# Horse to cart size



## G8tdh0rse

I am a total newcomer to driving. I have a gentle riding pony that I thought would make a nice cart pony. I found a used Easy Entry cart in good condition and bought it. I am now looking for harness for her that I can afford.

I saw a post that someone put up in this forum that had a link to a site with cart sizes to horse. I read what it said and then I measured my pony and my cart. My cart shafts are 33" with the shafts paralled to the ground. The pony is 36" tall at her front point of the shoulder. Is that going to work?

I am slowly discovering I should have done more research before just hopping into this cart driving idea. From what I am reading here, it is more complicated than I thought. I appreciate any advice I can get. Thank you.


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## Clayton Taffy

American Driving Society

Here is the link, as has been stated before this is a guide , it is not gospel.
While some people might be able to afford a different cart for every size horse they have, I cannot. My horses have to share, the 14.3 and the 15.3 horse share.


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## churumbeque

G8tdh0rse said:


> I am a total newcomer to driving. I have a gentle riding pony that I thought would make a nice cart pony. I found a used Easy Entry cart in good condition and bought it. I am now looking for harness for her that I can afford.
> 
> I saw a post that someone put up in this forum that had a link to a site with cart sizes to horse. I read what it said and then I measured my pony and my cart. My cart shafts are 33" with the shafts paralled to the ground. The pony is 36" tall at her front point of the shoulder. Is that going to work?
> 
> I am slowly discovering I should have done more research before just hopping into this cart driving idea. From what I am reading here, it is more complicated than I thought. I appreciate any advice I can get. Thank you.


 When the shafts are level in your case 33" that should be half way down their side is where the tugs sit. Piont of shoulder has to do with length


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## G8tdh0rse

I see in TaffyClaytons avatar that the shafts slant up from the cart to the horse. I have not put her in the shafts yet but I will go measure again.


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## Clayton Taffy

I dug up a few photos on carts. Some fit the horse some do not.
This meadowbrook is *passable* on fit, but look how low I sit, and how I have to carry my hands so high, it is exhausting. I now sit on extra cusions when I drive this vehicle. It helps with my hands but you are correct the shafts go up, so it is *a bit* too small. It is much better to have the shafts go up than down. If I saw this cart on someone the olny comment I would have is how low the driver sits.
Notice that the shaft tips do not go past the shoulder.


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## Clayton Taffy

This cart is too small for this Clyde. The horse was in training and this was the largest cart I had. So I used it. The worst is the length of the shafts, they should be about 9 - 12 " longer, and, you can't see but they should be spaced wider apart. But notice that the shafts still follow the traces as they go from the breast collar to the single tree, and the breeching is still conected properly.
There is still plenty of room between the horse and the cart, his hocks will never hit the cart.
In the second photo you can see I am draging a shovel, a bucket and a logging chain. We went down the asphalt street to make all kinds of noise, getting ready for parades and crowds. We looked like Stanford and Son's Junk wagon.


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## Corporal

I not a driver--just a wanna be--but I thought I'd share my driving experience, since you said your pony is gentle. I bought both an Amish breaking cart (still own, stored) and a 4-wheeled buggy, and proceeded to train my 15'3hh babysitter, then 18yo QH, to drive. I had great success with the breaking cart, and I ended up using it at CW Reenactments as a large alternative to a wheelbarrow, leading my horse from my other horses to unload and load stuff back from the camp to the trailer.
Hindsight is very good. When I switched him to the 4-wheeler he got more and more frightened. Finally, my DH, who was aboard on one trip with me, told me that my gentle-as-a-lamb and not afraid of ANY gunfire or cannon, was about to explode from fear of the buggy, we halted, unhitched him, took the rig home and sold it. 
As I look back, I realize NOW that he needed LOTS more time to get used to being driven--he couldn't have had TOO much driving training time at home. If I had realized that, I _could_ have given it to him, and we would have had great memories driving everybody around. ("Ro Go Bar', 1982-2009, RIP)
*I just want you to know that a great riding horse starts driving as a very GREEN driving horse, just like a great driving horse can be a very GREEN riding horse.*


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## Clayton Taffy

This cart is too big for this arab.
You can see that the shaft tips are past the point of the shoulder. I could have moved the horse farther forward in the shafts, but that would have put a field from the horses rump to the cart, but it would be better than the shafts in front of the shoulder.

You can really tell how big the cart is in the second photo. Look how wide the shafts are at his shoulders, he is swimming in them.

In the third photo the shafts are actually pointing down. I should have raised the shaft holders a hole and that would have helped alot. See how now the traces do not follow the shafts from the breast collar to the single tree. We still won the class though:wink:


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## G8tdh0rse

You are so helpful taffy clayton. Thank you so much for the informative pictures. If I knew how to post them, I would take pictures of my cart and pony. She is 13.2. I do not have a nice meadowbrook cart like yours, just a metal easy entry type. It seems nicely balanced because I can easily lift the shafts and pull the grandkids around. 
I know that my pony will know nothing about cart driving. She is calm by nature but that doesn't mean that she can't get scared of that noisy thing behind her. I have a harness ordered but it has not arrived. Will I need a breast collar and back pad?


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## Shoebox

To post pictures, you have to click the "Go Advanced" button next to the quickpost button below the reply box at the bottom of the page. You should see a paperclip button in the advanced post page - click it, and it will give you the option to upload pictures straight from your computer!


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## G8tdh0rse

*cart pony*

I am trying the pictures function. This is a picture of my future cart pony. She had just taken a mud bath as you can see, if the picture worked.


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## Clayton Taffy

She is going to make a fine harness pony, mud and all.

She looks like she might have some attitude.

She sure is cute, nice size too!


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## G8tdh0rse

She is a Peruvian and they usually are not to attitudinal. That is a Paso fino..lol. She is a nice quiet girl under saddle although she has been "broke" less than a year and has maybe 50 rides on her.


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## Clayton Taffy

Ops, I guess she is not considered a pony then.
I deffinatly see the Paso fino in her, now that you mention it.


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## churumbeque

Taffy Clayton said:


> I dug up a few photos on carts. Some fit the horse some do not.
> This meadowbrook is *passable* on fit, but look how low I sit, and how I have to carry my hands so high, it is exhausting. I now sit on extra cusions when I drive this vehicle. It helps with my hands but you are correct the shafts go up, so it is *a bit* too small. It is much better to have the shafts go up than down. If I saw this cart on someone the olny comment I would have is how low the driver sits.
> Notice that the shaft tips do not go past the shoulder.


 This picture makes you look like a midget. LOL You look so tiny


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## Clayton Taffy

churumbeque said:


> This picture makes you look like a midget. LOL You look so tiny


 
Lol that was 17 years ago and I don't want to say how many pounds ago!


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## G8tdh0rse

Here is the latest on my pony driving experience. I finally have a harness and have sent back the bridle that was too small. Now teh new bridle might be a bit big but it is certainly a better fit than the first one. I have been taking her out for ground driving lessons and my problem is that she is afraid of the lines when they press against her legs. She turns so quick that she gets wrapped in them and then gets more frightened. I am trying to get her used to things touching her there. Do you have any suggustions?


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## Clayton Taffy

G8tdh0rse said:


> Here is the latest on my pony driving experience. I finally have a harness and have sent back the bridle that was too small. Now teh new bridle might be a bit big but it is certainly a better fit than the first one. I have been taking her out for ground driving lessons and my problem is that she is afraid of the lines when they press against her legs. She turns so quick that she gets wrapped in them and then gets more frightened. I am trying to get her used to things touching her there. Do you have any suggustions?


 
Where do you put the reins when you ground drive her?

On a green horse first starting out the reins should go from the bit, through the tugs of the saddle, along the side of the rump, and then back to the driver. Forget about the breast collar for now. Don't go through the turrets of the saddle, they are too high and it is too easy for a young horse to spin around. Keeping the reins lower can help give her a feeling of security and hopefully get her used to the reins on her legs. 
She needs to get used to it. 
After a while when she is more experienced, start bothering her with them. Get a rein under her tail, under her leg, around her butt, down by her hocks and fetlocks, the more desensitized she is the better, especially when you introduce the shafts.


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