This was posted on Denny Emerson’s (Tamarack Hill Farm) FB page. I have rarely seen a pair hooked to a 2-wheel cart, other than forecarts which are designed for it, and I know it’s because of the chance of flipping backwards.
The way they attached the traces in this picture looks like it was set up to prevent that.
Looks like 1930ish vintage
I can’t quite make out where traces are attached.
No breeching either, but I know that’s sometimes no used with pairs.
It looks like there is a solid post straight up from the axle with the traces attached at the top. This would act as a lever to keep the cart from tipping backwards.
No breeching on pairs is more common with full collars. I can’t tell if the collars are attached to the saddles, but even if they aren’t there is enough braking power for this light cart.
Interesting picture, thanks for sharing. I never heard of flipping backwards using a pole cart like this. The worry was about cart tipping over sideways. The pole will just spin in the neckyoke holder as one wheel gets too high, dumping the people out. We saw it happen in CDEs back in “the early days.” Hardy Zante said he loved his polecart, but they had flipped a lot of times, it was not “a big deal” to his horses and crew. They just flipped cart back on two wheels, continued on the CDE course. I think a Rule change now mandates a 4-wheeler for Multiples.
Our Trainer friend bought a pole cart for use in working Pairs, starting young horses in Pairs. She REALLY liked it, told us WE needed one too! Things were wonderful until she flipped the vehicle. No injuries, no horses frightened, but she said it was pretty scary not being able to stop the wheel going up too high! That cart went right back to the next carriage auction!!
This is an idea for driving that comes and goes as the years pass. Each new bunch of Carriage builders, drivers, believe they “have a great new idea” for using a polecart on equines! I am seeing some popularity of polecarts with the show mini folks. Probably using them in groomed arenas helps prevent a wheel rising up.
The trace attachment is interesting. Wonder what they do with the inside trace? Using full neck collars to a fixed trace attachment point, should prevent collar rubs. I find it very interesting how many designs get started in different places at once. And which designs succeed to be used again or improved, as vehicles progress in the future designs. 5th wheel brakes had not been conceived of back in the 1980s. Now they are common in CDE vehicles. We thought we were “progressive” with having flush hubs back then!
That makes sense. I’ve heard about them flipping, but don’t have personal experience. My dad always said they were dangerous, and I know it’s easy to get any 2-wheel single horse cart unbalanced and have too little weight on the front so it feels like they could go backwards, but I have seen them flip sideways several times as well. The only 2-wheel carts I’ve seen used with pairs is a forecart, mostly with drafts for moving other equipment at slow speeds.
This is a good question I hadn’t thought about. Maybe to the pole itself?
The draft type forecarts are very solidly built with low weight, made to be used as a “tractor” pulling farm equipment. The long pole weight lifts with the pulled implement attached to the forecart. Without an attached implement behind the forecart, those poles are INCREDIBLY heavy on the horse necks.
With the low axle and wheel weight, wide rubber auto tires, slower working farm horse speeds, they are not as likely to flip. Still possible, just unlikely.
On a single horse 2-wheeler, if the shafts rise much, over girth needs to be snugged up. Your “movement allowance” is the distance inside the tug loops that SHOULD be buckled into overgirth, done up snug.
Fancier 2-wheelers, Dogcarts, Gigs, may use French Tugs or Tilbury Tugs that do not allow shafts movment during driving. The tugs have a strap going across the J shaped tug or hinged circle, then down to the overgirth to hold shafts tightly in place during travel, entering or exiting the vehicle. Horse takes the weight changes on his wide harness saddle.
The wrap-strap girths of Surrey harness (family 4-wheel, buggy type vehicles), race bikes, also are kept tight during use, no floating shafts. The harness has tug loops, but the girth attached, wrap-strap around the shafts is snugged down tight when horse is hitched. Those shafts have minimal weight on them, do not need to float to keep the vehicle balanced like with 2-wheelers.
Not sure either! But there needs to be two attachment points, for an inside trace from both horses. I have not ever seen a trace attached to a pole on any vehicle. Doesn’t mean they never did it though!! So many unique designs back then, relating to carriages and equine equipment that got patented. Just amazing what folks dreamed up.
I know, but if the over girth breaks a 2-wheel cart can go up, not likely, but it can happen (I have had a few times when my cart got a little too light in front), hence why I was think going backwards with 2 wheels and a pair because there is very little holding the pole down. Sideways does make more sense though.
There are many 2 wheeled carts that you can drive a team on them, plus tons of farm equipment including just about every mower, I think the main reason that it is less common for 2 wheeled passenger vehicles set up to drive with a team are that overcoming the additional weight and drag of an additional set of wheels are less of a factor when you have a team of horses. Combine that with removing the motion added to the vehicle with a ridged pole and you would have to be a glutton for punishment to drive any distance with that configuration at road speeds.
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