# Brakes on a Cart



## Becky Horat (Jan 1, 2012)

We are ordering a new Mini Cart from Silver Penney. Trying to decide if we should get brakes put on it. We do trail driving and have a few little hills. Sometimes they have to work really hard to hold the cart back. Just wondering if anyone has opinions on brakes on their cart. This would be an easy entry wooden wheels/shafts. Our Minis are 34". We had a pony cart with brakes and ended up removing them, as they clanked around loudly most of the time and we would get weeds/sticks dragging from it. Not sure if all brakes are the same on easy entry or ?


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## Margo_C-T (Jan 1, 2012)

I personally wouldn't want brakes on a cart; at least, not on a basic EE. I think better would be to be sure you have good sturdy, comfortable-for-the-horse, harness, with a wide-enough breeching...then be sure to allow the horse to LEARN gradually how to 'deal with' the breeching as the brake...as in, gradually increasing the length and slope of any downhill slope you ask it to handle.

In my experience,ANY brakes will add weight, (perhaps considerably so for a mini) to the vehicle, for one thing. There is a maintenance factor on hydralic brakes(if they could even be put on a MINI-sized basic EE cart?)...as well as the added weight factor. Manual brakes I've personally seen on a homemade EE cart were VERY clunky and VERY heavy, also.I admit, I don't know what kind/configuration a cart builder would put on; have you inquired about the type, weight they would add, etc? I suppose if I had pretty much ONLY quite hilly places to drive, and I could have a very lightweight(but sturdy, of course)EE cart that would not be made too much heavier by a decent, well-working set of brakes(whether manual or hydralic) would I consider them on a cart for minis of the size you mention.JMHO, of course.

Margo


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## Reignmaker Miniatures (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm pretty sure this subject has been covered before and the consensus from 'those in the know' at that time was "No" a pretty firm no from dome as it was considered unsafe in a light 2 wheel cart. I agree with Margo, be sure the harness has a good set of breeching adjusted properly and let the horse learn to use it. I drive cross country here and have some pretty big hills to handle (and I'm not a light weight) and my horses of all sizes (30" to 34" ) handle it just fine after they learn how to use the breeching.


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## shorthorsemom (Jan 1, 2012)

I started a string a while back asking about brakes that were installed on a two wheeled mini meadowbrook I had. Quite a few forum members wrote me back and recommended not using brakes on a two wheeled cart. The folks at driving essentials said the same...

My trainer hated the brakes and wanted me to have them cut off the cart. They added a lot of weight and stuck up in the middle of the floor of my cart and quite often was somewhat in the way.. My trainer would not let me use the brake, she made me work hard on a good stop and considerable instruction on how to get the britching exactly right so the britching would hold the cart back on hills. We have some steep hills.

I ended up selling that cart, because it was very heavy and made of wood, but funny thing was that the selling point the buyer was interested in, was that my cart had brakes. go figure.... I have a nice new light aerocrown and love it... No brakes no problems, and we have lots of hills. My meadowbrook did great on the hills too with no brakes, just well adjusted britching and training


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