Re: bits and carts/wagons

[Steve McIlree]

This message is from: Steve McIlree <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

Julie--

Saturday, February 05, 2000, you wrote:

> I think it also helps if the driver is sitting up high enough to
> have a good view, and the easy entry type cart is fairly low due to
> small wheels. We are ordering 34" wheels from Milton for ours, which
> will help.

  I think you'll be delighted with the new wheels. Since I've
  installed mine, I now sit high enough to see clearly while driving
  my 14.2hh Morgan. They also roll so much smoother that the horse has
  a much easier time maneuvering the cart. One thing I do notice is
  that the pneumatic tires on the old wheels absorbed alot of the
  rough ride that now makes it to the seat. Also, be aware that the
  nice "easy entry" space in front of the seat will now be pretty much
  blocked by the wheels. But all-in-all I really love the new wheels.
  I had so much fun this weekend driving out in the woods, that I'm
  sending Paul another note of thanks.
  
--
Steve McIlree -- Pferd & Skipper -- Omaha, Nebraska, USA
  Then we began to ride.  My soul smoothed itself out, a long-cramped
  scroll freshening and fluttering in the wind. --Robert Browning(1812-1889)

Fw: bits and carts/wagons

[Julie Will]

This message is from: "Julie Will" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>


> There has been a lot of good discussion on training and bolting/run aways!
> I would like to hear more from some of the experienced drivers on our list
> about choices in bits and breaking carts.  I had mentioned using something
> other than a snaffle, which caused some immediate assumptions about cruel
hardware.  There are other good choices,
> which are not "heavy and cruel", and many drivers opt for something other
> than a snaffle, such as the butterfly bit.  Of course any bit can be as
> cruel as the hands of the driver/rider.
>
> While carts don't come with brakes, 4 wheel vehicles do, and may be more
> stable and safe.  The "easy entry" cart is handy, but is so light weight
> that one is easily bounced out of it, while a wooden cart or a 4 wheel
> vehicle is more HEAVY and stable.  (I'm not talking HEAVY so that the
horse
> has trouble pulling it, but so that it isn't bouncing around and going
> airborn.)  I think it also helps if the driver is sitting up high enough
to
> have a good view, and the easy entry type cart is fairly low due to small
wheels.  We are ordering 34" wheels from Milton for ours, which will help.
Vivian says these carts are also called easy exit carts, and maybe not when
an exit is planned!
>
> Nothing beats training, training and more training, but I would rather
have
> the advantage of proper and safe equipment in an unforseen emergency.  I
> personally don't  feel very safe in our easy entry type cart and hope to
find something more suitable for training.  It sits so low
> that an unexpected buck and kick is awfully close to my face, and the
horse
> can end up with a leg over the shaft.
>
> Because the easy entry type cart is inexpensive and readily available,
easy
> to get in and out of, and light to handle, lots of people are using them.
> NOT ALL BAD.  Just not the best for breaking and training a horse, in my
> opinion.

I would also like to hear how people feel about using "bucking straps"?  Who
likes them, how do you like to adjust them, in what circumstances do you use
them?   For those not familier, this is a strap that fastens to the shaft on
one side, goes up over the horses rump (attaching to the harness at the top
of the rump) and down to the other shaft.  It is designed to limit the
ability of the horse to get his hind end "airborn".  Note: With a good buck,
the shafts of a metal cart will bend at the attachment points!


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