# What size cart?



## wingnut (Apr 24, 2010)

My husband has been keeping an eye out for a used cart. We have a potential candidate but I'm not sure about the shank length and width. The shank is listed as 60" and the width is listed 48". My potential cart horses are going to be around 32". I'm a year away from putting our first potential girl behind a cart (hope to start doing some basic ground driving work in October-ish), but if this cart is a good size (it looks to be in great shape), I'd like to grab it.

Your thoughts?


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## disneyhorse (Apr 24, 2010)

60" shaft length might work depending on how it's measured. I had a Jerald show cart built for "B" miniatures (drove 34-37" minis in it) that had a shaft length of 54" so I think 60" might be somewhat long. Most of the carts I've seen for miniatures have shafts between 46-49 and then a bit longer for the B's I think, up to 54"?

My 46" shetland pony is in a 67" shaft cart right now I think... although it might be the 72" I never actually measured.

Hmmmm...

Andrea

(edited to add) I just went to the Jerald site and their Shetland Pony shaft length options are 60", 66" and 72" while the miniature horse options are 46", 49", and 54"

So it sounds like it's a small shetland cart.


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## wingnut (Apr 24, 2010)

Thanks Andrea! That's exactly what I needed to know


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## Minimor (Apr 25, 2010)

wingnut said:


> My husband has been keeping an eye out for a used cart. We have a potential candidate but I'm not sure about the shank length and width. The shank is listed as 60" and the width is listed 48". My potential cart horses are going to be around 32". I'm a year away from putting our first potential girl behind a cart (hope to start doing some basic ground driving work in October-ish), but if this cart is a good size (it looks to be in great shape), I'd like to grab it.
> 
> Your thoughts?




For a 32" horse you will want a standard Mini cart--the one you describe will be much too big--not just the length/width of shafts, but the height of the seat & everything--I have a pony cart that size and can say for sure that I wouldn't be able to use it on anything smaller than 39", possibly 40"

My Mini cart has 54" shafts since I have mostly the bigger B size horses, but I can drive our 33" horses on it as well--it's a standard Mini cart so other than the longer shafts it is the right size (seat height & such) for the under 34" ones. If your horses are all 32" or even 33" and under, a cart with 48" shafts should work fine for you.


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## Katiean (Apr 26, 2010)

Did they measure from the single tree to the tip of the shaft or did they measure from the seat to the tip of the shaft. I bought a cart last year that I had to go out and measure it myself. The person just didn't understand. I bought the cart. Worth around $900 for a ton less.


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## RhineStone (Apr 26, 2010)

The proper way to measure cart shafts is to measure the horse from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock. Then add about 8" for a mini. The standard for a "big" horse is 12". Now, that being said, it also depends on where the basket of the cart is. That 8" may be too short if the basket is very vertical and deep. The last thing that you want is for your horse to hit his heels on the cart in a decent trot. That might scare him enough to put him into a bolt that you may not recover from before a wreck.

We have a 31" mare that has a 44" shaft cart. We also have a 34" gelding that is short backed and will also fit in that 44" cart, but we have had other 34" horses that would not fit, because they were longer horses.

Measure the horse's length for the proper length of shafts. The height of the horse only matters in the vertical size of the cart!

 

To use the horse's height to measure shafts is like saying, "I am 5'4". What size pants should I wear?"

Myrna


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## Shortpig (Apr 27, 2010)

I would ask what size wheels it has, as the shafts can be replaced with shorter ones. If it has the larger wheels you can replace them with the standard 20" wheels to lower the height of the cart.

I haven't had much luck in our area finding really good deals on used carts but I do know where to go to get the different shafts and wheels to change the sizes when I need to.


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## Katiean (Apr 27, 2010)

RhineStone said:


> The proper way to measure cart shafts is to measure the horse from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock. Then add about 8" for a mini. The standard for a "big" horse is 12". Now, that being said, it also depends on where the basket of the cart is. That 8" may be too short if the basket is very vertical and deep. The last thing that you want is for your horse to hit his heels on the cart in a decent trot. That might scare him enough to put him into a bolt that you may not recover from before a wreck.
> 
> We have a 31" mare that has a 44" shaft cart. We also have a 34" gelding that is short backed and will also fit in that 44" cart, but we have had other 34" horses that would not fit, because they were longer horses.
> 
> ...


That is the way to measure a horse for a cart. But to see how big the cart it's self is some people will measure from the seat to be tip of the shaft. They will measure from the tip of the shaft tp behind the seat. Then there are the people that understand that with the single tree straight you measure from the tip of the shaft to the tip of the single tree. This will give you the shaft length. Not if it is the size that will fit your horse.


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## RhineStone (Apr 27, 2010)

Katiean said:


> RhineStone said:
> 
> 
> > The proper way to measure cart shafts is to measure the horse from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock. Then add about 8" for a mini. The standard for a "big" horse is 12". Now, that being said, it also depends on where the basket of the cart is. That 8" may be too short if the basket is very vertical and deep. The last thing that you want is for your horse to hit his heels on the cart in a decent trot. That might scare him enough to put him into a bolt that you may not recover from before a wreck.
> ...


You are right, Kathy. I should have worded that differently. You are not measuring the horse to measure the shafts, but each does have to fit each other. You can't use height to measure length. And yes, measure shafts from the tip of the shaft to the singletree. (There are a lot of people out there that don't know how to properly measure an English saddle, either....)

Myrna


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