Carriage recommendations

[New mini]

I know there has been many discussion on what type of carriage to buy. I have a carriage that the springs under the seat do not give much. I drive in an indoor ring that the horses use as a jumper ring. It is very rough and bouncy in there and I am getting a sore seat. I have about $2500 so I want to get something good but being new I have no idea what is well sprung. There are not many people around me that drive minis so I can not really go and try out a cart. Can anyone recommend somthing to me?

 

[Minimor]

We have the Smart Carts here & love them; they have air bag suspension & give a very nice ride even over rough ground. If your mini is well under 34" the Smart Cart might be too heavy (they are meant for Minis 31-40" tall but some say the cart is too heavy for their under 34" horses) Pacific Carriage Smart Cart

 

[New mini]

Thanks for the information. Lance is 35.5 so It will be the right size for him and I have contacted his former owner and she does not think the cart will be to heavy for him. I have contacted Pacific Carriage Co asking for information. So I will see if this is the way to go

 

[TMR]

At that budget, you have all kinds of choices. The Pacific is a good choice, but there is also the Bell Crown line (Mini Crown and Aero Crown), Benningtons, and several others that I can't think of right now. You want preferably air shocks or torsion axles for a smoother comfortable ride. There are many driving shop sites. Carriage driving essentials, Driving essentials, Ideal Harness, FEO, High Hopes, and many more that I can't think of right now. Window Web shopping is my favorite pasttime and you can always check the classifieds on the ADS website for used equipment, also the CD-L List, and carriage mart. I find you can never have enough driving equipment.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Yep, the Smart Cart and either Bellcrown model are going to be your primary choices! The Bellcrowns have torsion axles which are FABULOUS but are not adjustable as the Smart Cart's airbag suspension is. It really depends on which look you prefer, whether or not you plan on taking passengers, and if you need the cart to easily fit horses of several different sizes.

Leia

 

[New mini]

Thanks for the suspension answers on the carts. This is what I was looking for. The ads just say an easy comfortable ride. I needed to know what type of suspension I wanted and what carts had this suspension. Now to make my choice and order.

 

[Shari]

You should also look into a "Country Road cart"... they have an incredibly smooth ride.

http://www.countrycarriagesusa.com/

 

[shorthorsemom]

I love my aerocrown, the ride is great. Even over rough farm ground with tractor treading and bumps it rides like a dream.

 

[Jules]

You should also look into a "Country Road cart"... they have an incredibly smooth ride.

http://www.countrycarriagesusa.com/

How heavy do you think your mini size is and what size wheels?

Also, while I am asking a billion questions..what sort of suspension does it have?

I did look at the link and did a gooogle search but couldn't come up with any answers.

 

[New mini]

Jules, this is exactly why I have asked this queston. I am finding that cart companies do not give you all the information that I want. I went on one site and all they showed was the cart. No information at all not even price. It was a very nice looking carriage too. I do not what to have to fish for information if I think I would like the cart. I need to have the basic information, wheel height, weight , suspension system and most of all price. After that I do not mind contacting the company about the cart.People who are just starting out, me, need more information to make the correct decision on what we need and want.

 

[Shari]

The set up is pretty complex.

It has traditional suspension. Half Elliptical – 3 leaves and to my gimpy back the most Comfy ride out there in carts.

If you contact the owner of the link I posted, ask for photographs of the suspension.

I will search around in my photos in the next few days and see if I can find photos that will show the suspension.

 

[Jules]

Thanks so much Shari, I really appreciate it

New mini, yes I totally agree. If you supply the basic information on a website it can allow people to start thinking further about it. I don't mind contacting businesses, however fee awful if I am wasting their time on basic questions when I may not be that serious about buying...which I would have known if I could see the basic detais of the cart. Fun stuff

Supose it stretches out the research process which is a bonus, I am a newbie but am totally digging cart shopping!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Often they won't provide the wheel height because there is no standard; it's customized to whatever you want and will fit your horse when you order. I know that's the case with the road carts! As for the suspension, either they're lazy or they think it's self-evident from the pictures. Most carriages have a leaf spring arrangement or something of that type like an elliptical spring, and those are usually visible in pictures. If it's something different like a coil spring or torsion axle they will usually say on the website in my experience.

I never trust weights listed on the manufacturer's websites anyway as they're almost always ballpark figures from a livestock scale and bear no resemblance to reality. The price, however, yes! That really ought to be listed and I'm surprised any reputable company would neglect to include that.

The biggest thing in purchasing a cart is to know what features are important to you. The road cart that is comfortable for tall, leggy Shari is bumpy and insecure for tiny little me because I don't weigh enough to get any cushion out of elliptical springs. I hated them until I took a passenger along once and discovered the ride became wonderful with enough weight on the seat! You have to know what will work for YOU, and not take someone else's word for what is comfortable. I do very well in a Frontier EE but I know others feel terribly cramped and find the seat far too shallow. Pacific Smart Carts are fantastic and work well for some A minis I know, but my boys would struggle to pull them. On the other hand the Aerocrown that fits us perfectly might look too light for a heavier driver with a taller horse.

Tell us what you want, how you'll be using it, and describe your horse and driver combination and we can help you sort through what's available. We've all been where you are and learned the hard way!

Leia

 

[Jules]

Tell us what you want, how you'll be using it, and describe your horse and driver combination and we can help you sort through what's available. We've all been where you are and learned the hard way!

Leia

Not even my thread but I am never one to turn down help when it is offered

I think after research the Minicrown is my pick, but I absolutely welcome input.

My horse:

My mini is 34.5 inches and weighs 130kg (286 pounds), I know this as I weighed him on the scale in my local vets office which was quite a sight for the other people waiting. He is classed here in Australia as a miniature pony as he is a pony type in looks and conformation features

Me:

5ft 4inches and a litle dumpy at present after having my third child but am getting fitter and losing weight. I currently weigh 187 lbs but my 'normal' weight is more like 143lbs.

Requirements:

For my horse to be comfortable

For me to be comfortable

For the horse to cart/driver weight ratio to be reasonable

To eventually allow my small chidren to occasionally have a drive with me- so must ave a cart that has 1.5 - 2 seats

I mainly want to drive for pleasure but won't rule out the possibility of doing some cones, CDE or low level showing.

For pleasure driving I would be driving on some roads (quiet country town) and hills. Also on some trails that would be made of dirt and gravel, possibly some ruts in some places due to people off-roading in their cars.

Lots of raw wood is a problem for importing, it will cost me more to get it into the country, which I can't afford to do on a spendy cart, but could for something in a lower price range.

I have a sulky type jogger at the moment which I will keep for breaking/training.

Bring on the recommendations

 

[New mini]

My mini is 35.5 inches and about 295 lbs. I am 5 foot 8 inches and 167 lbs. I want a cart that is comfortable to sit in and ride over ridges in a dirt ring .My main complaint with my present cart is after driving I find that my butt has become painful.

I presently ride in an indoor arena that is used as a jumper ring for the barns horses so it anything but smooth. It is fun as I use the jumps to go around so I am not driving in circles. Once the weather gets warmer I will be driving outside on grass and a dirt road. Right now I am leaning towards the Pacific Smart Cart or the Bellceowns I do want to be able to take one of my Grandsons with me. He is 6 years old and a small child. I do not plan on any high level shows maybe just my local fair.

I have asked Lance's previous owner if he could pull the Smart Cart and she said he could so that weight is not a problem.

Ok now what is everyones suggestion for me..

 

[Minimor]

I still say Smart Cart for you.

 

[Becky Horat]

For arena driving do you find it's easier on the horse with wire wheel/pneumatic wheels? Just wondering. Our carts are wooden and steel wheel. (Mini Crown & Wooden wheel easy entry). We mainly are out on trails. The few arenas we've been in are not deep ground. Planning on showing in our Fair and also a schooling show that has sand arena.

 

[susanne]

As a reference for anyone in the market, I wonder if REO and Mary Lou would let us pin a topic comparing different carts, using a standard list of features/specs? Or perhaps someone who loves collecting data could do this (and to which we could link)?

 

[Jules]

As a reference for anyone in the market, I wonder if REO and Mary Lou would let us pin a topic comparing different carts, using a standard list of features/specs? Or perhaps someone who loves collecting data could do this (and to which we could link)?

I think that is a fantastic idea. I trawled all the thread (and there are loads and loads!) looking for opinions/reviews/experiences with carts as part of my research and pinning a more definitive guide could be useful. Of course it is all personal preferences for the most part, but if there was a guide saying this has this wheel size, this suspension etc, that would be so handy.

 

[New mini]

Just wanted to let everyone know I ordered a Smart Cart today. Can not wait until I get it and can have a comfortable drive. Thanks to all for all the information and to minimor for taking the time to help me with all the information she gave me.