Cart question

[KathyB]

Happy to say I just received my new cart from Silver Penney. Can anyone tell me how much space should be between the horse and the single tree? How much is too much? This is this horse's first cart and I think I may have messed up when I measured him. If I use this cart I will have to get trace extenders and there will be about 14 inches between the single tree and the horse. Should I order shorter shafts?

Thanks

 

[MinisOutWest]

An under 30 mini can fit comfortably in a 46" shaft and all minis can usually fit in the normal 49" shaft lengths.

 

[KathyB]

The shafts are 55" and the horse is 36-37".

 

[Margo_C-T]

I wouldn't think that shaft length would be a problem for that horse. It really doesn't hurt for the horse to be a bit further forward of the cart-and 14" doesn't seem excessive to me. (Of course, you do NOT want the shaves to extend forward beyond the point of the shoulder!) Better to get some good trace extenders!

I am not familiar w/ the Silver Penney carts, but seems like they are wooden? and with wooden shafts? If so, it really isn't suitable to try to shorten them; wooden shafts have to be shortened, if any, from the back, not the front--and that's usually not possible once the cart is built.

One of the pluses of the 'Pipe' carts is that most allow you to shorten the shafts from the front; I have a friend who was told to cut 2" off of her 'standard' 48" Frontier EE cart shafts by a clinician! I use the standard 48" straight Frontier 'pipe' shafts for my A sized minis, but did order a second 'set' of Frontier shafts for my full 38" mare; they are 54", and work very well...just to give you an idea of the suitability of different shaft lengths.

Margo

 

[KathyB]

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about getting another, shorter pair, not shortening them. This is a wooden easy entry that I assembled, so replacing the shafts won't be hard.

As long as its ok for the horse, I will go ahead and try the extenders. Right now the shafts are too far up on his shoulder. Does anyone know where I can get extenders for a nylon harness?

 

[MinisOutWest]

my 36" gelding fit comfortably in the 49" shafts, but i did have a 52" on him and the cart was huge on him, he was a big boy too, he wore a 54" blanket, so he was long, but the 49" shafts fit him great. good luck

 

[MiLo Minis]

14 inches between him and the singletree is a bit much (8 to 12" is the norm) but as long as it isn't upsetting the balance of the cart you are okay. Try sitting in the cart and have someone check the weight under the saddle, there should be no more than 5 to 10 pounds of weight felt there. If this is going to be your cart for a while I think it would be worth getting the shorter shafts. Trace extenders are not the best idea because they are more likely to come apart than a solid trace and leave you in a bad spot. If you keep the shafts you would be farther ahead getting a new set of traces, if they buckle in, or an entire breast collar, if they are one piece. You could look at the Freedom collar!

 

[disneyhorse]

I had a Jerald "B" size miniature cart... the shafts were 54" and I had horses anywhere from 35-37" in it. Even the 34" guy wasn't too terribly out of place in it, although it was borderline for him.

Can you take a picture of your horse hitched up to the cart so we can actually see what it looks like instead of just a description? That would help a lot. I would guess your cart is okay... it's better to have the shafts a touch too long than have them way too short.

Andrea

 

[KathyB]

Can someone tell me how long the traces should be for a 55" shaft? I am not sure how they are measured. I also would like to know where I can purchase them.

Disney horse, I can't really take a picture until I get longer traces. Right now the shafts are way to far up on the horse because the traces are too short.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[JourneysEnd]

Can someone tell me how long the traces should be for a 55" shaft? I am not sure how they are measured. I also would like to know where I can purchase them.
Disney horse, I can't really take a picture until I get longer traces. Right now the shafts are way to far up on the horse because the traces are too short.

Thanks for all the help.

Try Janie at Chimicum Tack

http://www.horsedriver.com/

She carries all the bits & pieces and should be able to help.

 

[Minimor]

My EE (metal) cart has 54" shafts--our previous cart had 48" shafts and it was simply too small for our 36-38" horses. The 54" is perfect. My first harness has standard traces, which were too short for these longer shafts, so when we ordered our second and third harnesses we had them made with longer traces.

For the harness with the shorter traces I did order a set of trace extenders, and am very pleased with them. They're the perfect length for the 54" shafts. They're very well made & are very secure IMO--I have no concerns about them coming apart. Mind you, they are leather (ordered from Ozark Mtn.)--I haven't come across any nylon ones, and without knowing what your harness is like I can't say if they'd work with nylon traces or not.

 

[KathyB]

Minimor,

I can't find anyone who sells nylon extenders. I am going to order the traces and extenders from Ozark. Did you order the mini or the pony traces for you taller horses?

My EE (metal) cart has 54" shafts--our previous cart had 48" shafts and it was simply too small for our 36-38" horses. The 54" is perfect. My first harness has standard traces, which were too short for these longer shafts, so when we ordered our second and third harnesses we had them made with longer traces.
For the harness with the shorter traces I did order a set of trace extenders, and am very pleased with them. They're the perfect length for the 54" shafts. They're very well made & are very secure IMO--I have no concerns about them coming apart. Mind you, they are leather (ordered from Ozark Mtn.)--I haven't come across any nylon ones, and without knowing what your harness is like I can't say if they'd work with nylon traces or not.