# shaft length



## Kira98 (Jan 28, 2010)

okay I have a rather silly question. Im not to up on the driving stuff but i know i like to do it and its funn with my lil man Mr. P.

okay he is 35 inch tall the shafts on my cart are 56inches he fits in it okay they are a lil long but not bad

What I want to know is how big of a mini/pony would fit in that length of shaft and

when im looking for a ee cart for him what size shafts would be ideal ???

im thinkin in cart i have now that maybe up to a 42inch could fit in the cart I have ????

I need to find out asap as i have a lady wanting it and her pony is by the way she describes rather tall ! she said she is 5'4 and the pony back comes to her bellybutton so I thought I would ask my forum friends that have a bit more knowledge than I !


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## RhineStone (Jan 28, 2010)

The most accurate way to determine what length of shafts you need is to measure the horse. Case in point, I have a 31" mare who takes the same 44" shafts as my mom's 34" gelding. I had a 34" mare who was much longer than the 34" gelding and wouldn't fit in 44" shaft cart. My 37" gelding takes 50" shafts.

Measure the horse from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock. The rule of thumb for large horses is 12" more than the measurement of the horse. It depends on the depth of the basket of the cart as to whether you would use the same 12" or less room behind the horse. You DON'T want the horse to hit it's heels on the basket of the cart, which could frighten him and cause a wreck. I have carts that have 8" behind the horse. I like my horses closer to me than farther away, again watching the length of stride of the animal in relation to the placement of the basket.

In order to measure the height, hold the cart up so that the shafts are level (with your typical mini cart, there are exceptions). Measure the from the ground to the bottom of the shafts. This measurement should be the same as the height of the harness tug (loop). Ideally, the shaft should be at the horse's point of shoulder both hortizontally and vertically (this is a rough estimate, you have to take each horse into consideration). Also, it is better that shafts run uphill than downhill as down will put too much pressure on the horse's back.

Hope this helps!

Myrna


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## Kira98 (Jan 28, 2010)

Myrna,

thanks ! It makes sense to me and I will pass that on the the lady i told her that I thought it would depend on how long the horses is ;-)

my boy isnt to terrible long but i did have my old black gelding with his cart that was way to short ! shafts for like a 28inch he was a 33 lol

thanks so much I will have that lady measure her pony and add at least 8inches to the length and I will do the same so that I can find a nice ee cart

I want one with the oak shafts and floor ! sooo pretty and i think i could show in it at some of the local open shows ;-)

thanks again

Erika



RhineStone said:


> The most accurate way to determine what length of shafts you need is to measure the horse. Case in point, I have a 31" mare who takes the same 44" shafts as my mom's 34" gelding. I had a 34" mare who was much longer than the 34" gelding and wouldn't fit in 44" shaft cart. My 37" gelding takes 50" shafts.
> Measure the horse from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock. The rule of thumb for large horses is 12" more than the measurement of the horse. It depends on the depth of the basket of the cart as to whether you would use the same 12" or less room behind the horse. You DON'T want the horse to hit it's heels on the basket of the cart, which could frighten him and cause a wreck. I have carts that have 8" behind the horse. I like my horses closer to me than farther away, again watching the length of stride of the animal in relation to the placement of the basket.
> 
> In order to measure the height, hold the cart up so that the shafts are level (with your typical mini cart, there are exceptions). Measure the from the ground to the bottom of the shafts. This measurement should be the same as the height of the harness tug (loop). Ideally, the shaft should be at the horse's point of shoulder both hortizontally and vertically (this is a rough estimate, you have to take each horse into consideration). Also, it is better that shafts run uphill than downhill as down will put too much pressure on the horse's back.
> ...


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