I have been shopping for a marathon style carriage for my 12.3 welsh x, but almost everything I find used is cob sized and up. My husband and I are not lightweights and I don’t want to overload him. The mini sized carrriages seem too small. How much weight would you estimate he can pull comfortably and do you have some recommendations for carriages? We have a Hardwick teeter totter and love it, but it is very utilitarian and the puddle jumpers seem to be the same basic carriage.
I would probably look into the Pacific dartmoor. I’m not sure of the weight but i think it would be comparable to your hardwick. When you start looking at the european carriages, they do seem to get heavier made. So if you are needing light, i think you are gonna get stuck with either the hardwick or the pacific.
I think weight is going to depend on what kind of terrain you are on, lots of hills? Deep footing? I would hesitate to have him pull more than 5-600lbs, and that might be pushing it depending on footing and hills… Which is gonna make it hard considering you probably need a carriage 300lbs or less if putting two adults on it. At the same time, if you are actually doing marathon, a light weight carriage comes with light weight materials and construction and might not hold up… I have a similar problem for my 13.3h cob. I gave up and got her a new cart instead, but when it comes time, she’s getting a pacific i think, unless something else better comes on the market by then. But i’m very impressed with the pacifics when it comes to construction, adjustability, and quiet quiet quiet rides!
Not sure of your price range but Bennington makes a couple of carriages designed specifically for small ponies.
I’m a novice so can’t help with suggesting suitability, but I love love love my pacific dartmoor. I have a pony size and I’m using it on a 14.3h horse. The single tree sits a little too low, but otherwise it fits him very well. A friend has a 13.2 mare we’re going to drive it with too. I would imagine the carriage would seem a bit large with anything under 13h, but again I’m a novice and not the best judge. Its very easy to pull.
If i’m not mistaken, Bennington no longer has a US distributor. You can find some used come up, but unless you want to spend an arm and a leg shipping one over, it may not be an option for you. I have a bennington buccaneer. I LOVE it, it’s SMOOTH and quiet and built like a rock. So i can tell you construction and materials on the Benningtons are very nice. I hate carts, so for me to say i love one, that’s really saying something… 
What i do hate is the stupid coil thing you are supposed to slide your trace slots down… I dont know if they still do that, but i seriously have to change that out soon. I do not have the hand strength to fight with that thing most days.
Bellcrown on the other hand does have a carriage for a small pony, and it is light weight too, but i think the pacific is slightly “prettier”. The bellcrown might be a step up in prettiness from the hardwick… Lots of people like their bellcrowns for smaller equines (i know a lot of mini people with them and saw one at the last show i was at) because they make a slimmer looking vehicle, narrower pipe and less of it. Their competitor model reminds me of a shopping cart… lol but then they have a wagonette too if you need the additional seating.
This might be an option for you:
http://www.feonow.com/Pony%20Redhawk.html
I dont know the weight on it, but a local pair of 12h ponies has this carriage. They look very proportional to it, and i’ve seen them have 4 adults on it with the pair. I’m guessing a single could do alright with two adults, but again, terrain might be an issue to factor in. I’ve seen that pair take it on hills and sandy areas fine, with the 4 passengers…
I saw this on ebay:
http://www.newenglandcarriageimports.com/pony-bobcat-ii-single-or-pair-marathon/
I owned one of these when I was still doing CDEs. Loved loved loved it.
Can;t say enough about it.
Jean Kinsella is the only Bennington dealer in the USA. She is found under Bennington on the Carriage Assocaition page.
http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=6&MType=SA&MTypeDesc=Sales+(Carriage)
Not sure what she has in inventory, but Bennington makes nice vehicles. Quality all the way. She could give you prices and importing expenses for new ones. They are not cheap. Sometimes the used ones can be found with searches.
