How much weight is safe for mini to drag?

[Max's Mom]

I've been inspired by paintponylvr and some of you who use your minis and ponies for "farm work". I'd like to use Max to drag the ring where I board him. The sand is too deep, gets all churned up, and hardly ever gets dragged, and I thought "Hey, this is something Max could do! And it would be fun... I think."

I own a work harness with a collar and hames, though I've always driven him in a light harness since we use a two wheeled cart. I think I can rig something up based on what I've seen here, and I can probably make a singletree if I can't find one. I'd love to have suggestions for the material to use for the drag, but I thought something like chain link fence material with a tire or cinderblock on it to weight it down.

My biggest concern is what the appropriate weight should be for starting out. He pulls about 400 pounds total with his cart when my daughter and I ride together, but obviously that is different from dragging something without wheels! Max is about 300 pounds, and just under 37 inches. He has a lot of energy, but isn't particularly fit, and is 19 years old.

Guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[paintponylvr]

If he already pulls 400 lbs with your cart - then I don't feel that a short bit of chain link with a single tire on it would be too heavy at all. I have no idea what the weight would be. Most chain link is 48" tall - so in this application would be 4' wide. You could attach it to a frame - wood, steel or aluminum. You could go with different lengths. The weights will vary - depending on how you make your "drag". I don't currently have close ups of Vicki's set up (I don't think) - but will go thru more pics tonight to see and can share what I have.

Vicki's hubby built a frame that they put the chain link on. Even as large as it is - it can't be more then 50-60 lbs because both Vicki and I can each pick it up by ourselves to move it. Yes, in the sand - it will be heavier. But you do the worst areas - say either a few circles starting in the center of the ring - or maybe one time around right on/off the rail and build up the amount of time/work you do daily... Eventually he should be able to work the whole arena in 1 -3 days (don't know the size - don't know if YOU could walk that much in deep sand). My chain link "drag" was literally "thrown" together on the day that I first pulled it. The chain link was damaged (curled up) and not very pretty. It wouldn't have been easy (especially for me!) to attach to a frame (and after several "pulls"/uses - it went to the scrap steel pile and now has been turned in for $$). BUT it worked for the short time I needed it to break up/spread manure AND as a training tool for my two mares and me to learn to pull/drive as a pair for practice in between our driving lessons. The two tires I used on it for weight were 16" mobile home trailer tires with full steel rims (different from the "holed" vehicle tire rims) and they were HEAVY and difficult for me to lift/move by myself. Both of those mares also pulled it single w/ 1 tire on it. I believe that if it had been in good shape/flat - it was 48" by 10' long. With the curled edges and the way I attached it around the pole to pull from - it was about 3 1/2' wide and maybe 6' - 8' long...

Recently, I've read that just using an open tire as a drag will smooth out an arena. And that graduating up in sizes will both strengthen/muscle up your horse AND teach him to pull better. I found that on a recent post on the "Driving Pairs" forum (Google) - it was really talking about training pairs of horses and teaching them to work together but I don't see why it couldn't be applied to a smaller situation. Because she was talking about full size horses (over 15 hh) working as pairs - she started out with much larger tires and went on to a drag made with tires attached to each other. She also graduated up in size - but I will have to go read the post(s) again to see if she actually mentions size.

I even think, at his size, that you could purchase a commercial chain harrow if you like and he could pull that w/o any issues. Chain Harrow at Valley Vet - they used to have it in a 3' width... Again - depending on the depth of the sand he's walking thru, the depth that the harrow sinks/drags and the shape that he (and YOU, LOL. I'm out of shape enough right now - that I'd have a hard time driving them for long in an arena with deep sand - ouch! I'd be huffing/puffing in a hurry the deeper my boots sank) are in will determine how long you can work that way.

O, duh, here's some pics of Cupid pulling a single tire and I have video of him pulling at top speed in that 60' round pen. He broke up the manure piles quite well while learning to pull the tire w/o getting upset!!!!

This is also a 16" trailer tire with the "holed" rim. The fence worked nicely to help remind him of what "whoa" is.

This shows how it is attached to the tire.

I think I have some close ups of Vicki's single tree - but will have to go thru photos later.

 

[paintponylvr]

Cupid is 36.5" at the withers in those pics. Think he's a little bigger now, but not sure as I haven't measured him lately. He is more streamlined than bulky. He got into good shape while working for Vicki for 3 months, lost some of that muscle after returning home to not work and then muscled up again when I started working him. Even muscled up, he's not a bulky mini shet... He would easily measure in as a B Mini - if I wanted to hardship him. He is a registered Shetland. Several people have recommended that I hardship him, but I used that money to have other ponies fitted, trained and shown in 2013 (was thinking about hardshipping Cupid, his dam, his sire - who may not measure under the required 38", his full brother and several others that have not grown past the 39" mark at the withers). Cupid's full sister is taller...

 

[studiowvw]

You could also do one length or two of the arena, then stop and rest for a while. Interval training

When Lacey was pulling the disks last fall, she would go for a while, then stop. When I saw she was puffing hard, I quit.

She could pull it but it was a workout. Much harder to pull than the cart and me.

I've got a 20-inch cut reel mower for her this year and it will be interesting to see how that goes. It may be on the light side. I'm hoping to eventually have two 20" mowers in a gang for a 40" cut.

 

[Max's Mom]

I've got a few friends at church who I've told about this project. One wonderful 91 year old man has given me a single tree from his collection (I have no idea how old it is, but it definitely isn't modern! I love it.) One guy works in the excavation business and while he doesn't know anything about horses, he obviously knows a lot about dragging dirt! He suggested that wooden pallets work well. After talking with him I'm wondering about using a wooden pallet with wide slats on one side with chain link fencing material on the other side. The chain link would then be more evenly weighted and I could put more weight on top if necessary. Then I could flip it and use the pallet to flatten what was smoothed.

The arena is large and the sand is much too deep. I think it would need to be evened out (there are huge holes because the horses sink down 4-5 inches!) and then flattened. Does this sound like a good idea or is it overkill? Do I really just need to do it once? And which do you think is better, chain link or a pallet?

 

[paintponylvr]

Your "dirt guy" may be talking about a layered pallet, not a regular pallet like we stack hay bales on. ASK.

I think that that idea would work fine. And sounds like you will need to "work it" more than one time. May take a while to get it leveled. Understand - most places that take good care of their arenas will often drag it several times week or even daily if it's getting used daily. If you have the money, a chain harrow may work the best for filling in and leveling off all the holes.

 

[Max's Mom]

I tried round one today! I started with a tire, and he did great. I'm sure he can handle more weight. I can't figure out how to put a picture in, but will post if I figure it out! I wasn't sure what to do with the breeching straps so I just took them off rather than letting them dangle, but I think it looks odd. Also, I noticed in the pictures that there is probably some weight/force going into his back (from the traces running through the tugs) because the angle isn't completely straight. Is this okay? I can't lower the tugs because the harness is already a tad to small. The collar, if anything is a bit big. But this is what I have. (I drive him in a leather "light" harness normally)

The owner drags the arena maybe 4 times a year. Our board is low compared with other places (boarders are also expected to help with chores) so there's not really much we can do to make it happen. I don't have the money for a chain harrow, but this is a fun project to do low tech. I usually work him outside of the arena because it is just too deep.

 

[Max's Mom]

Here is a picture- let's hope it works!

 

[paintponylvr]

Awwww, look at that! He's working. You guys look great. You will soon find that you need a longer set of driving lines, too. The short ones (for driving in your cart properly) just don't really work.

Gosh, I would die working mine in that arena. I am not in shape for that type of work - though I'm working on it again...

I would take the traces out of your shaft holders/tugs and attach string, rope or your hold back straps to the breeching to use as trace carriers. I, too, have done what you are doing - but it makes a difference to have the angle of draft straight from the object you're pulling to the collar.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Years ago when I first got Dapper Dan, I asked him to drag an old dirt-encrusted wheel out of the pasture. It had been buried in the grass and I think it went to an abandoned Model T. He pulled and pulled, and then he laid down! I was told that was a sign that the load was too heavy for him. He very sensibly said "that is too heavy for me". If he had had appropriate harness, such as a hame instead of breast collar, I wonder if it would have made a difference?

 

[paintponylvr]

Maybe and maybe not. First the weight was completely different (if he'd already been driving to a wheeled vehicle). Second, If you hadn't even really started him yet - he simply may not have known what to do/how to pull. Third, it may have just been too much for one little horse.

But yes, a collar and hames may have made a difference.

I have found that mine still have to learn how to pull - and it's very different to pull "dead weight" than to pull a lite weight wheeled vehicle. Even pulling a tire came as a surprise for some of ours. It takes them a while to learn how to best press into the collar (whether a breast collar or collar and hames) and how to lean into it and PUSH off with the hind legs. "Pulling" themselves forward with the front legs helps but isn't going to work by themselves - especially if the weight is heavy and "stuck".