Eazy Entry cart

[minimad]

If you have one of these easy entry carts made by Eazy Ryder...what do you think?

Looking for 'reviews of the Eazy Ryder easy entry cart for minis ...anyone have one of these?

 

[CheyAut]

LOVE THEM LOVE THEM LOVE THEM LOVE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have one, my hubby has one, and I have a full horse sized one.

Did I say that I LOVE them?

When hubby was BRAND NEW to just riding in a cart... he rode in my Eazy Ryder with me through bumpy, rough dirt. Then he rode in my Frontier on flat, level asphalt road. He IMMEDIATELY told me that he MUCH prefers my other (Eazy Ryder) cart!

So... I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Eazy Ryders Truely MUCH more comfortable!

Jessi (ps, that's one in my avatar... I can't go to my photobucket to get you a link since it's blocked at work, but if you go to my website www.CheyAutRanch.com and follow the links to mini geldings, look for Chili, and mini stallions, look for Concho... then there are links to their photo albums and you can see our Eazy Ryder carts "in action"

 

[babygoose]

Pretty much what CheyAut said!

I also have one for my mini and one for my big horse. They are a VERY comfortable ride. The cart for my mini has steel wheels and is a little on the heavy side though. My mini is actually oversized at 39 inches and has no trouble pulling it, but I would wonder about the smaller guys. CheyAut may have some insight into that.

 

[babygoose]

I found a couple photos for you.

 

[CheyAut]

Pretty much what CheyAut said!

I also have one for my mini and one for my big horse. They are a VERY comfortable ride. The cart for my mini has steel wheels and is a little on the heavy side though. My mini is actually oversized at 39 inches and has no trouble pulling it, but I would wonder about the smaller guys. CheyAut may have some insight into that.

I don't have steel wheels, and so I don't know if they add any weight to the cart or not (I have no more flats in my rubber tires). The Eazy Ryder is a little heavier than the Frontier, but to my guys, it didn't make a difference. Chili is 35" or so, but I"ve also used it with my 32" gelding. And hubby, who weighs about... 220 I think? uses his with his 31", 23 year old mini with no problems. JME

I can't wait to use my horse one... I actually won it in a raffle, with all the extras with it and a Smucker's Delux harness It's for my Friesian, who is just 2 right now so I just admire that cart sitting in my garage...

Jessi

 

[babygoose]

Congrats on winning the cart and harness Jessi! Was that the Coolidge raffle?

I know the steel wheels do add some weight and can't remember now how much. The person I bought this cart from also said that there was a smaller wheel available than what is on my cart. But she got the one size up because Maggie is a maxi mini. So with a smaller wheel or wire spoke wheels the weight would go down considerabley I would think.

They are great carts and again, I am not sure you can find a smoother ride anywhere. Forgot to add that the carts are very adjustable in size with the adjustable shafts etc. so can be made to fit a pretty wide size range in horses.

 

[Minimor]

Question, after seeing those photos above--is this cart the same as the Smart Cart in that the shafts can be turned to make them wider or narrower? It looks like maybe, as in the pix here the shafts seem to be turned outward quite a bit?

Can anyone tell me how wide the Eazy Ryder shafts are, first in the normal position, curved downward, and then how much narrower it makes them to turn the tips so that they curve outward?

I find my Smart Cart is too wide if I have the shafts straight, with the tips curved downward. Turning them outward does narrow them (not sure how much, I haven't tried it) but the thing is, I really don't like them positioned that way & don't want to drive with them turned that way. I just have visions of driving along a track through the forest--and some of the tracks in the forest reserve here are not used much so are quite narrow--and having those turned out shafts hook a branch or bush.

Am I being too fussy??

I'm considering contacting Pacific Carriage to see if there's any way they can bend a set of shafts differently, so that I can use them straight, not turned out, but still have them narrower. If not, when time comes to buy a 2nd cart of this type I was thinking maybe an Eazy Ryder...but now it looks like their shafts are the same.

I don't like the shape of the shafts at all on the Bennington or the Missouri Flyer.

 

[Mini_lovr]

How much do the Eazy Entry Carts normally cost? I am looking fo a new cart and so far I want the one seater cart because it looks smaler and easier to use but I would not mind another 2 seater cart. I was wandering the cost of one of these to see if I rather have one of these types of carts, I do a LOT of off rode driving so I need a good long lasting tough cart do you think this is a good type of cart for me???? Please reply back, DaVonna

 

[CheyAut]

Congrats on winning the cart and harness Jessi! Was that the Coolidge raffle?

I know the steel wheels do add some weight and can't remember now how much. The person I bought this cart from also said that there was a smaller wheel available than what is on my cart. But she got the one size up because Maggie is a maxi mini. So with a smaller wheel or wire spoke wheels the weight would go down considerabley I would think.

They are great carts and again, I am not sure you can find a smoother ride anywhere. Forgot to add that the carts are very adjustable in size with the adjustable shafts etc. so can be made to fit a pretty wide size range in horses.

Yup, from ADCS. I didn't even know I won it, my friend Roz called and said congratulations. I asked what for haha!

I have bigger wheels on my cart, too, for 35" Chili. (though I dont' think 24" is noticibly heavier than the 20" when it comes to the "bicycle" type wheels?) Someday I hope to get new wheels, especially if I ever get to enter a CDE (so far have been enjoying the 1 day ADTs for the past... 4? years). The CDEs in Az no longer have a mini division

Jessi

Question, after seeing those photos above--is this cart the same as the Smart Cart in that the shafts can be turned to make them wider or narrower? It looks like maybe, as in the pix here the shafts seem to be turned outward quite a bit?

I know nothing about the smart cart. The two mini Eazy Ryders I have, we have the "plain" shafts like on the Frontier carts. Those you can't move. My horse sized cart has the "marathon shafts" (I think they're called) and those might swivle? I"ve never attached them as I haven't been able to use that cart yet, and the cart won't fit on it's back in my garage if they're on, so I don't know... if you don't get an answer about that this weekend then on Monday when Ihave a chance I will look at my shafts and cart for you and let you know. But you might need to remind me, so send me a PM Monday if you don't get an answer

How much do the Eazy Entry Carts normally cost? I am looking fo a new cart and so far I want the one seater cart because it looks smaler and easier to use but I would not mind another 2 seater cart. I was wandering the cost of one of these to see if I rather have one of these types of carts, I do a LOT of off rode driving so I need a good long lasting tough cart do you think this is a good type of cart for me???? Please reply back, DaVonna

You would really enjoy the Eazy Ryder cart as it is MUCH smoother for off road driving. However, they aren't cheap... $800 and up! I forget the base price, but it is somewhere around $800 or $900. Then there are extras you can add: marathon shafts, spares box, brush guards, foot... rest? thing??? Not sure what that is called... and maybe more that I"m forgetting... oh yeah, the super nice but EXPENSIVE steel wheels.

A Frontier easy entry cart costs around $475 new, and you can get a used one if you're patient and keep looking. I've seen used sell around $300, sometimes more and probably sometimes less. If you can't afford the Eazy Ryder, that's a good option (but it's a rougher ride).

Jessi

 

[Mini_lovr]

Thank you for responding I think I am going to wait a while before getting one of those carts because they are a little much so I am just going to find another cart for now, I can not take the chance in getting a used one that might fall apart when I take it off rode so I think I might get the one seater because my horse Moonbeam likes to turn sharp on cart so I want a smaller cart so he can turn shar without it being to hard on him. I plan on cone racing Moonbeam in the future. But thank you for the information.

 

[CheyAut]

What's the one seater cart you're talking about?

I wouldn't be worried about buying a used one. I've had 3 used mini carts, all three are still fine, and the 2 of those I still have (traded the third to a friend for her used pony cart) have been used in combined driving, drill team driving, parades, ect for years and NEVER a problem. So don't let that scare you away

Jessi

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I find my Smart Cart is too wide if I have the shafts straight, with the tips curved downward. Turning them outward does narrow them (not sure how much, I haven't tried it) but the thing is, I really don't like them positioned that way & don't want to drive with them turned that way. I just have visions of driving along a track through the forest--and some of the tracks in the forest reserve here are not used much so are quite narrow--and having those turned out shafts hook a branch or bush.
Am I being too fussy??

I don't like the shape of the shafts at all on the Bennington or the Missouri Flyer.

I don't like the particular curves on the brands you mention either, but I LOVE my Bellcrown. I have to have the shafts rotated inwards quite a bit to be at the right width for my narrow 33.5" gelding so the shaft tips do point outwards, but for my purposes that's a good thing as it prevents them from interferring with his shoulders when he goes to make fast or sharp turns. (That's one of the original reasons for that design and you might be surprised how much your horse appreciates it! Some straight shaft carts are fine, others will poke into the neck and shoulder quite uncomfortably no matter how well they're adjusted. A good curved shaft will never do that.) They should not curve out past the rest of the shaft so if your cart and mini are clearing the tree/brush, the curved shaft should as well. I do sympathize with your concern that a stray tree may get funneled between the tip and the horse, but it's really not much worse than a wide straight shaft. You can always get marathon shafts that don't go past the saddle! You'll never get a tree stuck in those as they connect directly to the tugs with nothing sticking out in front.

:

The presentation shafts on the Smart Cart are a little oddly shaped in my opinion. I've heard several local drivers complain that those have fallen backwards out of the tug loops before their harness got properly adjusted because they are so short in front of the upward curve! :new_shocked: Not good. I prefer the marathon shafts on a Smart Cart, no question. The presentation shafts on my Bellcrown have a gentle curve that extends to the point of the shoulder like most normal carts but curve down and away so they never push into the shoulder. It feels like a good compromise from the driver's seat.

Back to my temporary home in KY,

Leia (who will be checking out new mini carts at the National Drive starting tomorrow)

 

[babygoose]

If you refer back to the photos of the Eazy Ryder I posted on the first page you can see the marathon shafts of that cart.