frontier ee cart club member questions

[shorthorsemom]

Hi All,

Not to be a cart collector, but I do want to start saving in my jug for a decent ee "pony ride" miniature horse cart. Watching the forum and the comments about how so many of you love your frontier ee carts, I am leaning that direction in my interest. Can you all that own them give me some input please? The price is decent, they look well made and I would be able to take a child out for a small drive around the field.

Right now my kids jog next to me in my aerocrown talking a mile a minute and it would be nice when my boy is in better shape to take them for a little ride on occasion.

Do you prefer the metal floor to the wooden floor? The wood looks prettier and I don't think there is much weight difference between the two on the web site, but I know that pretty isn't always the best choice. I guess it would be just preference, but I am curious to hear what other frontier cart owners have to say.

Also, do you use the standard tires or purchase taller tires. Do you get the tire inserts to make them no flat, or do you put the green slime in the tires? Or is there a non-spoke wheel choice that can be put on this cart? I drive over some bramble stubble on occasion and wouldn't want the hassle of constant flat tires from punctures.

Adair

 

[Jill]

I have a frontier EE cart for minis, and when I used to drive my big horse, I had one for him too. Both have/had metal floors and I like that a lot. I have other EE carts, another one with a metal floor, and a fancier one that has a wooden floor (and a nice Houghton for shows). My pick for just having fun is metal. If you think you might take it to a show, then I'd opt for wood.

For tires, I've just used the standard ones, but I just drive usually in the yard, field or ring.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Not to be a cart collector, but I do want to start saving in my jug for a decent ee "pony ride" miniature horse cart.

That's why I went back and bought a Frontier after I already had the nicer carts. I wanted a safe beater cart I could run through the winter mud, take to the beach, throw kids in and generally not worry about the paint job.

Do you prefer the metal floor to the wooden floor? The wood looks prettier and I don't think there is much weight difference between the two on the web site, but I know that pretty isn't always the best choice. I guess it would be just preference, but I am curious to hear what other frontier cart owners have to say.

Preference is definitely a large part of it. As Jill said, if you planned to show in it the wood might be nice but otherwise the metal is good. Weights are comparable between the two floorboards which is often not the case in other carts I've handled so for me the choice came down to the fact that I wanted to be able to hose it off really easily and not feel guilty getting in it with muddy or sandy boots.

I personally have never been fond of that particular light-colored natural stain (it looks unfinished to me and shows dirt too easily) so I decided for my purposes it was better to have black metal mesh.

Be aware that you can customize your cart a bit if you buy it directly from Frontier. I wanted mine to look a little more formal in case I chose to show in it so I ordered it with an all-black seat instead of the standard maroon and they were able to do that for no charge. They even keep those in stock so it shipped out the next day with the custom seat! He said he could do quite a few different seat colors, or an all-black one with colored piping of your choice, which I thought was neat. (I was so tempted to get a black one with hunter green piping!

I thought it would be quite sporty-looking.) I don't know if they could change the stain on the wooden floorboards but it would be worth asking. Once it got here I switched out the white shaft caps for black ones, put on a nicer hook-ended single tree and voila! Instant upgrade.

Also, do you use the standard tires or purchase taller tires. Do you get the tire inserts to make them no flat, or do you put the green slime in the tires? Or is there a non-spoke wheel choice that can be put on this cart? I drive over some bramble stubble on occasion and wouldn't want the hassle of constant flat tires from punctures.

Wheel size on an EE like this is going to be dictated strictly by the size of your horse. The shafts already sit up rather high on their sides and 24" wheels are going to make that much worse. I'd stick with the standard 20" in this case unless you have a B mini. There are after-market steel wheels you can buy and those are necessary for CDE-type competition but for a pony-ride cart I would skip that. It's expensive ($300+ a pair) and makes the ride much rougher. I had the solid no-flat inserts on a previous cart and wasn't fond of them so for the Frontier I asked the local bike shop what they recommended and they had me try a Kevlar tube with some green slime and so far that has held up very well. Since they are still pneumatic you get the same ride softening, they simply don't puncture.

My Frontier got thrown from the bed of my truck end-over-end down the freeway at 60 mph when I had my accident (we jack-knifed so hard the industrial-grade bungies I was using to tie it down snapped) and I found that thing sitting in the middle of I-5 looking perfectly normal except for some minor paint damage on the corners and some serious road rash on one of my homemade shaft cap covers I use when shipping. I could not believe it had survived unscathed!

The wheels weren't even tacoed.

Now I did notice a year later that one of the wheels is beginning to warp a little and I'm going to replace it for safety, but it really survived remarkably well. I love my Frontier as a basic training cart!

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

Hi Adair,

Since your current cart is an Aerocrown, I bet if you chose to show you would use that. My first cart 10+ years ago was a Frontier that I still have. I have started 2 mini donkeys and 3 horses in that cart. It is my old faithful LOL, that being said be prepared that you may have to reinforce the seat for field driving. My older cart has been fine, but my daughter bought one 2 yrs ago and the wood on the seat broke. Frontier isn't the only brand I have heard of this happening with. I think they are using different wood in the seat than mine has.

If you want a cart of that style I'd look at getting one thru Pequea, they will use good wood for the seat. They have many styles of carts and are just a little bit more.

Angie

 

[Margo_C-T]

As longtime readers of these Forums will know, I have always been an advocate of Frontier for a basic, everyday-drive/training, cart!

I am on my second Frontier in 26 years of driving miniatures. Sold the first one(which is STILL in use w/ no issues except where several horses that I ponied gnawed on the seat back!), because I wanted the newer seat cover color available--russet. I have now had this one for about 15? years. Both have been the 'basic' cart,expanded steel mesh basket(which I like)- no special options, and I have made no changes, except to take the wheels to a bike shop for 'puncture-resistant'tubes and green slime, on both. Knock on wood, I've never yet had a flat; I have gone about everywhere I want in it, including once on a 'cross-country' course across native NM vegetation, cactus included; I do avoid driving where there are 'goatheads', which thankfully, are not common up here where I live.I also kept the standard 'sword-end' singletree they come with, and have never had any issues in using it.I HAVE always kept the carts inside, never leaving them out in the elements--I feel this kind of protection is a key factor in ANY vehicle's longevity!

Ditto Leia's observations on the wheel size and the use of steel wheels; since the coil springs do not provide much of a 'suspension', it is the pneumatic wheels that help a lot in providing some degree of comfort in the ride. I ordered a 'set' of the longer(54")shafts for my Frontier for use w/ my B minis(first one was a FULL 38"; current one about 37"), and with those on, the cart was just fine for them w/o changing out wheel size or anything else.

I'm not a lightweight, but never had any issues with the seat board on either cart; of course, mine both 'go back' aways; perhaps as is so often the case nowadays, the company making it isn't using as high quality materials nowadays?

All things considered, I'd still recommend Frontier as the best of its type!

Margo

 

[Elizabeth Pannill]

Someone recently told me that Frontier may be going out of business - not sure if that is true or just a rumor ?

 

[RhineStone]

We just came back from the CAA Carriage Classic where I talked with a gentleman about Easy Entry (or Easy Exit) carts. There was a meeting of the Mini Drivers (aka a chat) and the FEI ring steward (who recognized us from the ring) came up and joined the conversation. He told us that the worst carriage driving accident he ever had was with a mini. I was intitially thinking that he ended up driving one of those half-broke "it's just a little mini" horses, but actually when he told us the story, it turned out to be caused by an Easy Exit cart.

He was offered the opportunity to drive someone else's horse through a cones course and expected those pneumatic wheels to slide the way a Pacific (steel hard rubber) wheel does. They grabbed the ground instead, flipping the cart and him. He ended up in Intensive Care for a number of days, and he proceeded to tell us about all the other complications he had for a number of months. He didn't even know my aversion to Easy Exit carts and told us how dangerous they were, because there is nothing to hold you in the cart and you slide all over in them, affecting the balance of the cart. He liked the Hyperbike because the wheel base is wider and more stable.

I still can't figure out why Easy Exit carts as so popular, other than the fact that they are cheap and readily available.

Myrna

 

[Melinda Dean]

I have 2 Frontier "Easy Exit" carts because I can get out fast if I need to, one A size, One B size, and used to drive my Welsh pony in a cobb size. Even had one years ago for my Quarter horse. I just go for easy, gentle rides now but if I ever get into eventing, I would not trust the tires. I have heard about the type of accidents already mentioned here. In fact, I believed they are only allowed at a basic level.

That said, I love mine. They are very sturdy and I have never had any problems, except going flat from setting in the barn too long at a time. Hubby replaced with thorn proof type inner tubes. No problems since.

Another reason I love them, we pull the grand children around in them! If I decide to show at the local open show, I can just touch up the paint. and go. The shafts are easy to change out, and so are the seats. I have solid black seat for nice finished look and a red one with white trim for my little drafty looking guy.

I think it boils down to ... if you want a Easy Entry cart, Frontier makes the best I have found, no matter the price. The welds are good, bolts stay tight, and the seat has not broken down under my generous weight.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Thanks everybody for all input. I am just looking around and thinking about a pony cart. I would only use it on flat easy trails to take my kids for a pony ride. For anything else I have my aerocrown. I just felt sorry for my kids jogging along becide my aerocrown chatting a mile a minute about it. It would be awhile before my boy would be fit enough to pull two and I wouldn't put my kids in until I am a more seasoned driver either. I do appreciate all your feedback, lots to think about. I cancelled my hyperbike layaway, but Bob says I can still be a member of his "hyperbike club" even though I am driving an aerocrown. My physical limitations are the only reason I decided not to continue my hyperbike dream, in addition to my trainer not feeling my horse was steady enough at a stand to put up with me struggling to get myself over the shaft to enter the cart. Bob is terrific to work with and I still highly recommend the hyperbike for its width and steady well balanced frame.

The aerocrown has more of an ee style entry and I can get in and out very quickly.

I do know about the wheel concern on the ee carts for competition and speed and turns and have often heard them called easy exit carts. I also was looking at the ee cart from pequea as Angie was mentioning because Pequea is right in my back yard and I had not realized they made that style cart and I would be able to skip the shipping. Much to think about.. I still have my little money jug for my savings but can't bring myself to take the "hyperbike fund" label off the outside of it. Maybe someday on the hyperbike. I have lost 30 lbs on my quest to lighten the load for my little horse. He does appreciate it so far. thanks everybody... Maybe by end of summer I will have enough moneys saved for a pony cart. Amazing how much you can put together emptying your pocket change and by adding small moneys you find around the house. Any money in the washer... into the jug.. LOL

.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I still can't figure out why Easy Exit carts as so popular, other than the fact that they are cheap and readily available.

I'll be honest with you, Myrna. The discussion off the board about this has been that the accident was caused not so much by the cart but by an experienced driver who should have known better not properly handling his vehicle.

EE's are meant for early training, pony rides, and low-level ring and trail work. They are not MEANT for speed work and as you said, are neither stable enough nor secure enough for such things. When I got mine I tested it, working slowly up through increasingly more difficult maneuvers until I found its limits and then drove with care for those limits. I put non-slip stuff on the seat and brace myself like crazy if I'm going to be doing cones or other speed work so that I can throw my weight to the side and prevent overbalancing or flipping. The wheels usually slide in my local footing, more-so than my other carts do actually, but if the outer wheel hits a root or something I'll be over before I can blink. That's why I use the Hyperbike (which I'm thrilled the official liked!) or one of my other vehicles for speed work. The official did not take into account that treaded pneumatics are going to grip dirt (unlike smooth rubber), did not test his vehicle, and used it far beyond the limits of what the cart was designed for without compensating for the risks. What did he expect??

EE's are popular introductory vehicles because as you said, they are both cheap and readily available. Maybe you don't realize what a big deal that is but in our area, shipping for nice wooden carts more than doubles the cost of the vehicle and puts it out of reach for all but the most well-to-do new drivers. Which would you rather have- new drivers starting in an EE (and having few problems because they are only walking and trotting around in the arena or the road in front of their house), getting hooked and upgrading as most of us did or anyone who's interested in our sport being stopped cold because they can't even afford to try it out??

Honestly, that's how things are around here 2,000 miles from the nearest Amish shop. I understand your concerns about the vehicle but not everyone can build their own high class competition carriages as you do and for the rest of us, a well-balanced, well-put-together EE is infinitely preferable to some of the homemade crap that's available on CraigsList. Most seem to be made of out scrap metal, wheelbarrow or tricycle tires and a slab of plywood for a seat!

I just felt sorry for my kids jogging along becide my aerocrown chatting a mile a minute about it. It would be awhile before my boy would be fit enough to pull two and I wouldn't put my kids in until I am a more seasoned driver either.

Sounds like a good fitness plan for them!

Once you're a more seasoned driver, I wouldn't worry about the extra weight of the kids unless they're teenagers. The EE will weight about 25lbs less than the Aerocrown so he'll hardly notice the difference in weight.

Leia

 

[shorthorsemom]

Sounds like a good fitness plan for them!

Once you're a more seasoned driver, I wouldn't worry about the extra weight of the kids unless they're teenagers. The EE will weight about 25lbs less than the Aerocrown so he'll hardly notice the difference in weight.

Leia

LOL My kids are getting bigger by the day and two of them are taller than me. My son is a little guy and my boy would hardly notice he was in there. Yes it is a good fitness plan and I tell them that. LOVE my aerocrown, it is so steady and so much fun. thanks for all the input on the carts ladies.

I enjoy all information and opinions from everybody

Adair

 

[RhineStone]

I'll be honest with you, Myrna. The discussion off the board about this has been that the accident was caused not so much by the cart but by an experienced driver who should have known better not properly handling his vehicle. Which would you rather have- new drivers starting in an EE (and having few problems because they are only walking and trotting around in the arena or the road in front of their house), getting hooked and upgrading as most of us did or anyone who's interested in our sport being stopped cold because they can't even afford to try it out??

Discussion off the board? WHY? It wasn't HIS vehicle, that is why he was unfamiliar with how it drove. But if he was offered the chance to drive the horse (how many of us would love to give big horse drivers the opportunity to change their minds about our "rats on a rope"), it must have been trained enough to be able to handle going fast. Actually, you wouldn't even have to really go that fast. Just momentum of a corner and grab would flip one (as Leia has described), especially if he slid across the seat because there isn't anything to hold you in. He is an experienced driver, just not experienced with that cart. And if he was driving in a good cart, the accident wouldn't have happened. I would say that means it WAS caused by the cart.

There is a lot of mini equipment out there that is cheap. It unfortunate that people get stopped cold progressing in the sport because they don't have the equipment to proceed. They have dumped money into a cheap vehicle that eventually won't allow them to do what they would like. Face it, this sport, like most horse sports, is expensive. People need to understand that up front. Remember, our family has been there. We bought the cheap harnesses first and had to spend more to upgrade later, and my mom still has a Frontier cart that she bought for the very same popular reasons that people do here, I hate it, and you won't change my mind about it. After driving in a good sprung, stable cart (not just the ones we build), it is no fun getting your teeth rattled and sliding across the seat with nothing but a little bar to hold you in. I drove it last year and I felt COMPLETELY at the mercy of the ground we drove on. Heaven forbid if you hit a pothole, it would launch you right out! It was VERY nervewracking after driving in a good cart for so many years. It is fine for a bit of roundy-round the arena, but honestly I think that cost is the single most important factor for many mini drivers when it should be safety and comfort. It's unfortunate that they are so popular that lots of people that have them have never even driven in a good cart to know what it COULD be like even if they can afford it. It's like the only carts people have are Easy Exits and Jeralds, both with crappy rides.

FWIW, but I still don't like Easy Exit pipe carts when there are so many other good options out there,

Myrna

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Discussion off the board? WHY?

Uh, because many of us on here are real-life friends and sometimes we discuss things that have come up on the forum?

He is an experienced driver, just not experienced with that cart. And if he was driving in a good cart, the accident wouldn't have happened. I would say that means it WAS caused by the cart.

Maybe it's just because I'm a chicken and paranoid about damaging a cart, but as an experienced driver I would never assume a pipe cart was suitable for speed work and sharp corners without having first gotten familiar with it in the warmup ring and tested that to my own satisfaction. Doing so strikes me as a safety oversight just as asking a green horse for more than they are currently capable of would be- would you have blamed the green horse if it panicked and ran and caused an accident because the driver overwhelmed it?

I'm not arguing your assertion that pipe cart EE's are unsafe for that sort of activity nor particularly intending to blame the driver. Those things happen and I'm terribly sorry he was hurt! It sounds like he's a great friend to the VSE. I'm just saying you can hardly blame the cart for not being good at what it wasn't designed for.

We bought the cheap harnesses first and had to spend more to upgrade later, and my mom still has a Frontier cart that she bought for the very same popular reasons that people do here, I hate it, and you won't change my mind about it.

Not even going to try.

I just wish you wouldn't repeatedly put down those of us who choose to use or recommend them for their intended purpose as being uneducated and/or not caring about safety. It tends to rub the wrong way.

After driving in a good sprung, stable cart (not just the ones we build), it is no fun getting your teeth rattled and sliding across the seat with nothing but a little bar to hold you in. I drove it last year and I felt COMPLETELY at the mercy of the ground we drove on.

All of my carts have vinyl bench seats- I slide on every single one. Except for the show cart, come to think of it, and that one I just feel like I'll bounce right out of when we hit a rut! Darn leaf/elliptical/whatever they are springs....

Not even my Bellcrown has anything on the sides but a small bar.

...I think that cost is the single most important factor for many mini drivers when it should be safety and comfort.

It's hard to put something ahead of money when you don't HAVE any. Most the people I know buying EE's are 4-H'ers who are babysitting every spare minute to save up $100. How are they supposed to save up $2,000 for a nice wood cart before they're too old to show in it? They're doing the best they can with limited means and I'm doing my best to give them ideas on how to make it safer and more attractive. Around here you can spend that kind of money on a "nice" cart and then when it gets here find out it's too heavy or too big or too poorly balanced and you're out $600-800 on shipping AND have to sell the cart AND have to start over on buying a new one! And meanwhile you can't drive because you have no equipment. Been there, done that. Several times.

At least with an EE they can be driving and learning while they search for their new cart and most keep that EE for training work so they don't have to ruin their nice cart in the brambles and rain and winter mud (of which we have a lot).

It's not that I don't WANT a proper pairs vehicle, for instance. I simply don't have $5,500 sitting around! I could be totally irresponsible and put it on a credit card but I did that in the past for much cheaper carts (my Bellcrown and my show cart) and it's taken me years to get out from under all that interest. That means another four to six years of saving up for it during which time Kody's getting too old and lame and Turbo's going to waste. Should I buy a little buckboard or something? By the time I pay shipping that would be $2,000 "dumped into a cheap vehicle that won't allow me to do what I would like" and I would be terrified to drive it because it wouldn't have a cut-under and all I do is tight turns. I'd rather dump a couple of hundred dollars (which I do have) into a customized pair pole or forecart, buy the strong, sturdy, safe pair harness I want, and work slowly and carefully while I save up for the right equipment. I don't recommend that for anyone, but I know what I'm getting into and to me it's better than never getting to drive a pair. So sue me.

You do the best you can with what you have and always strive to maximize the horse's comfort within your budget. If the boys tell me the pair pole is untenable, I'll get rid of it and wait. But it seemed worth a trial for some straight-line trail drives.

Leia

 

[susanne]

Somewhere along the line, I apparently upgraded to the super-thick, super-grippy butt...

I really don't find the EE ride to be that rough, and I seem to stick pretty well to the seat (especially in hot weather when wearing shorts).

Every cart has its limitations. You learn what each can do and drive accordingly.

 

[Minimor]

He was offered the opportunity to drive someone else's horse through a cones course and expected those pneumatic wheels to slide the way a Pacific (steel hard rubber) wheel does. They grabbed the ground instead, flipping the cart and him.

He is an experienced driver, but didn't realize an EE cart would "handle" differently from another type of cart?? I would call that driver error. That would be about like some race car driver getting into my 1/2 ton & trying to drive it the same way he would his race car and then being surprised when it didn't handle the same & he crashes. Driver error, not vehicle fault...
I have an EE cart for training the Minis and we use it for some "fun" driving just around home. When I was a little kid Mom & I would drive all over the country side in a little Frontier EE cart behind my 35" pony--the little pony & cart gave us many hours of enjoyment, and that's where I learned to drive. We only ever tipped out once, and that was when Mom drove down into a ditch at a little too much of an angle, and the cart tipped over on its side. Driver error for sure, just one of those oops moments when you do something you know better than to do...couldn't blame the cart! Pony stopped, we righted the cart, got back in & away we went.

In view of the fun we've had over the years with a simple EE cart I would readily recommend one for what you have in mind--giving the kids a ride.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Thanks Minimor, That story of your mom reminds me of my early driving days. I call myself a newbie because I am learning all over again from scratch the real way you should learn, from a seasoned instructor with many years of experience behind her. I am not totally new to driving I was in my teens and early 20's I jogged standardbred race horses for the local track. I also drove two single ponies individually and a second pair of ponies as a pair all over creation, on roads, at the local fairs and birthday parties. Somebody was watching over me back then. I never gave it a second thought, I just hooked up and drove off. I remember taking that pair of ponies to the local fair where the fair officials set up the pony ride ring right next to a huge ferris wheel. Kids screaming, lights flashing and the ponies were awesome. I even drove them to the fair with a pony size buckboard wagon over roads with cars. To this day I am amazed I lived to tell the tale. I guess because we drove everywhere and put so many miles on the ponies, they were calm and been there done that. I guess I got lucky I never flipped over in my cart I used back then. It was one of those crappy metal carts with a plywood seat and pad on it. we didn't do trail riding or hills either, just field and road.

This time in my driving experiences I realize there is so much education available I am like a sponge trying to suck it all up and try to do right by my little horses. I bought the high dollar aerocrown because I truly believe it is the best cart for me and my horse.

The pony ride cart I eventually want to get will be the best of its type I can find. It may be a sit in the shed sort of cart only to be used on occasion when I may have a thought to take someone for a ride. The aerocrown is my cart of choice, but if I didn't think that I could take my kids out to circle a flat field in a pony ride cart then I wouldn't do it.

Anyway... I'm a chatter box here... Thanks for the stories ladies and I do appreciate ALL levels of feedback. When I ask for feedback I want both sides of the coin so thank you all of you that posted about scary things that can happen in ee and e exit carts. I need that information for my brain too.

Adair

 

[Margo_C-T]

Well said, Leia, Susanne, Minimor....points well-made.

I have been driving miniatures regularly since 1985.

I unabashedly stand behind my support of the Frontier as 'the best' of its KIND. I never bought 'cheap' ANYTHING when it was important; I started out w/ Smuckers harness; because I breed showed initially,I have owned three Jerald 'show'carts...all purchased new;I own a Bennington mini cart, Pequea's 'high end' Road Cart, and most recently, a Heindl 'training cart'...all VERY well made, quality vehicles.(I also own a 'Scotsman' mini cart, which *would* be a pretty nice vehicle had it been as represented in advertising, AND if it had been built correctly, instead of with flaws in construction that made it UNUSABLE as built(not to mention NOT INCLUDING necessary parts...so, BUYER BEWARE, there!)I own a Golden Carriage mini Pair vehicle(back-to-back English trap; gorgeous!), a Glinkowski 'mini mix' marathon vehicle, AND a buckboard, which actually IS quite maneuverable, though not being undercut(which both the others are).I am definitely 'over-vehicled', and will definitely be parting w/ some of these in the not-too-distant future, as I simply don't have the time or energy anymore to utilize them as they should be used...but that's another story.)

My point? I don't consider the Frontier to be 'cheap', just inexpensive in the larger scheme of things. I haven't found the ride 'horrible'(my major issue w/ the Frontier is the shallow seat!!)-- though certainly the other two passenger carts offer greater comfort of ride(the Heindl is a one-person ride). When I was driving my large B size mini the most, I used the Benny, but otherwise, the Frontier has gotten the most use of anything here--because it it the best 'beater', with few concerns about 'hurting' it. No, it is NOT a marathon cart...but then,it is not represented as such.

Margo

 

[LazyRanch]

We purchased - rather my then 76 year old mom did - a Frontier EE cart on the recommendation of a good friend of ours who drives in the Mini Mystique drill team. ALL of them drive in Frontier carts. We haven't been disappointed with ours, except for two things:

1) We ordered our cart with solid rubber tyres. The gal we ordered from did warn us that on a sharp turn, the solid tyre would dis-rim, but our goathead problem is horrific and nothing stays inflated for long. Diane was correct; the first time we hitched Rascal to the cart, he took off like a bat out of blazes, a tyre came off the rim, and for a few seconds, things looked kinda bleak. On the plus side, the rim didn't fold up, and I got the tyre back on without too much problem. I chalk it up to new driver issues, but I have seen more experienced drivers get run away with and make those turns, either flipping or "could be" lost a tyre. Since then I have applied, generously, Gorilla Glue and learned not to turn too sharp in that cart.

2) I had planned on getting a HyperBike from the very start, so, while I had to drive the Frontier cart for a few months, it took all of a few minutes to acclimate myself to the 'Bike. Now, when I drive the Frontier, I am constantly shocked by how it "slithers" on a turn, or through muddy patches. This is especially true when I take Rascal to the local show series in the pleasure classes - my heart skips a few beats, and I hold my breath at each corner.

All that being said, I have had the chance to see several manufactures' carts other than Frontier, and have been really put off by some. They seem to feel that "mini" doesn't need maxi build - any materials will do. Frontier builds a mini cart with the same attention and materials as their big guy carts. Also, they are made in USA. If there is a problem, they are easy to call, easily understood, and can fix most issues over the phone, or replace easily.

I sat in several Frontier carts - some with the wood - and found that the foot box with the wood made me feel cramped, like I didn't have enough leg room - and I am only 4'10" - but this could be because I am accustomed to my feet being out on the rails of my HyperBike. People often see me driving in the most UN-ladylike position of each foot in is relative corner of the foot box, as far forward as possible.

I will say this about Frontier: we got a tan, leather looking seat, with cream trim. However, as we were considering joining the drill team, Frontier said they had their colour of seat and could send it to us with instructions on how to (removably or permanently) mount the covers over the original.

If I were going to change anything, I would get larger rims - the 24" are just too small.

I do pound the daylights out of it, and take the neighbourhood kids for rides, and Mom likes to drive it.

I had to laugh about the kids running along side. For about 6 months before we got a cart, we had a harness. My neighbourhood was chronically treated to me running afoot behind trotting horses.

 

[LazyRanch]

Every cart has its limitations. You learn what each can do and drive accordingly.

This is an EXcellent point. Last year, one of our combined driving competitors opted to go Preliminary - mostly because her horse loves to canter. She is familiar with her cart, having driven it for several years, and canters her horse regularly in the EE cart. Through an ADT rule change, she found she didn't have to replace her pneumatic tyres, so considered herself good to go.

She attentively walked her course, considered her lines and made her choices. Unfortunately, at this particular event, all the big horses and teams went through before the minis, who, as a group were last to go. By the time she hit her hazard, the line she'd so carefully chosen had been brutally chopped up. Her EE cart got stuck in a sand dune and flipped, hurling her out and loosing the horse and cart. It was alarming.

I would chalk this accident up to driver error, but also to 24" pneumatic tyres being asked to do something for which they were not designed. I am hoping this year she will have purchased a cart more suitable for Preliminary level competition.

 

[RhineStone]

Her EE cart got stuck in a sand dune and flipped, hurling her out and loosing the horse and cart. It was alarming.

You all can defend your EE carts all you want to, but I haven't heard of other carts flipping as much as the EE, no matter what the brand. You can virtually chalk every accident up to driver error, but when you have to watch what you can do with a certain vehicle, that would be a red flag to me. What would be the driving limitations on say a Minicrown, a Smart Cart and the like properly put to an appropriate horse other than maybe Turnout points in a Pleasure show?

(What can't you do with it?)

Keep your EE, I really don't care.

The whole reason I even mentioned the accident was because it was a fresh story that someone had just told me and that cart was being discussed here. I thought maybe someone could learn something from it instead of getting all defensive.