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Hello a fjord owners!! This reply is to Brian Jackson regarding the Dr. Buggy
vehicle he is considering buying for his fjords.As we buy many of our vehicles
at auction, ( I own an antique business) I wanted to touch on what we look for
in a buggy such as this. Since this is to be a " horse drawn " vehicle, not a
yard orniment, the main thing to look for is the useability of such a vehicle.
While the Drs. Buggys are a fun to have for an occasional parade or pleasure
drive solo or perhaps with one other passenger, down the street to wave at the
neighbors, they have not proved to be a very versital multi use vehicle. Many
of these vehicles have been garage stored, and have had restorations done to
the original leather tops, and seats, and there needs to be a complete check
on the axil, attachments, shafts and tounges to see if it is indeed a horse
safe usable piece. Many of the buggys I come across are not, so be xtra
careful. We usually replace the shafts , or poles, just because we dont trust
the use and abuse many of them have had. Inspect the wheels with a fine tooth
comb, as the saying gos... no wheels, no ride... Any spokes that are loose may
need to be soaked and tightend by a wheelwright and this type of work can be
expensive. We recently sent all 4 wheels in good shape for a routene soaking
and minor tightening and the bill totalled just over 380.00 Also be aware
that this type of vehicle is large, and not easilly stored, and can fall apart
quickly in winter weather when not garaged properly. You might spend some time
looking for a vehicle that fits more people, as if is always fun to take
passengers, and the Drs. buggys are limited to one person, usually. A
sideboard/buckboard wagenette is a nice choice, and can be covered as well for
parades and you can also pleasure show in them. We had a huge wreck here in
town recently when a very green team of Halflingers bolted when the tounge of
their vehicle broke, and dug into the dirt, and popped up, hitting them in the
stomaches. Well to make a long story short, this old time " horse trainer" who
would brag about his 3 day break jobs, lost control of his team and the horses
bolted down the street, and across a very busy intersection, scattering 6
people off the carraige as they went. There was a girl on a horse comming
towards them and this loose team ran her and her horse against a chain link
fence, distroying the fence, but effectivly stopping the runnaways. 5 people
ended up in the hospital, inc. the driver who had a serious back injury and a
broken arm. The moral of this tale, is to make sure that any horse driven
vehicle attempting to remain safe needs to be in excellant shape and
maintained correctly. Also I might add, that the " hitch and go " method of
horse driving dosnt go far when things break and turn ugly. My horses are in
full command of a good STOP and HALT both in the ring and out on the trails.
We have broken a trace while my mare was hitched and in full motion, and when
she got off her knees, where she had fallen, the entire harness was twisted
around her and she was holding up the cart with my husband and I in it, with
one shoulder. We were headed for home and she knew where she was... I told her
to stand, and she held up the cart while my husband dismounted and cut her out
of it. No quick training would have protected us, and she had fully been
trained and finished with 6 months of the works, banging her legs with trash
bags full of cans, ground driving her on the streets long before we ever
hitched her, kicking up anything loose on the trail, under her, so that when
the unexpected hit, she thought it was just another training day, and STOOD,
while we got her and us out of trouble! As much as I enjoy other discriptions
of fjords flying around looking great, I always have a hope that they have a
full command of STOP and HOLD. Brian I got off track, and really wish you luck
in your search for a vehicle for your fjords. Lisa Pedersen PEDFJORDS PAV
FJORDS P.S. The HOLD I use is with a loose rein... just joice and trust. If
its your rein that breaks....get my point? LP
