# Found a jerald horse cart new resoration project. PIC HEAVY



## michaelvanessa (Apr 25, 2012)

*found a cart in a barn*

hiya it looks in very good shape it looks like it wont take much to bring it up to scratch my frend and your horse seems very keen to go out for a drive.
many thanks for shareing your pictures.
you and your fammaly and your horse have a good day.


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Thanks so much! I was wondering what other people thought it's condition was like. This was her very first time ever having the cart or shafts behind her the first time she was like what's going on I re-did this and she turned her body to fit the shafts like a pro needless to say I was proud; not that she is going to be pulling it anytime soon.

Thanks for the well wishes!


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## G8tdh0rse (Aug 14, 2012)

Nice cart and what a pretty pony too.


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

I very quickly had the seat and boot put on tonight but I got pulled away thanks to about 100 burs matted into the feather mane forelock beard belly hair and tail of my horse. 

I'm loving the way my cart is coming along I spent all night sewing the boot together and reupholstering the seat which includes a stellar trim job and a hidden pocket in the front stripe of the boot which also covers an unrepairable tear in the leather which I fixed back together but wasn't very pleasing to look at.

My next project is going to be done tomorrow which will entail detailing the cart and polishing the entire thing to see where I am at paint wise and get the paint to which I am going ot re-do the pin striping from red to gold and fix the areas of black which have chipped from age.

I then plan to paint the rims black and sand stain and varnish the wood in the carriage (I'm thinking cherry/mahogany?)

maybe not in this order but all of this I am going to do so if anyone knows of a good way of going about doing this I'm all ears.


anywho without further ado I want to share my pictures please critique as I have never done this before and if I am doing something wrong I would love to know.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

Very nice. 
I hope that seat isn't too slippery.:wink:
I went to my first pleasure drive and Armoralled the cart seat, It made it so slippery, I could barely stay in the seat. 
Nice find on the cart it looks like a find.

Your pony/horse is so cute, he will look great driving.


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

luckily it's leather with a stamped seat that has the pattern of cobra/boa so it's actually quite grippy. I'm very pleased that you approve taffy, I covet your tutorials/information and have read quite a few of your posts. Thanks!


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

That is leather? Is it original? It is magnificent.
I thought it was satin and was afraid you spent all that time and $ and it was going to be impossible to keep clean and keep from tearing.

Wow that was a find if it came with that seat and boot, to boot!


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Yeah I had leftover fabric from when I made my own breech pants and loved the pattern of the leather. It's like I said pressed leather with a metalic coating which I believe adds to the stickyness factor but either way I and my young brother and sister had quite a fun time pretending to drive a carriage in the living room while I worked on repairing the boot lol so basically it feels like your glued in your spot X-D. Origionally the cart came with the seat but as you can tell from the first photo it was torn but the fabric that was torn was just fabric that was stapled onto what looked to be maroon velvet so who knows what it looked like exactly. The boot came with it too but it had a minor tear in the front which despite my best efforts wouldn't completely "hide" so I carried the extra seat fabric into the boot which in the picture of me and my dad holding the boot up is showing me finishing up sewing it together and made a "secret" pocket in the front which encompasses the whole stripe so I can hide idk what in there via hidden velcro closure lol...


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

I love the stripe on the boot, how clever. Since you are so good with a needle you might make a canvas cover for your seat for storage or training, to protect your leather. Have you decided on a color for the shafts and pin striping yet?
Black with burgandy or black with gold? I cant wait to see your progress on the cart and your equine.


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Oh gosh I am so glad to see I haven't messed it all up I kept looking online and saw nothing really but black everything. I was under the impression it may be taboo to change the colors from pilgrim/nun, lol. 

I was thinking of one of those full cart covers that velcros on or something like that but a seat cover is brilliant!

I'm cleaning it off tomorrow because I just bought it the other day but I think I am going to do gold/gold leaf the pin stripping and do a dark stain for the carriage wood the varnish it to a high gloss. I think I will keep the shafts black as the paint is in fairly good condition aside from chipping here and there which I think with some touch up would be perfect


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

I'm even more excited about the progress my filly has made she's got gee, haw, over gee, over haw, and back on command pretty good and is working on walk on and trot on command as well. I'm hoping once I find a suitable harness to buy to work on her lead changes but I haven't quite worked her up to that yet.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

I am no expert but I have always had a very difficult time getting all of the paint off of the wood, it seems to penetrate the grain of the wood so deeply it is ( for me and my limited skills) nearly impossible to get off all of the paint. Sometimes you can't go from paint to stain. You might want to try stripping a spot to see how clean you can get the wood, and then try your stain.

It is a huge undertaking, when I refinished my meadowbrook I did not take it all apart. I took the slats off of the floor, make sure you number them, I numbered every one on the bottom left so I knew top from bottom and right from left. I did not take anything else apart. 

For your first refinish job, unless you are very handy or have some help, I suggest, don't take the cart all apart. They are not easy to get back together, bolts get stripped and nuts won't come off, screws are stripped. I have sat with an entire sleigh taken apart in my living room for an entire winter, because I needed to replace some wood on the runner, that was a nightmare.


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

I only plan on uncrewing the slats in the floor of the carriage but I may even just stain and varnish them screwed into the floor as is now that you mention that lol. The wood in the floor of the carriage is unstained and unvarnished as is so basically it's like plain ol' wood. 

For the time being since my filly is so young and I wouldn't even call her green yet I am in no means going to make this show worthy, lol. More of just a project to learn stuff on and then teach my girl with so mostly to just enjoy, I've always wnted my own cart. So when i do the repaint it will for sure be more of a touch up the spots that are chipping and see if I can't stall/stop the chipping because as it stands the only real chipping is on the very edges of the cart.

I'm going to see if I can get automobile paint for the pin stripping so that I don;t have to take the origional red pin striping paint off then probably seal the whole thing with a clear coat by hand and in stages so that I can avoid taking the darned thing apart X-D. Or if I decide to gold leaf it I would use the gold leaf glue over the top of the pin strip then go over teh edges in white enamle paint and clear coat the whole thing. 

My mantra about the whole thing is it can't look worse than I got it ha ha ha


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

:wink:I like your Mantra

You will have a blast with that cart. 

There is a very active driving club in Colorado. they are always looking for volunteers, and giving clinics and stuff. I think they are around Greely. They also just have fun drives.

Colorado Driving Society / FrontPage


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

oh boy! thanks sooo much! I will be checking this driving club out for sure. I didn;t even know it existed


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

Co driving society is based in Parker and caters to the Southside. Rocky Mountain Carriage Club is out of Loveland/Berthoud. They are probably a little more informal and do a fair amount of training and fun drives. I am not a member of either but have done stuff with both groups. They should have a table set up at Harley's Oct 5-6 and you might be able to pick up a work harness for under $100.

As far as the cart goes, it's more correct for the shalves to not be painted if the cart is natural. Car paint is also for metal and not wood.


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## G8tdh0rse (Aug 14, 2012)

This is looking great. What a fine job you are doing.


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Thanks g8tdhorse, I'm very fond of it it's for sure become my newest obsession, lol. I finally found the perfect harness made by smuckers but, I believe it's quite an old model and also needs a bit a love ^.^... 

Thanks left hand percherons for the information I was actually planning on heading over to the auction but, now we'll see since I've got my harness.

Thanks also for reminding me about the wood/metal thing, lol. What would you use if you were going to touch up the pain on a cart of this type?


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

Again, at Harley's, Voiture Robert will bring a loaded semi of wagons. They are out there thurs touching up the paint when they are setting up. See what they are using and try to buy the leftovers. They don't typically pinstripe in gold but it's worth asking.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Oh cool, I have never been to harley's before so I was unaware of what they do there aside from selling farm equipment and draft horses so thanks percheron very much again.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

It's the biggest auction around. I go more to catch up with friends. It's the only place locally to really find any driving equipment or parts. Go through your harness and make sure everything is there. Are the lines in good shape and comfortable in your hands. If they are a nice leather set, I would pick up a bio set that you can drag in the dirt while you are teaching her to ground drive.

Go Friday if you only have one day to go. I'll pm you my #. I'm not 100% I can make it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

How is your cart coming along?

Any new photos??


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Lol, it's coming along great I've put the wheels and tires on so everything 100% functional now. Next spring I'm going to see if I can touch up the paint and re sea it because the bad weather here came very early this year our first now was in september  ... Will get pictures on here tonight or tomorrow taffy LOL I've got heaps of pictures of the kids carting each other around its the funniest looking thing... It's lke midgets pulling rick-shaws X-D


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## Ashleysmardigrasgirl (Jun 28, 2012)

Going to update pictures soon here X-D my cart is currently in the middle of my apartments living room... people were laughing as I was running it around downtown trying to get it into my apartment X-D!!! LOL... It's been getting s bit of touch up paint and I'll have to reupholster the seat thanks to a mishap I had trying to get it to fit through a door...


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