This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Lori Puster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I might have the opportunity to buy a used Meadowbrook cart. > [...] > What do people think of them
Meadowbrooks are a case of "love them or hate them". Personally, I don't like them, because I am "co-ordination challenged". The driver has to simultaneously hold up the passenger seat (which has to be folded up out of the way), keep good contact with the horse's mouth (because stepping onto the back step overbalances the cart to the rear, lifting on the harness belly band, making the horse want to move), meanwhile hoisting oneself up onto a moving object, with all hands already occupied. Then make the horse stand still while the passenger does likewise. Getting out fast and to the horse's head in an emergency involves a risky flying leap over the fender and wheel. I prefer something that's "easy entry". Most meadowbrooks seat the driver somewhat low to the ground. This improves stability, but you'd better like the looks of your horse's rump and tail. ;-) > are there any areas of concern in looking at a used cart? Look it over, to see if everything matches. If not, it may have been repaired after a wreck, in which case, have someone very experienced go over the vehicle. Wheels are always an area of concern---are they tight, and are the axles "straight" (which can include a downward bend at the end, if the wheels are designed to be "dished"). On level ground, the spokes that are directly under the hub should be perfectly vertical. > What size wheel is best for a 14h Fjord? The seat of the vehicle needs to ride level, and the tip of the shaft should be at the point of shoulder of the animal. Obviously, the exact construction of everything inbetween will affect what size the wheels should be. Marsha Jo Hannah Murphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 15 mi SW of Roseburg, Oregon
