. I sent her measurements in and they said this one would be best, but I think they also mentioned that she had a longish back. I have at least one more hole on the backstrap.

From the pic, best as I can see, saddle is placed correctly. Should sit just behind the withers, same place your riding saddle sits.

If harnessmaker commented on her long back, they sure were stingy with the strap goods.
You are always supposed to have an option that does not use the very last hole on any piece.

Try moving the girth back so it fastens directly beneath the saddle & lengthen the backstrap to that last hole.
If that corrects the saddle tilt, might be worth asking for a longer backstrap.

IIWM, I’d suggest since they noted the longer back & had correct measurements, they supply a longer piece with at least 3or 4 holes beyond that measure at no charge. :yes:
Offer to return the too-short piece, it’s not like they can’t resell :rolleyes:

Breeching & breastcollar fit look okay, but hard to say for sure without the traces attached or holdbacks in place on breeching.

And to be picky :uhoh:… I prefer neoprene pads for saddle & breastcollar. Fleece gets caked with sweat & scratchy, needs laundering, neoprene can be sponged off.

Thank you.

It’s my fault there isn’t much slack in the lines. I asked if they had a harness I could use on both the pony and the donkey. The difference in the back length is significant. I hope I can make this work.

Nuh-Uh, Not your fault :no:
Harnessmaker acknowledged the long back, then did not give you sufficient length to adjust for either of your 2 driving animals.
Better to have waaaaaaay too many holes when donkey uses harness & enough for pony.
That backstrap, with that much tension, is going to pull on the crupper & even if it doesn’t annoy the pony it could sore her.

Curious… Who made the harness?

Okay, I adjusted it and took another picture. I loosened the backstrap by one and it seemed to fit. I checked the tension on the crupper, but it was too loose, so I had to tighten it one so it was snug, rather than being able to see daylight between the crupper and the tail.

BTW, that is a 52" piece of wood that I put there with 12" in front of where the strap is. The cart we’re looking at has a 52" shaft.

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Fitting harness, especially one ordered by her measurements, the buckle should (ideally) fit in the center hole. This allows you to both take up or let out the straps. Animal size might be plump in spring, get more muscular with work as summer arrives.

Did you try bending the saddle to check it having a tree? Harness used with 2-wheel carts, needs a tree to keep cart weight off the pony spine. This saddle is also kind of narrow, additionally concentrating cart weight on a smaller area, while a wider saddle would have spread out the weight more.

I think your breastcollar pad has changed the fit on her. The suspender/shoulder strap is too far forward for me, making the place it crosses her neck uphill. You might try the breastcollar on without the pad, see if things move back to a more correct location on her neck. Does the seller offer a V shape breastcollar? With her low windpipe, any rise in breastcollar pushes on that windpipe. V shape might give her more clearance with a lowered head in work. Along with that, you might ask the seller if you can trade the check rein for a false martingale. The martingale will hold the breatcollar down in place as she moves and halts. It is a useful piece of equipment and useful on daily basis.

On the crupper, you actually WANT to have some “air space” between crupper and tailbone. Having it snug will sore her up in that tender location, with constant rubbing while she moves. It will also pull on the tailbone as she lowers her head, lifts her back to use her whole body on hills, deeper going, hever loads. Saddle should be straight up and down on her body as she stands still. Slack in the back strap should lay along the spine as she stands still. Again, you really want the buckle in the center hole, not the last hole, to get that fit. Thick harness pad under saddle will cause additional rocking of the saddle.

On bridle fit, her eyes should be in the center of the blinkers, to prevent her peeking above or below, seeing things she needs to ignore. Noseband should be a finger or two (skinny fingers for ponies, ha ha) below the edge of her cheekbone. Noseband goes all the way around her nose, not just a half nose strap. Full noseband keeps the cheeks of bridle against the sides of her head, again preventing peeking thru gaps of cheeks pulling away from her head. With training, she should not need a checkrein. They do not allow the equine to lower her head to use her body. Any type of snug checkrein causes hollow back, muscle development on the underside of neck. Check reins DO NOT prevent equine from kicking while hitched. Bridle should allow the checkrein to be totally removed from the bridle, get those extra parts out of your way.

And that brings us to the shaft length. A number for length is OK to have. However! Length needed can vary with the build of the vehicle and the pony. Point of shafts should end at the point of shoulder. Length behind rump will vary. She needs room to fully extend her hind legs in her big trot without hitting any part of the vehicle. We put the vehicle on the animal, then we lift a hind hoof and extend it as far back as possible. You may need a header to hold her in place to do this. Full leg extension is how much room she needs in a vehicle you hitch her to. Narrow width vehicles are more apt to get a wheel kick, startle her, ca use her to hop. Most 2-wheelers are fairly wide for stability, but the bike type tire styles can bounce easier than others, a kick to a tire might cause a bounce, then tip over very fast.

I agree with 2Dogs, those style pads are not the best choice in my eyes. They compress under weight, allow extra movement of harness even fitted tight, hold in heat during use, with both foam or felt stuffing. They look nice, but really don’t do much to aid the horse if harness fits properly.

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Thank you for your input! I really appreciate you taking the time to help. I will absolutely keep trying to better the fit until it’s right. This is our loyal family pony and we want her comfy. I should hear back from a trainer today, but I am learning a lot here, too.