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Mini Driving 101 |
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Notes About Carts |
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Cart is a generic name for any horse-drawn, two-wheeled vehicle. There are many
different kinds and several will work well for miniature horses. |
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 Easy
Entry Cart – The name says it all. The cart is built so
that the shafts end at the dash and you can easily step in. This
is a very popular cart and comes in a wide variety, everything
from pipe to wood. It can be sprung in a variety of ways. Some use elliptical
springs. Others have coiled springs under the seat.
The easy entry cart in this picture has 26” wheels which
make it easier for the horse to pull it over rough terrain. It
was made by:
Pequea Carriage Shop
200 Blank Road
Narvon, PA 17555
(717)
768-7016
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Road Cart – The seat is independently sprung from the shafts and has a curved spring under the seat. The seat also slides for correcting the balance. This is one of the heavier carts because of the extra metal fixtures in its styling. The red lines show the springs (below, center) and the seat slider (below, right). |
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Country Carriages made this Road Cart.
www.countrycarriagesusa.com |
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Meadowbrook Cart – It has two
elliptical springs under the shafts (below, right). In one style the seatback folds
down so you can step over the seat to get in. It can also come with
a split seat; one side of the seat flips up to allow access. A Meadowbrook
cart will have fenders of some type, slatted, curved or crescent. |
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This Meadowbrook has slatted fenders
and a solid seatback. It was also made by
Pequea Carriage Shop. |
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Some carts can use a variety of wheels and even sleigh runners. Here is the
same Meadowbrook with sleigh runners in place of the wheels. |
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Houghton Sulky Company made the cart
above. |
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Pleasure Cart – Intended for the show ring, this cart
has a basket (wooden slats for floor boards) and a boot (a vinyl
cover for the basket). It comes in two types of framework, one
with framework around the wheel (above, right) and one that has an “open” wheel.
It can be purchased with “stirrups” (near right) which are used
for Roadster classes. The cart is sprung by a curved spring (far right) under
the seat. Pleasure carts usually come with pneumatic tires but
wooden wheels can be used on carts with “open” wheels. |
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Jerald Sulky Company made the cart below. |
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Sulky – This vehicle is intended
for use in Roadster classes. The seat is for one person only hence
the name. The driver places his feet in stirrups hooked on the
shafts. Often an “apron” is hooked from the dash to
the seat to keep dirt from being thrown up on the driver.
To measure your horse to determine the height the shafts should
be:
- Put the harness saddle on the horse.
- Adjust the tug to the height desired.
- Measure from the bottom of the tug to the ground.
To check the height of the shafts:
- Hold the cart so that the shafts are level or slightly raised.
- Measure from the point on the shaft where the tug would rest
to the ground. Be sure to measure from the underneath side of
the shaft.
If the two measurements are close your horse will fit that cart
without any adjustment.
When changing wheels to a larger or smaller size remember that
you only gain or lose ONE-HALF of the difference. For example,
you decide to change your 20” wheels for 26” wheels.
The cart will be ½ the difference or 3” higher.
Larger wheels will roll over rough terrain easier than smaller
ones. Imagine pushing a shopping cart through a field. Now think
of pushing a bicycle through the same field. The bike is much easier
to push. |
