Scooter, Amy, keep telling yourself "Scooter!"
KellyAlaska said:
I am new to the forum so I am not sure what PM means.
PM means Private Message. You can click on a person's forum name and it will give you options including emailing them or sending them a private message.
It looks just like a forum thread but it's only between the two of you.
Knottymare said:
Love the idea of a trail cart. What makes the cart a trail cart beside the steel wheels?
The same things that make a trail saddle- comfort and safety.
A show cart is designed to be pulled on a level surface in good footing and so doesn't really have any suspension, often doesn't have footman's loops for breeching to attach to, and with anything but minis you can't see over your horse's rump.
I would NOT want to take a jog cart on the trails with a QH!
For me a trail cart is one I can be reasonable comfortable in and don't mind getting beaten up. Lots of trees and brush and mud on our NW trails!
I use my Frontier easy entry as it's lighter than most of my other carts, I don't care about the paint job and it's got plenty of room for me to carry my stuff. I also have a young back though so don't mind the rough ride from the coil springs and I'm tiny enough that I have plenty of leg room. If it's going to be just me and my horse, no possibility of passengers, my absolute favorite trail cart is the Graham Carriage Works
Hyperbike. It's light, simple, specifically designed for driving over rough trails, built like a tank and the horses love it.
For most people the factors to be considered would be suspension, ergonomics for the individual driver, draft angle (do the traces run horizontal or down toward the horse's hocks for better pulling?), balance, stability and maybe weight. That's an entire thread on its own and then some! People end up with the really expensive CDE carts for trail driving because they are designed with all those factors in mind.
rubyviewminis said:
I probably know why, but wanted to ask for sure why some of you choose the size of wheel you do. And what options for your carts do you have, and what options do you wish you had. I have a 33" mare I will be driving next year and my soon-to-be 2 year old gelding is still only 28" and not looking like he will go much past that. I wanted to have him trained to driving in the future also. These carts are suited for the two sizes of minis I plan on driving aren't they? I have seen very little minis driving with what looks like the same size cart and shafts.
The size of wheel is dictated by the size of horse and the style of the cart. In a cart where the axle runs higher under the seat you can have a bigger wheel and still have the shafts sitting at the correct angle to the horse whereas in something like an easy entry where the axle runs below the footboards, you're limited in the size of wheel you can have. The rule is generally to get the biggest wheel you can for the reasons Myrna mentioned without raising the shafts too high for the horse.
It's going to be difficult for you to drive both your horses to the same cart without some modifications. A 28" horse often needs shorter than average shafts, no more than 20" wheels on most carts, etc., while your bigger girl would do just fine with any of the carts mentioned. The most adjustable one is the Smart Cart and I've seen little guys pulling them and doing just fine but they've taken in the shafts and lowered the entire cart to get the same look. Not every little guy will be able to handle that sort of weight. If you can't buy separate carts for the two horses (and I'd recommend it as then you can take them both driving!
) you'll probably have to buy one to suit the little guy then get longer/wider shafts for your 33" girl. The only trail cart I know that could easily switch between both horses without tools is the Hyperbike.
RhineStone said:
Here is what can happen to a pneumatic wheel on the trail.
This is also why pneumatics and especially wire spokes are not allowed in CDEs above training level. Steel and wooden wheels are much more appropriate for trail driving.
It looks from the tree limb like that cart took quite a beating before the wheel failed!
I use pneumatic tires with wire spokes for trail driving, I'm just very careful and aware that if they fail I'm screwed.
No-Flat inserts of some kind are almost a necessity to go anywhere and if I was going to be out all day far from home I would definitely prefer steel wheels but the pneumatics are okay for driving around the neighborhood and local walking trails. My rule is I will take them anywhere I wouldn't mind walking home from.
If you do use pneumatics without inserts, bring a bicycle pump and patching kit. And for God's sake, unhitch the horse before attempting to pump up the tire! Even bomb-proof horses may react to the sound of a pump going behind their blinders and a runaway with a flat tire is not a pretty sight.
Trust me on this and be safe, not sorry.
Leia
