My Hyperbike is HERE!!!

[studiowvw]

Thank you, Leia - I live in Ontario, Canada so we will probably never meet. Oh well! Never say never - maybe one day I'll experience driving on the beach - those pics are so cool!

One day I hope to have a Hyperbike too - maybe next year.

Myrna!!!!

I totally agree on the Easy entry carts. I see them being recommended on here and I am not sure I concur. However, many people seem to use them.

I had one for a short while. It came in a box and I assembled it. It goes together with lots of bolts and nuts.

Who's to say those nuts are going to stay done up? I found they loosened off, and if I had kept it I would have felt I had to check all connections before and after every ride. The other thing was the seat, which slides for balance, would not stay in the position I put it in.

Thank God I sold it.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I think this has been a great thread

Shorthorsemom- sounds like you had a great time today!! Bravo! We are going to need some pix you know

Angie

Angie, you are so right, I did have a great time. Gets better each time we go out. I have no idea how to post photos but someday I hope to do so. I have a few my trainer took of me a few weeks ago, but my favorite photos are of my trainer driving my boy, she does so make it look easy.

I am hoping to take photos about once a month or so to see if I can see a difference. My big accomplishment today was not looking at the cones as I was passing between them and how to set up for the next set of cones when my knees were passing through the set I was driving through. Hard to explain, but I was actually getting it. I only squashed one cone, but I was supposed to squash one on purpose this lesson anyway.

great thread... you will have to tell me more about the 100 hour challenge.

Adair

 

[MiLo Minis]

Thank you, Leia - I live in Ontario, Canada so we will probably never meet. Oh well! Never say never - maybe one day I'll experience driving on the beach - those pics are so cool!

Where in Ontario are you located? I am in Ontario too so we could easily meet some day and most likely will!

There are several driving clubs here that you might be interested in joining and the Miniature Horse Club of Ontario too - the Fun Drive is always a good time. And if you want to go driving on the beach there are quite a few here that I have taken a run on!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Adair, sounds like you had a great lesson! Congratulations.

Thank you, Leia - I live in Ontario, Canada so we will probably never meet. Oh well! Never say never - maybe one day I'll experience driving on the beach - those pics are so cool!

You never know- I have lots of forum friends in Ontario and just might try to make it up there someday!

You are always welcome to join us down here for a beach drive, with or without a horse. We have lots of fun.

I totally agree on the Easy entry carts. I see them being recommended on here and I am not sure I concur. However, many people seem to use them.
I had one for a short while. It came in a box and I assembled it. It goes together with lots of bolts and nuts. Who's to say those nuts are going to stay done up? I found they loosened off, and if I had kept it I would have felt I had to check all connections before and after every ride.

I think it's all in the individual cart or manufacturer. So many brands of EE are total cr@p! I've got one of the major "name brand" EE's and have had no problems at all with the bolts and such. Now my nice wooden cart, on the other hand, came in boxes, is assembled with lots of bolts and nuts and must be checked before and after every single drive as they are always coming loose!

It is by far my least-reliable or comfortable ride although I have now replaced all the regular nuts with nylon locking ones that can't work loose.

My EE survived being thrown from the bed of my truck down the freeway at 60 mph during an accident with only a couple of paint scratches from where it hit the concrete tumbling end-over-end.

And yes, it was tied down when it happened. We came to halt so hard the ties broke and the cart was ejected. After I got over the shock of jack-knifing and checked on the horse I found it sitting ahead of us on the freeway, looking like someone had nicely unloaded it and left it sitting there almost undamaged. Even the wire-spoked wheels were fine!

I put that in the same category as eggs that are found driven intact into trees after hurricanes, but still.

I know other EE's of the same brand that are 20 years old and still going strong. I love the look of a proper wooden vehicle, don't get me wrong, but with all the moisture we have around here that wood is prone to warping, the finish needs regular upkeep and refreshing, I have to be uber-careful of the paint, and the ones I've handled have been far heavier than I'd want in an exercise vehicle for a green horse. Nope, no thank you. Not my style. Give me a good (emphasis on "good!") pipe EE anyday! That is not my choice of competition vehicle in any venue, but I find it to be a great training and beach cart. As Myrna said, my Hyperbike is great for what it's built for (speed, agility, cross-country stability), my Bellcrown is perfect for CDE, and my easy entry also has it's place in my barn. That doesn't mean it does in someone else's!

Leia

 

[RhineStone]

Thank you, Leia - I live in Ontario, Canada so we will probably never meet. Oh well! Never say never -

The driving world is EXTREMELY small in the big scheme of things! So yes, I would never say never! I have met a whole lot of people this year when we went to Walnut Hill and the ADS meeting in KY that I only "knew" through my time here on the computer, photos in the ADS magazines, and the Mischka calendar! Lots of driving people "get around". You have to if you want to stay active, since a lot of the venues, especially the "prestigious" ones, are far away from each other.

WEG was a big deal for us this year, as one of the best qualifying shows was in neighboring IL. A lot of the "big" people came to us!

I can say that I didn't exactly "meet" most of them because I didn't feel "worthy enough" to introduce myself

, but with Chad gatoring for a WEG competitor at that CDE, we did get an "in" into that "world" that we would have never had a chance to otherwise. Now he wants to gator some more at that level! (I think I'll keep my feet on the ground for the higher level CDEs.

)

Myrna

 

[studiowvw]

Hi Lori, I am in the eastern part, near Kingston. I'm told the Eastern Ontario driving club is great.

Yes, would love to do some beach driving one day!

If we were closer I'd probably come and get some driving lessons from you, but I think we are about 4-5 hours apart.

I drove a bit years ago with a great pony but junk harness and junk cart and sleigh, always had this dream of doing it right, now need some hours with a broke mini or pony to get my confidence up. Lacey has a good mind and a good nature for the purpose, but of course she is very young and I would like her started properly (to achieve my dream right this time).

Shorthorsemom, congrats on the progress!

Leia, thanks for the EE cart info - obviously they must work for many people as so many people have them.

I've got my brother interested in the design and building of carts now that I have so many (the carcass of my original pony cart from 35 years ago, the junker cart we're rebuilding to a better state, the metal roadster type I posted on here a couple of weeks ago about sizing, and the cool vintage one with the springs.)

I think I'm going to keep the $60 roadster type, the other two I am fixing up to sell. Once I get them gone, I'll start thinking about the carcass of the one I had years ago. It is nicely made and I had stripped the paint off it, primed and painted it about 15 years ago, so it is well preserved without the wood parts or wheels.

Meanwhile the vintage one is now in the kitchen and I'm going to strip the paint, wire brush the rusty parts (not a lot), repaint and hopefully sell before Christmas

Maybe eventually I can get my brother to weld up the cart that currently only lives in my dreams, haha

Myrna, it is true, never say never, because the most amazing things can happen unexpectedly!

Wilma

 

[MiLo Minis]

I do get down to Kingston every once in a while as I have friends and clients there. I also sold one of my A stallions to Sally Steeves who lives just outside of Kingston and I visit with her once in a while.

I have several pipe carts both A and B and pony size and have found them very useful for my purpose. They are light and easy for a beginner horse to pull, inexpensive and easy to repair repeatedly!

I have one that is almost 25 years old and still on the road. I salvage all the good parts when one gets wrecked and use them to fix up the others if necessary. No they aren't good for much other than road or smooth field work but that is all I need them for. I have many other styles of carts for off road, rough usage.

Leia, I think you should get up to Ontario one of these days - we would all love to meet you!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Leia, I think you should get up to Ontario one of these days - we would all love to meet you!

I finally have a passport so it's on my list, right along with going to NY for Walnut Hill! I am currently planning to attend AMHR Nationals for a few days in 2011 so I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting many of you there.

Fingers crossed I'll be able to bring my two boys in 2012!

Leia

 

[studiowvw]

Hi again, Lori

I just looked up Sally Steeves who you mentioned above and I see she is located only about 10 or 15 miles from me - cool!

Wilma

 

[MiLo Minis]

Oh! You should meet with her! She is a very nice lady, suffers from Parkinson's Disease unfortunately

but just a real sweetheart - loves her ponies!

 

[midnight star stables]

I do get down to Kingston every once in a while as I have friends and clients there. I also sold one of my A stallions to Sally Steeves who lives just outside of Kingston and I visit with her once in a while.

Pick/meet me up on the way for a road trip?

Drive on Lori!