RhineStone
Well-Known Member
OK, all you other driving horse people, is it my imagination, or is it a bad idea to have a mini pull a garden-type cart w/o a driver, just someone leading at the head?
This is regarding the thread on the other forum, where someone wants to convert a child's red wagon to a cart for a small mini to pull. This seems to go against a lot of good, sound advice from driving experts. Does this happen often? Is this common practice for minis that I don't know about because I am in the "big" horse competition driving world? Am I just being a "stick-in-the-mud" traditionalist?
Here are my thoughts. When you are leading a horse without something attached, and it decides to bolt, jump, etc., the horse swings around but you still have their head, because a horse can't leave w/o it's head. When you have something attached, then the horse can't swing very effectively w/o sideways pressure on the wheels, which in turn will dump the cart over. Either that, or because the horse can't swing, it bolts harder in front of the handler. In either case, said cart becomes weapon for both human and horse.
With the driver in the cart and the horse decides to "leave", it can move sideways in the front because it's head is "free", and the wheels will pivot. If it bolts forward, the driver moves with the cart, therefore hopefully staying with it, and stopping it before it becomes an issue. I know that when I have been in the vehicle of a bolting horse, there is no way that I could keep up with it on foot! Yes, in both situations, a driven horse can still dump the cart, and I have seen that happen. I think there would be more wrecks if those bolting horses were just headed. ADS has strong suggestions about people on foot heading horses, but pulling a garden cart while leading the horse, too, is not just trying to keep it in one place.
I already tried to say something to that effect, but apparently, I am in the minority on this subject. I don't think that people realize that "cute little horse" could do such a thing!
So before I go and make a bunch of enemies of "garden cart" people, what do you think?
Myrna
Here are my thoughts. When you are leading a horse without something attached, and it decides to bolt, jump, etc., the horse swings around but you still have their head, because a horse can't leave w/o it's head. When you have something attached, then the horse can't swing very effectively w/o sideways pressure on the wheels, which in turn will dump the cart over. Either that, or because the horse can't swing, it bolts harder in front of the handler. In either case, said cart becomes weapon for both human and horse.
I already tried to say something to that effect, but apparently, I am in the minority on this subject. I don't think that people realize that "cute little horse" could do such a thing!
Myrna