Carriage recommendations

[hobbyhorse23]

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.

Yes, especially in sand pneumatic tires are MUCH easier on the horse.

 

[Jules]

Just wanted to let everyone know I ordered a Smart Cart today.

How exciting! I love the look of them and the suspension specs look impressive. If I didn't have budget restrictions and a temporarily chunky butt then the Smart Cart would be right up there as one of my top choices.

 

[Jules]

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.

Has your cart arrived yet? I bet you are so excited!

 

[New mini]

No it has not I was told 6 to 8 weeks. It has been almost 4 weeks now and I am getting real excited. I want to call and ask when but I know I just have to wait for them to call and say it has been shipped. Pacific Carriage is a wonderful company to deal with and I am sure if I did call they would give me an answer. I will let everyone know when I receive it and how I like it.

 

[Jules]

Can you tell I am excited for you too? lol

I figured there would be more of a wait, but couldn't resist asking. What options did you order on it? The Smart Carts have 26in wheels as standard don't they? They look a really nice size.

I look forward to looking at pics when it arrives.

 

[New mini]

Jules,

My cart should be here next Wed. 26 inche wheels are standaard. I am just getting the cart cover. They said that if I want to change anything I could order what I want and do the change out myself.

 

[Jules]

Wed is soo close! Wooot!

 

[Matthijs]

Photo's......

Ps; on my avatar is also a smart cart with the pair pole!

 

[Jules]

Photo's......

Ps; on my avatar is also a smart cart with the pair pole!

Yeah photos Newmini! C'mon! lol

 

[New mini]

Still trying to get everything right. I can only have pictures taken on weekend when my Husband is home. I do have one of just Lance but the cart needed to be adjusted and has been since this was taken

 

[Jules]

ahah, I had seen Mr lance in the other thread bout cart fitting. He is so freaking cute!

How are you doing with adjusting the new cart/harness combo to him now?

 

[New mini]

I think I have everything adjusted now. My only problem is that I can not get the shafts to stay at the point of his shoulder. I have no idea what to do at this point. Love the carriage. It was easy to balance and has a really nice ride over a lot of bumps. Would recommend this carriage to anyone..

 

[Matthijs]

Can you get a picture from the side at horse level with the cart and horse together, that may help us and you as well to see what is going on. Also take a look at the width a of the shafts at the saddle, By changing that the height also changes so a picture from above is quite helpful. We had our smart cart for more than a year now and with having two different horses and a pair pole I find that we are still making adjustments all the time, they do get smaller though. I must say I love the ease with which to make changes and the range is just fantastic. We have the regular as well as the marathon shafts those we use mostly because we like the freedom in bending and when trail driving less things to get hung up on. As a result we do not use the regular shafts much.

 

[New mini]

I did not know to check the width of the shafts at the saddle. What width should that be? Shoould it be tight or wider? I did not order the marathon shafts because I do not really move with Lance. Why do you perfer them/ Since this is the first cart I have to adjust I really do not know what the finer points are. I have adjusted as the instructions have said and then just started playing around with the cart. I will try to get some pictures this weekend.

 

[Matthijs]

Play with it a little, when you turn the shafts in on the smart cart you make the space between them narrower at the saddle. At the same time turning the tips outwards, and the level down or sloping the cart more backwards. I like to see about 2" of space on either side of the saddle. As you will soon see you change one thing like that and everything else changes, so keep looking at it and take those pictures every time you make changes and you will soon develop a good feel of what you can do.

And never forget; have fun doing it!!!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I think I have everything adjusted now. My only problem is that I can not get the shafts to stay at the point of his shoulder. I have no idea what to do at this point.

Nothing- those shafts aren't SUPPOSED to come to the point of the shoulder! LOL. The high point of the bend hangs in the tugs as you have it in your picture and that's all there is to it. Having regular straight shafts end behind the point of the shoulder results in the horse getting poked as he or she turns, but that's why these shafts bend down and away from the horse. He should be fine and it will give him more freedom through the shoulder while turning.

The advantage of marathon shafts over presentation shafts on a Smart Cart is that A) as Matthijs said, you can't get hung up on anything, B) the shafts end further back and are rounded so they REALLY allow the horse to perform, and C) most functionally, there is no possibility of the shafts falling out of the tugs if your traces aren't tight enough. You do have to use special quick-release tugs that open and close easily to hitch with marathon shafts, but it's an easy exchange on any harness.

Leia

 

[brasstackminis]

So when I look at the picture that was posted, I noticed that the holdback straps for the breeching are pulling downward. I was taught that this was to be avoided as it puts undue stress on tack and horse and to instead attach the straps forward of the footmans loop keeping the line from breeching to shaft as straight as possible. Anyone else hear this before? I have to go back and look at my notes and videos to remember how they suggested attaching them when they bypassed the footmans loop though...

 

[hobbyhorse23]

So when I look at the picture that was posted, I noticed that the holdback straps for the breeching are pulling downward. I was taught that this was to be avoided as it puts undue stress on tack and horse and to instead attach the straps forward of the footmans loop keeping the line from breeching to shaft as straight as possible. Anyone else hear this before? I have to go back and look at my notes and videos to remember how they suggested attaching them when they bypassed the footmans loop though...

That would be my question, yes. I'd much rather have a little downward pressure (which will mostly be alleviated as the shafts swing forward during braking) than have my holdbacks unanchored on the shafts. I suppose having them ahead of the footman's loop is still anchoring them in a way as when they try to slide back they'll run into the outside of the footman's loop and stop, but I'd still rather have them properly secured. The best answer of course is simply to reweld the footmans loops in the proper position! The ones on the Smart Cart have always been a bit too far back for most horses.

Leia

 

[Matthijs]

On the smart cart, if you get the marathon shafts you can directly loop the holdback straps through the front curl of the shafts too. I think the marathon shafts are just the way to go with this cart. Using the shaft curl ( do you have a proper name for it?) also brings the attachment point up as wel as forward. Not saying that is always the correct way to do it, but it just ads another option!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

On the smart cart, if you get the marathon shafts you can directly loop the holdback straps through the front curl of the shafts too. I think the marathon shafts are just the way to go with this cart. Using the shaft curl ( do you have a proper name for it?) also brings the attachment point up as wel as forward. Not saying that is always the correct way to do it, but it just adds another option!

Those are called "closed loop marathon shafts" so I would assume the front circle is the "closed loop" or just "the end of the shafts." LOL

Sometimes doing as you describe is the only way to make things work but it's definitely not correct. For some reason you see it more often in England, or at least I've seen it in English sport driving books while in America that practice is frowned on. Odd considering that we regularly use fixed tugs with two-wheeled carts (they consider sliding backbands to be absolutely necessary) and they often have two tug stops (one in front of and one behind the tug) while we make do with one! I suppose it's because with the tugs absolutely secured on the shafts by either those double tug stops or the tugs being buckled into a close loop you can safely hold the cart back that way while attaching the holdbacks to the tugs on regular wooden shafts without tug stops (as we normally have here) does almost no good at all. Thus American drivers are taught that doing so is incorrect while British drivers sometimes do it.

Depending on how high the shaft loop is on the horse's sides and what the angles are like I'd think attaching the holdbacks there could cause problems of its own. As usual, you must evaluate your particular turnout and do what is best for your individual horse.

Leia