I am going to look at a cart for sale on craigslist

[cowgirljane]

I would appreciate some advice - they said it was sized for a 12.2H welsh. I have a 11.3H-12H, depending who is measuring, shetland (more refined, not chunky). These are the dimensions the seller shared:

Shafts 8’10" long tip to tip and 5’9" long tip to singletree.

Singletree: 32" wide

Wheels: 41"

Seat: 34" wide 16 3/4" deep

Toolbox: 24" wide x 13 1/4" deep

Metal pads on back.

I don’t know much about carts, but isn’t that wheel measurement way big for ponies? Could they be measuring wrong? Is there somewhere I can go to look up cart measurements and how they match the pony?

It is a wooden cart and has a whip holder and spares box so I am thinking this might be decent. I am still trying to find out the maker, but it is close by and definately worth looking at - as long as the measurements are in the realm of reason for a smallish pony.

I had been thinking more about a metal cart, but I would much rather buy a used, well made cart then a cheaper but new cart… if I can find one that fits right!

ETA:
I found this little bit of info online, I couldn’t find measurements for a pony that is 11.3-12H range, this was as close as I could find. Can someone tell me how to measure the wheel base as opposed to the wheel? I am wondering if that is what she measured? The shaft length looks pretty close, wonder if it was just measured differently:

Small Pony Cart Size
12 to 12-2 Height
60" Shaft length
21" Narrowest Point
44" Wheel Base
26" Wheel Size
26" Wood Wheels

[goodhors]

Guess it will depend on how the shafts are fitted on the vehicle. You want the shafts to lay midway down the barrel of the equine. Not high (unless curved), nor low towards the belly line.

Shafts from the wheel, can be straight, curved upward, have various curves to allow easy entry from the front, then rise to fit the animal correctly. What kind of seat, raised above the shafts, between the shaft for lower center of gravity? Various details can make the cart “too tall for the wheel width”, or just right.

The ADS site has a chart of approximate shaft lengths, heights suitable for various size animals. Usually there is a bit of wiggle room, up or down, to get a good fit with equine and vehicle.

http://www.americandrivingsociety.org/DB_shaft_table.asp

You should measure your animal, know where his midline number is, length of body. Shafts should stop as his point of shoulder, with cart basket far enough back that he can’t clip it when leg is fully extended behind him during the big trot. Shafts should ride level when he is hitched, so your seat is neither up or down, to put lots of weight on his back or pull upward on his girth during the drive. Back rest for you is a big aid in comfort on longer drives.

41" wheels are not that big, if you cut that in half, because that is where the axle goes. Seat is not usually that high in the air for pony vehicles. Bigger wheels are usually easier to pull, especially on rough ground, they roll over the little holes.

I don’t know what the price is, would depend on vehicle condition. You can usually dicker a bit, reducing price against cost of repairs it might need. Ask when wheels were greased last, should be done yearly, more often if you use it a LOT or in sand, mud, water crossings. What is inside the hubs, antique or roller bearings? Those are the most common, very fancy vehicles might have special hubs with oil baths in antiques. Are wheels loose, have a flat spot? Rubber in good condition? Those all can be fixed by a wheelwright, but it is an expense (not expensive) to have done.

[butlerfamilyzoo]

My cart for my 13-14h pony has 36" wheels. 41" wheels seems big for a cart for a 12h pony… BUT, like goodhors said, it could totally depend on how they have the seat set in there, if it’s up, or sat down into the wheels lower by the axle.

When you look at comparable measurements, it’s all just “guidelines”. Each cart maker is very different as is the style of the cart itself. A gig is going to have a bigger wheel and sit the whip up in the clouds (joking), a meadowbrook type is gonna have a large wheel but a seat that sits down into the wheels… An easy entry type will usually have smaller wheels. So all can be sized for the same animal but be very different in construction.