Bouncing

[MajorClementine]

When Clementine gets up into a trot there is quite a bit of bounce in the cart. Is this normal with an EE or am I doing something wrong? The shafts are secure and not bouncing up and down freely but they move up and down with her body. Do I have the wrap straps too tight not allowing the cart to "float" as it should?

I had my husband sit in it (250lbs) and I lifted the shafts. There was a point when I could hold him up with my pinky fingers and had almost no weight pushing down on them. This leads me to believe that my cart is balanced. So do I just need to find this same point of balance when hitching Clementine and not strap the shafts down so tight?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

More experienced drivers will likely chime in, but I think it is the gait of the horse. The longer the stride, the smoother the ride.

 

[MajorClementine]

I spent a lot of time today adjusting the shaft loops on Clementine then bringing the cart up. I had my husband sit in it while I felt how much weight was in the shafts. I did this several times until the cart felt balanced. Then I made sure the wrap straps secured the shafts without strapping them down hard like I usually do. I think the result was good. There was still a little movement in the cart but not nearly as much. Also it wasn't a jarring movement. I also watched the shafts in the loops closely and they were not bouncing around. Clementine seemed very comfortable and was better behaved today than she has been any other time. She was never ill behaved but it seemed like she was very happy with the setup. She took me for our longest ride yet and kept up a nice easy trot the whole time without any encouragement.

I also took the overcheck off of her. She was trained with it so I went ahead and used it. I decided, after much reading, that I should try her out without it. She did try to grab a bite to eat while we were stopped but by keeping an eye on her and correcting her I think we'll solve that problem with training rather than a device.

If anyone has any other input about the bouncing I'd love to hear it. Will there always be some movement in a 2 wheel cart? I expect the answer is yes but I'm not 100% sure. I don't want to be putting undo stress on my horse. She seems to enjoy our drives and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

[Jules]

I don't have a tie-down set up, but use a sliding back band with an overgirth very loosely buckled, so I imagine that I get a lot of 'dampening' of the bouncy action from my little guys stride.

I think you are on to something with tweaking your tie-down tightness, as it seems to have made a difference in the drive you have done since. It is hardtop know how much bounce is normal as you do get movement in a two wheel vehicle.

It is funny, I hadn't driven a 2 wheel vehicle in 10 months until yesterday, and I will say that yes, there is an element of 'bounce' that you don't get in a 4 wheel vehicle. Not a brain-jiggling bounce, but just more a gentle awareness of what gait the horse is in. I cantered my little guy a bit yesterday and I loved the gentle rolling sensation of feeling his movement through the vehicle. It was the closest you could get to riding a 34" pony...although a hyperbike would be even closer again I imagine! lol

 

[shorthorsemom]

I don't bounce with my cart and my boy has a horrible choppy gait at the trot. I do not pull the tie down straps hard and tight. My driving instructor was strict about the way I did the tie straps. The britching straps and traces keep the cart in line front and back. The tie down straps I use are looser than the girth and not overly tight. Just tight enough so the shafts don't go upward when you sit in the cart. Also could check the height of your tugs? that's just a guess. But if my boy does not bounce with the cart, I would say that you might want to check your adjustment. My boy looks like a wind up toy at a trot and my cart ride was smooth. I have an aerocrown.

 

[MajorClementine]

I am wondering if a sliding back band might help us as well. I am hoping to get a comfy fit breast collar by next spring and (depending on how my new business goes) I may just spring for a whole comfy fit harness. Until then I will keep working with adjusting the cart and the harness. We've done a few different adjustments. Some made it better, some made it worse. Admittedly our cart is a cheaper EE but it does feel balanced when I put hubby in it and hold the shafts. I may still have my tie down straps a little tight as well...

 

[Jules]

Sounds like you are on the right track for sure, I have only been driving a handful of years and still find myself amazed at how much 'tweaking' is involved in carriage driving. You fiddle with one strap and 'hey presto' you need to adjust what feels like 10 other things! I think you are such a kind owner/driver to be so considerate with the whole picture of your set up

I had the same dilemma when driving my gelding as a single last week, as I said above it had been 18months since he had been put to a vehicle other than my pairs carriage. I broke out a sweat (Winter and all!) trying to get everything right...and I still wasn't there