# Foundered pony pulling children's sleighs?



## manca (Feb 23, 2011)

Here's the pic (I don't know why it's not in the first post...):









And here's the idea how it should look(google pic):









(any idea what to use as the part that goes in front and it's attached to surcingle?)


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Not a comment about the use of your pony but I don't like the setup at all. There are no brakes or breaching so the sleigh can hit the pony in the back of his legs as you mentioned, nor any protection for you if he kicks out.

Whether the pony is able to pull or not, that is not a safe vehicle to use.

BTW, shoes may help his tender feet and will be a real aid when driving is used with borium.


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## manca (Feb 23, 2011)

You're right. 

I have to come up with another idea...


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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

I admittedly was once stupid enough years ago to try that setup. 
Let's just say the slight slope downhill made the whole ordeal... er..... interesting. Luckily it was only wood in the sleigh and not people- could have been nasty. Need to get a sleigh that has breaks- or one that has solid bars connected to the horse; although that would require a different harnessing set up. 

As for the foundering? I have no idea to be honest.


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## RunJumpRide (Sep 29, 2011)

I don't know about the pony - I'd get a vet or farrier out to tell you whether or not he's fine to drive (he's cute though!)

I wouldn't use that sled thingy. 

We made a homemade mini-sleigh thing. It works perfect. It's just a plain old cart (like the single driving type of carts with the 2 wheels) with skis in place of the wheels. Here's the skis we got:









It's not cheap but lasts forever. 

Got the ski/runners/whatchamacallem's at this website:
Tackforminis, Top Quality Tack for You Mini


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## eliduc (Apr 5, 2010)

I have been a farrier for 40 plus years. Horses do recover enough from laminitis to be perfectly useful if it wasn't too extreme. Your pony's feet look great. Snow balls up inside of shoes unless a pad is used. Getting your pony's soles off the ground through using shoes might keep it from being tender on hard ground or gravel. It's recommended that any horse be well broke to a cart before being hooked to a sleigh. You might look for a reasonably priced cart and harness but don't buy a cheaply made harness. Ron's Harness in Canada sells a heavy duty nylon harness with good fittings at a very reasonable price. Anything that is jerry rigged will not be safe. What a cute pony!


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## ujjal05 (Nov 1, 2011)

The horse is so nice and looks healthy too. If it regularly works on snow then get him good food to help him keep himself warm or use blankets if you see its too cold.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ujjal05 (Nov 1, 2011)

may i know what is the breed?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## manca (Feb 23, 2011)

It is pretty severe... It looked like this:










Farrier is doing a good job and Vriski's hooves look a lot better, but his hooves don't grow correctly. Every time before trimming it's the same as 7 weeks before. 
I'm happy he can run as much he wants, he was such a poor boy in the beggining. He barely walked and now he gallops, bucks and his favourite: breaks fences :twisted:


I decided to work on ground driving more this winter and next year I will think about buying a cart with possibility of turning into sleighs.


@ujjal05
We think he is welsh/shetland and maybe islandic cross. We didn't get any informations from his previous owners, their answer to everything was _I don't know_. We just had to save poor guy.


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## kait18 (Oct 11, 2011)

i am not sure if it helps or not but you don't have to go out and buy a whole harness setup... if you get a proper carriage/sleigh for this guy... 
some folks near me and others i have seen use a regular western saddle and breast collar. and hook the wooden poles of the carriage to the stirrups some how.
it looks odd but it worked out for the people who were using it.


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## eliduc (Apr 5, 2010)

*harness*

Really dangerous.:sad: Every piece on a harness has a specific purpose. When you start jerry rigging things you are asking for a bad accident. A person should not even be driving before learning what the function of the different harness parts are and attention must also be given to proper fit. A serviceable nylon harness is not that expensive. You might check to see if there is a driving club in your area.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

kait18 said:


> i am not sure if it helps or not but you don't have to go out and buy a whole harness setup... if you get a proper carriage/sleigh for this guy...
> some folks near me and others i have seen use a regular western saddle and breast collar. and hook the wooden poles of the carriage to the stirrups some how.
> it looks odd but it worked out for the people who were using it.


Absolutely not. While it's true that you may be able to pull the sleigh, when you go to stop, the sleigh will hit the horse's back end. 

As eliduc said, there is a purpose for each part of the harness and in this case there is no breeching which is what prevents the sleigh from traveling forward when the horse stops.


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## eliduc (Apr 5, 2010)

Iride, I was looking at the picture on your post trying to figure out what it is and it reminded me of an unforgettable experience. I was shoeing a horse at a boarding facility where there were outside pipe paddocks. There had been heavy rain the night before. I was trimming one horse when I noticed that someone had parked a car too close to a paddock and the horse inside was eating the paint off of the hood. Being the good Samaritan I was going to move the horse. Only it didn't want to be caught. It wheeled around and charged off driving with it's hind feet. About a wheel barrow load full of mud, manure and pee hit me right in the face. I didn't even have time to close my eyes. The woman holding the other horse just about fell on the ground laughing. It was definitely one of those moments when all I could do was join her. Some think being a farrier is a romantic job.


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