I drive my mini mare, Ruby and every time she goes out in her cart, especially while trotting, the cart bounces all over the place. We got the cart for free. It was used on a fjord but we got the shafts bent in to fit Ruby. Why is this happening?
Posting a picture would be helpfull. Does sound strang that you could uses a Fjord cart on a mini.
Terrain and the horses trotting will also cause bouncing. Too many unknown to give an educated answer
it sounds like it is a home made cart with no suspension ,but your own weight, should stop it bouncing,but if you mean its a hard uncomfortable drive ,it does sound like a lack of suspension,[springs or shockers]
My cart is really bouncy when I'm in it alone. Rides fine when I have more weight/a passenger in it. (not really what you want to do driving a mini, I'm just saying.. I know the feeling of a bouncy cart.)
I also think it's strange that you can fit a horse cart to a mini. Do you have pictures?
It bounces when her back raises and I think there might be too much pressure on her back causing the cart to bounce. I dont have pics but I can prob. get some. All we did was bent the shafts in
I would guess a lot of the problem you are having is due to the fact that the cart is not really fit for the horse you are using it on. Simply bending the shafts does not a mini-cart make.
You tell if it is balanced by holding the shafts level and someone sits in it. It shouldn't be heavy on the shafts but balanced. When hooked to the mini the shafts should be level if not then you can tell if it is leaning down and putting too much pressure on pony then it is too big
Please read what CheyAut has said. She raises minis and drives them competitively - in short, she knows her stuff. As she has said, your cart is not designed for use with a mini. No amount of retrofitting is going to change that fact. Your horse is best served by using equipment that is meant for use with her.
You are going to get a bounce with all carts. Depending on the horse their action and how you are harnessed it's hard to say without a photo.Does the cart have springs? Shaft loops secured down could be one problem. Shafts to high or to low another.
With a four wheeled vehicle you don't get a bounce because the shafts connect to the axle and shafts are able to move up and down without carrying the bounce to the carriage.
Here are some pics my mom took today! Opinions pls! My papa moved the seat back (the seat we didn't know was adjustable!!!!!) and it seemed a lot better Please excuse my ugliness and fatness
check and make sure it is not too far back. In the 2nd pic it looks to be pulling up. Sit in it and have someone hold the shafts up, it should be pretty well balanced and not fall up or down very easily
Okay. What can I do about her lugging (head off to one side) which is what she is doing in the second pic? So the cart is fine for her and I should be able to continue using it?
I wouldn't say smaller wheels, that is actually harder on a horse to pull.
Have soemone hold the shafts at the level they're at on your horse while you sit in it. If you sitting on it puts weight into the shafts, the cart isn't balanced right for the horse. But the seat is behind the axel, which should shift the weight OFF the shafts, so to me it looks like it's ok, but the only way to know is having someone hold the shafts at that level to check
Aside from the cart being not the right size for a mini it sounds like it is not balanced. If the seat is too far back the shafts will lift in the shaft loops allowing the shafts to bounce up and down it the seat is too far forward too much weight will be applied to the saddle and horses back. When you are in the cart and another person picks up the shafts to driving height there should be no more than 10 pounds of weight on the shafts. Also the ends of your shafts should not protrude beyond the point of the shoulder of your horse. If your shafts are too long it could change the balance of your cart.
Found the problem! The seat wasn't far back enough and the thingers that keep the shafts from flying up were WAY too tight putting pressure the saddle
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