Getting Ready to Jump Into Driving... Now, what else can I do with my mini?

[paintponylvr]

And here is a homemade chain link drag that I'm using more to train the ponies than to drag the pasture.

GG, Bell's 2010 daughter (born in June, so is about 31/2 months old here), is checking our what her dam and aunt are doing! When we stopped to take a break or to adjust the equipment, she'd nurse... I didn't have an evener and proper double tree yet - so used two very different single trees (my home made wooden one and a very heavy, wider steel one). It was difficult getting them lined up properly - it's amazing I got it to work at all... The girls learned to pull though and learned to work together while I learned to drive a pair.

I have fond memories of using the home made, braided from recycled haystring, breast collar harness - but I LOVE my biothane, collar and hames farm harness ever so much better. The girls' learned to work well in either type.

 

[minirocky]

How cool! How do you attach them to the harness? I would love to try that. It would be very neat to have him drag my fields.

 

[paintponylvr]

The pair is hooked like they are single - here is a pic before they are hooked to the chain link... I don't have "lazy straps"/ trace carriers on the traces (from the breeching rings) and the traces run too low and you can see that occasionally they step over the traces (at first that was a lot - they got used to working with the traces between their legs w/o freaking out and learned to step back over them on their own w/o always having to be stopped and have me take their legs out). I tried using a string to "carry" the traces - but couldn't get them the right length - so just ran the traces thru the breeching rings (not the right way and draft angle is then wrong) - it worked well enough to work them with for two or three work outs (and got two of my pastures dragged) before I decided that that was a pure "PIA". This was in late September. When I went to the Dixie Draft Sale in Troutman, NC in November, I purchased the red double tree (seen below) in Mini Horse/Pony size ($55 - brand new in 2011).

The chain link has a pvc pole that it is wrapped around. Normally an evener w/ a double tree would be attached to the center of that pole and each pony's traces would be hooked to the separate single trees. Since I didn't have a "proper" evener and double tree, I just attached the single trees directly to the pvc pole. Hard to do and get even, didn't balance well w/ the mares pulling and don't think would have worked at all if it had been a wheeled vehicle. After the series of pics of this set up, I'll show the double tree I got (and then later sold to my pony driving friend when I got some more...).

I think this is the only pic I have showing a sorta close up of the "hitch"... The wooden single tree that I made has snaps that are hooked into the trace slots. The metal single tree has curve hooks that hook into the trace slots. When I made the harness, I made the traces adjustable up at the breast collar and that is how we shortened them to allow the ponies to be pulling side by side.

This pic shows the detail of the neck strap and breast collar before the trace was finished and attached (with a conway buckle). The knotted piece is actually an english or "contest" style rein with knots put in evenly on both sides. I did have two little boys using these braided reins for the 3 months they were riding. The other flat braid hooked to the surcingle is actually a balancing side rein (only used when I am working them in the round pen or on a lounge line not while actually driving).

Here is a picture of the girls hitched with a double tree. Usually not called an evener as I called it earlier until it's meant for more horses then called a 3 horse or 4 horse evener (for 3 abreast or 4 abreast). This wooden one is large pony/small draft horse sized. The red one shown last is mini horse/small pony sized (purchased specifically for my pairs) and the mares are wearing proper farm harness with collars and hames. A double tree is the single bar furthest away from the pony's butts with a single tree attached at each end.

And if it will let me attach one more pic - here is a pic of the forecart with a 3 horse evener on it. Closest to you is the double tree and furthest away from you is the single tree. These are mini/small pony sized. I usually ground drive my ponies when doing "farm work". My pony driving girl friend, Vicki, has learned (and trained) her ponies to pull everything using her forecart (pics in next post).

 

[paintponylvr]

Here is the only pic I have (so far) of my 3 abreast team. This was their first hitch - I'd taken all of the equipment to the farm of the guy (Rex McArthur - in the blue cap) whom I'd taken lessons from (April 2010 - November 2010) to help me with hooking the team. This was his first time seeing my harness and forecart and he was amazed - he'd never seen all the "stuff" in mini size before and was SO TICKLED when he drove them around. Here, Bell, (far right of team but in the left in the photo) is hanging back. Later, with experience, she learned to stay up even with the others... In a 3 abreast, only two are hooked to the tongue but all 3 are hooked into the 3 horse evener. I also put Bit (blaze faced lite silver mare) in the center later - worked much better... Since this time, I've attached the neck yoke more "conventionally" using a safety chain and have been told I really need to unbolt the metal strap from the tongue and put the neck yoke ring permanently on the tongue and rebolt the whole metal strap that wraps around the front of the tongue. I haven't done that yet.

Vicki's single mare pulling the wagon with the forecart...

Vicki's hubby, James, driving Eclipse single with a breast collar harness and the implement seat on the forecart.

Vicki driving Kreature and Eclipse to the forecart with a disk (this is the same disk I borrowed from Vicki at a Draft Horse Plow Day while ground driving my pair and pictured in other posts).

Vicki's pair pulling the wagon with a load of broken cement pieces to fill in an eroded part of the drive way... Older granddaughter in first pic, both grand daughters in 2nd pic. They are the "labor" crew this summer (2012). The wagon is a Gorilla Wagon. She purchased hers at Agri-Supply and I have a slightly smaller one that I purchased at Tractor Supply Center. Both come unhooked at the front and will "dump" like a dump truck (I imagine very difficult to do with this "rock" in it) and have two different ways the handle can be hooked up to allow pulling by a tractor (or cart like here) or by hand.

 

[paintponylvr]

Hope the OP doesn't mind that I "stole" her thread - I tried to include LOTS of pics showing some of what we have done with our ponies "working the farm". Pics have been taken by Vicki and I and our families - while at work on our respective properties or while at some of our NCWHMA Plow Day or Trail Drive events.

Vicki only has her two ponies (and has "borrowed" several of mine usually one at a time) to work with. She usually uses her forecart for most of the work she does and also has her hubby and his brother to help out (or her SIL and grand daughters) - she often doesn't get out of the forecart while driving. Me, I work alone most of the time - and I am not comfortable with the ponies hitched to the forecart (& don't have long enough lines to hold them while loading/hooking stuff to be moved) - so I usually ground drive mine for working. Also, most of my property where we are currently working has the trees/ditch in the wrong areas and with all the rain this year - too wet as well, to maneuver the forecart around in. Factor in I'm probably 100 lbs heavier than Vicki, too... Also, Vicki has the mini/small pony sized forecart, while i have the Hafflinger sized forecart (because I also have some 1/2 shetlands that are substantially larger than our purebreds that I want to train to drive and the forecart is pricey enough that I only wanted one). The Hafflinger size has larger/wider tires, is slightly wider/taller in the body and is a little longer from front to back - all of which make it heavier. Both of us are using the same pony sized/length tongue, though. I also was thinking of getting the mini sized tongue (they have it for the wagons, but not for the forecart - not sure what we would have to do - probably a special order?).

My family now has 24 purebred Shetlands ranging in age from 4 months to 24 yrs old. Of those - Bell, Bit, Koalah & GG are driving single and as multiples up to 4 abreast. Ami, Cupid, Stuffy, KoKo and Iggy are all working as singles and have done some ground driving or work as pairs (Ami hasn't been worked as a pair yet). This year, I plan on trying Ami, Cupid and KoKo together as a 3 abreast (in mini harness) and think Ami and Cupid will work as a super cute pair until Cupid's 2013 full brother is able to be Cupid's pair partner. Flashi is coming 3 and has been shown in halter the past two seasons. She will be trained and I think she will pair best with KoKo as a pair. Flashi's sire and dam are 40 & 43" tall but she's a "whopping" 39" at the withers right now(hasn't grown since officially measured at 2013 Shetland Congress)... Flashi's full sister, Shamrock is staying small as well (2 this year) BUT their 2013 full sister is huge (almost 40" tall at 8 months of age) and will probably pair well with their dam! Not sure who all I will be working together as our mini teams yet. Also have the two "larger" bay spot mares to work with now - they are 43 & 44" tall!! That 3 and 4" makes a whole lot of difference from the 36" pairs and the 40/41" pairs! We also have 2 mares that may never be trained to drive - though they were originally purchased to be driven. They are both very over-reactive and "wound tight" - one is still almost as wild as a march hare after a year and 1/2 of handling!! She's 40" of "SCARY".

My eventual goal is to have two full hitches of 4 up - mini sized and slightly larger small pony sized. Don't know if I will get there - hooking 4 is both difficult and dangerous to do alone! I can handle and love training/driving the pairs by myself - can also do the 3 abreast by myself (haven't attempted a unicorn hitch yet - I do have lines I can use for that, though)... I still need to get the leader lines for doing a 4-up hitch and also the double tree needed for the lead team and the "crab hook" to attach it to the front of the tongue of what ever vehicle I drive the 4-up with (either the forecart or the wagon). Eventually, I want to have both a "hitch" wagon that I can actually show the ponies with as well as either a marathon carriage or an actual wagonette carriage. So, so much equipment,

and in different sizes.

I have B mini sized harness, small pony sized harness and medium pony sized harness (farm style w/ collars & hames). The leather show harness i now also own is "B" mini sized... And various mini/pony sized harness bits and pieces.

I so DROOLED over this "mini sized" stagecoach that sold at the Dixie Draft Horse Sale in November 2013!! Either my mini sized pair/possible 4 up or the 40" pair/possible 4 up could have pulled it with passengers in parades on blacktop, but I think my bay spot mares at 43/44" would be too big to pull it. It sold for $1,600 (and I believe was worth much more)...

Drive on!!

 

[minirocky]

Don't you dare think you have stolen my thread, this is what I want to know!! Please feel free to post as many pictures and as much information as possible.

I'm going back to re-read and then I will post again, just wanted to put that.

 

[Casey0Lee]

This thread has been so cool to read!!! And all the pics are awesome!!

That stagecoach is amazing!!!!!

 

[minirocky]

I just loved re-reading that, how cool about all of the stuff you guys do with your 3 and 4 hitches!! I will be happy to have one, and maybe a double hitch if i can somehow get another mini.

Now... Where do I get a single tree or a forecart? What am I looking to invest in a forecart? It looks like it may be the best option for wheeled accessories - things like the muck wagon you use. The single tree looks like it works best with things that are dragged, am I correct?

 

[paintponylvr]

Mini Rocky - here goes, I'll try to answer some of your questions.

A singletree is simple. You will have one on your cart when it arrives (go look at the picture you posted, you have one on that cart. It's wooden, has two stay straps on it, and sits up high). Most vehicles of any worth will have a single tree - it allows the shoulders of your horse to move freely while pulling a load. A single tree on a load with no wheels just makes it easier for your horse to pull it - especially when turning.

A training sulky and a race cart will not have them and I don't think some of the show sulkies have them for Roadster classes (can't remember). Instead they will have some type of hook attached either to the inside of the shafts, back by the circle/straight bar or will have the hooks directly on the front of the cart about where a single tree would have traces attached. My original sulky had little knobs that the traces were worked over/around. I drove it like that for years - until I had the cart redone early in 2013 and had a real single tree attached. I wish I'd had them put it under the shafts/circle/straight bar so the traces will hang a little better. Won't be easy for me to take apart and redo - though not impossible. I haven't gotten to it yet.

A Forecart is a piece of farm equipment. The original ones were what the big draft horses were hitched to and the "cart" was (be)fore the equipment that was then attached to the cart. The cart could be hitched to a multitude of equipment. The current Forecarts are some pretty big affairs - different sizes and types - some with motors on them to use powered equipment w/ PTOs (hay baler, harvester unit, thresher). Some handy men and women have been known to build their own - for some general use and for specific purposes. I know of two major companies that build forecarts - Pioneer Manufacturing in Dalton, OH (for minis all the way up to big Draft horses) and White Horse Manufacturing in PA (not sure what city) - know that make them as small as large (Hafflinger) pony size, not sure if they come down to Mini size.

I now know of at least 3 companies that offer lighter weight, slightly lower cost forecarts made for Minis - but not sure how sturdily built they are - haven't seen any of them in person. Some are listed on line - Nikkis Pony Express dotcom and look on the menu for Mini Forecart. It's priced at $625 w/ shafts for single and pole for team. It doesn't give any specs on theirs and I can't tell from the pics how you would attach equipment to it... Fairview Country Sales in Millersburg, OH builds one - a little closer to the Pioneer styled one and <I think:> heavier than the previous one. Of course, it's a little more expensive - depending what you want on it - like Pioneer, they've priced things separately so you don't have to get everything... I'm going to have to "re-find" the 3rd one - can't remember who offers it!

Pioneer is the one I chose to go with. I wanted heavy duty, able to hold up to "abuse" that I knew it would get at our place and with many ponies being worked with it. I wanted it for farm use and for "country driving" with our Draft Club (I've had many folks tell me that they aren't supposed to be driven w/o equipment, but I've had very few problems with balancing it to the ponies so far). I also wanted a bigger size - I have ponies ranging from 36" at the withers to 13.3 hh in height that I wanted to train using the forecart... I chose a Hafflinger size and got it very customized for me. I got both the cart seat and the implement seat - interchangeable. I got the whip holder (not included since most farmers don't carry one), a single drink holder (wish I'd gotten a 2nd one BUT), brakes, brush guard fenders and extra shocks. It has 13" rubber car type wheels on a rim (I think there's 4 styles of wheels you can choose from - depending on what you want to do with it). I went with the pony sized tongue and am going to see if I can now get a mini sized tongue (about 2 ft shorter). I got the wooden double tree and neck yoke (smallest pony size). I also got the 3 and 4 horse eveners, with the proper number of single trees - custom made to fit my smaller ponies. I got the Hafflinger sized shafts for a larger, single pony to pull it... Later I went back and picked up the "reece" hitch that they make for it - and it's now attached under the back and can take a 2" hitch with a ball on it for pulling regular hitch trailers and other hitch type equipment. Remove the "reece" hitch and it has a heavy duty bar on the back of the floor/platform that has holes along the length - you can hitch any type of equipment that uses a pin on it.

 

[paintponylvr]

Was having trouble with previous post and then hit post before I was done...

Besides paying for the individual parts, I paid for Pioneer to completely assemble it for me. I'm very glad that I did!! Putting that many parts together is NOT my forte'. With all of the above, I think I paid around $1,800 for it. Vicki got the next size smaller (pony), with the pony sized tongue and the small pony sized shafts and it's on 12" rubber type car tires w/ the steel rim. She didn't get the 3 or 4 horse evener - just the standard double tree and neck yoke (wooden) in the smallest pony size. I think the cart seat and implement seat are the same size - but the platform is about 3" smaller all the way around - a much tighter fit for me to get into (bigger belly than bust, big bum, wide hips!!). It's definitely lighter in weight and with the assembly cost, it was about $1,600... I will have to "price it out" or find my receipts to see what I/we actually paid. That may be off a bit (too high).

We both purchased the "reece" hitch later - think it was $30 and we put them on. A standard "reece" hitch purchased at an agriculture supply store doesn't fit the cart right - Vicki tried that and we returned it before going with the one made by Pioneer,

You can see the price list from 2013 on my links page (if it's working correctly - sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't - it's in a pseudo PDF format). I don't know if Pioneer has a new catalog and price list for 2014 - but imagine that they do as they have come out with some new equipment this year... Their catalogs are free and very educational with beautiful pictures!

Here is a couple of pages of info from a different site that carries some Pioneer equipment... Not sure the link is allowed here, now, though (close up the .com) ...

http://www.pioneer farmequipment.com/media_files/pdfs/The_Pioneer_Forecart.pdf

And here are the specs on the pony sized Pioneer cart - again this is not done by Pioneer, but another Amish company selling their products. I dealt with Pioneer directly and went up there to pick up various pieces of equipment that I have ordered over the past 4 years... (Vicki and I "own stock" in that company now, LOL)

http://www.pioneer farmequipment.com//PONY%20FORECART%20NEW%20MODEL.htm (close up the pioneer and farm)

Educational page on neck yokes (for pairs - hitches them to front of tongue), single trees, double trees, and multi-horse eveners - different types. From an old Pioneer catalog (not the 2013 one...). Again, close up the pioneer and farm.

http://www.pioneer farmequipment.com//pioneer%20neckyokes,%20eveners,%20doubletrees.htm

OOOOO LOOKY HERE!!!! This is sorta my latest purchase from Pioneer. Go down to the Harrows section... click on the left side page and it will open up for you and you can make it bigger. This pic shows it w/ 2 - 4' sections of harrow and crumbler w/ the new "harrow cart". I got ONE 3' section w/ the 3' wide crumbler and harrow cart. Vicki, her hubby and I were supposed to put it together over Christmas - but didn't... Not sure when we are going to get it done now... It's a lot of darn parts that I didn't have Pioneer put together for me! My 3 abreast team is READY to pull this and get to work this spring!! If in heavy going, can put the 4 abreast in front of it... I purchased part of this used and reconditioned and part of it new from Pioneer.

http://www.pioneer farmequipment.com//HOMESTEADER,%20BUCKBOARD,%20CRUMBLER,%20GANG%20MOWER.htm

I talked to a couple of the "design guys" at Pioneer directly - over a 2 year period. We DISCUSSED customizing the Homesteader to fit the smaller size ponies/mini horses and we decided that for the cost and my purposes it wasn't worth it at this time. (It's currently meant to be pulled by nothing smaller than 13.2 - small for hafflinger/fjord sized ponies). We also discussed using the "Gang Mower" - but it's really meant for a finished lawn application - not pasture/bush hog type application - which I needed/wanted. Our 9 acres aren't any where near as "groomed" as a lot of the Amish properties around Millersburg OH, LOL...

 

[Shari]

That is a Beautiful Cart!

I used Maggie for Scaled down Farm work. She is 33 1/2" tall. And built pretty stout.

She has a draft harness...
First small Hobby farm I had, we couldn't afford a tractor, so she did Farm work.

Also taught her to pull a stone boat, a sled we got from Toys R Us for skidding, she has pulled logs, Trained to cart and Sawbuck and Pannier. All scaled down for her size but she did a lot of work.

I don't have an pictures of her doing Draft work...

Saw Buck and Pannier

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 750x594.

I know folks that used Miniatures to pack out Elk, others to plow and so on.

There is a Forecart out there sized for miniatures, and I have seen other scaled down farm equipment for them.

For the Saw Buck and Pannier, I got the Sawbuck from one person, the harness straps for the sawbuck from Quality Llama supply,, (at some point I want to get a nice leather set up)
The Panniers, I bought from here , NORTHWEST PACK GOAT.... they now, also have more supplies for minis.

If you want to plow, then I would highly recommend getting a proper draft harness with a collar and hames.
Like this.. but get one for work not show.
http://minitack.com/mwtdh.htm

http://www.nikkisponyexpress.net/Collars.html

https://www.mydrafthorse.com/cfwebst...product_id=781

 

[paintponylvr]

Thanks Shari for sharing! I knew there were others out there and could picture the minis/ponies but couldn't remember who the poster (s) were... (other than some that I did name)... I'd left you out, SORRY!

I love that pannier pack! I'd have used it many years ago - don't really have practical application for it now. One of the employees at the boarding barn I used to work at in the late 90s (I worked to lease the 5 acres I leased from them), now works in the NW mountains and regularly "packs out" with the full size panniers on a pack string - just like your mini girl above!! He posts pics now and then on FB.

 

[Shari]

No problem... LOL

When putting fence up, she brings all the supplies... or if I need to put insulators up on the fence, she carries everything for me.. She helps me work on the path's on the property... does so much stuff.

Though not as much as "she" wants to do.

There is very little a mini can't do.

Is cool you know someone that packs out the big horses. Lots of work that. Mini's are so much easier. VBG

 

[minirocky]

How neat to see more! Unfortunately, paintponyluver, the links posted didn't work.

Wow, $1600? I was in sticker shock over my $700 cart, haha. This purchase may be put off for a while.

I hate to sound like a cheap-o, but between the big horses and the mini, it was all I could do to convince myself to go for a quality cart because I knew it would last longer. Is there a cheaper version to attach a wagon to, like the one you posted from TSC?

 

[paintponylvr]

Not sure why the links aren't working when they worked when I first checked them... first one worked - www.nikkisponyexpress.com and you will need to search for the page for the mini forecart...

Here's what it said. No specs on the cart (size - length, width, height. Wheel size?? Seat width?? size of shafts or lenght of pole)

MINI/PONY FORECART - WITH SHAFTS AND POLE - 625.00 Pick up only.

 

[paintponylvr]

http://www.pioneer farmequipment.com//PONY%20FORECART%20NEW%20MODEL.htm - this one works... You have to close it up between the word pioneer and farm equipment. I didn't put the direct link up - as we aren't supposed to on LB... I copied the whole link I listed, pasted it in a new browser, closed it up and it worked...?

http://www.pioneer farmequipment.com//pioneer%20neckyokes,%20eveners,%20doubletrees.htm This one worked as well?? You need to copy the WHOLE thing, not just the first part that looks like a link. If you just click on the part that looks like a link, it doesn't work. I don't know why this LB is doing that - I didn't link that...

I'll finish this tomorrow. If links still don't work, I'll post the whole link here...

 

[paintponylvr]

The only one I didn't get to work was the first Pioneer one. It came off of a different site and now I can't find that...

 

[paintponylvr]

Fairview Country Sales (catalog only. They do have a phone in their shop and they DO answer it on week days) also builds one that is less - and I do believe you can purchase the very basic one for a price that is significantly less and then as you can afford to or want to, you add other features that you want. I'm not even sure that your mini, by himself, could pull the Pioneer forecart. It's not as small as I'd like and for me even with the smaller one that Vicki has, due to MY WEIGHT (err - I weigh about 1/2 what one of my 40" mares does & not enough less than my smaller mini sized Shetlands to work with a Pioneer forecart single), I wouldn't hook single with my smaller ponies (under 42"). Vicki even said that she just didn't really like it for single work - but I think part of the problem is the forecart is heavy and wasn't meant to be pulled w/o equipment attached (again - I do for training - but I haven't used it single w/ any of our ponies and not sure I ever will. May sell the single shafts that I have for it. They are for a larger size pony and sold the one and the other isn't driving yet). Also, the "lower end" work style harness that Vicki and I both purchased doesn't have the right type of back pad to hitch a heavy cart to - we don't really have appropriate harness for the single use of the forecart. And we are both back at a point where we can't invest in more harness,

However, I MAY be able to get just the harness backpad to switch out on a single work harness this summer that would work with a cart.

I still drool over betathane harness made for Marathon work. I've looked at several, I've talked to folks that use them and I've had the chance to compare them (4 different companies and styles - beyond the basic betathane pleasure harness I use from Fairview - which is similar to the one you just ordered). I will have one one day, just not right now.

I am not sure that the forecart by either of these companies is "stout enough" (axle, wheels OR that back bar on the platform that you would hitch to) to pull the wagon with a load like the one I pictured - safely. That wagon with the rock in it in the picture with the pair was HEAVY. Yes, the ponies made it look easy. They are bigger - around 500 lbs each (1,000 lbs together) - and if you figure that the wagon will hold 600 lbs and the ponies can pull between 500 & 750 in shape, it's very different than a single, smaller mini...

I'm not knocking what you are trying to do and I have found that the ponies, when fit and handled conservatively and wearing proper harness, both single and as pairs (or higher multiples) CAN pull more than what most of us say they can (about 1/2 their weight - actually some folks hold with 20-30%).

What about looking at a drag or stone boat? You ground drive the horse with your load - while you save for the work style cart (s) of your choice. That's what I do a lot. I've actually loaded leaf & yard debri (even manure) on a tarp, hooked it to the pony with either a single tree or ponies with a double tree and pulled that! It works, and it's cheap. The tarp does wear out, sometimes in one use - especially if you use the blue tarps (I'm guilty and still do it - it's also EZ!!). You don't have to purchase a single tree if you have some stuff around home. I'll do another post w/ some of the photos I found of Vicki's and my home made single trees...

Understand, I had our first driving ponies in 1997 - the girls wanted to ride and I couldn't afford the harness, carts, utility equipment for many years when I was replacing helmets and boots for 3 little girls every 3 - 6 months (& riding mounts and saddles too)!! In fact, I sold a show cart that I'd purchased with a pony - to fund stuff I was doing with the girls' riding at that time (1998). We even got down to 2 Shetlands (1 is mini sized) and they were leased out while we weren't "using" them & the girls were showing in H/J shows on larger ponies/full size horses (1999 - 2007 for the mini shetland mare; 2000 - 2002 for our stallion). This has been A LONG TIME COMING for me - and I'm delighting in it right now. We used tax money after all three of our daughters moved out to get that very first pairs work harness (right around 750 w/o the collars for the less expensive ones). Funny thing is - girls have moved back in several times in the past 4 years - rent money has helped with the purchase of more equipment! At one point, we had all 3 of the girls and two fiance`s of theirs in our 3 bedroom home (that was rough! but it paid for showing the Shetlands that were shown for 2 seasons in 2012 and 2013). It just was what was necessary at the time... And after a year on her own, our youngest ran into problems and is back again

. Ah well, it does help fund stuff for me and the driving!

 

[minirocky]

That makes sense about the forecart, for sure. I would love to do a driving pair but it's not in the cards at the moment, so I would like to stick to some lighter stuff for now. Mac weighs 250lbs and is 32", definitely looking for things that he can pull! What is his weight limit?

A stone boat or drag would work as well. I loved the idea of a wheeled cart, just to make it easier on him. I really just want to load some smaller rocks/brush to pick up in the field or have him drag manure down to our manure pile when I don't feel like loading the tractor for it.

 

[minirocky]

Okay, I'm not a fan of my harness. I am going to sell it and try again! I have a few weeks before my cart comes in... What in the world can I get? I want leather, no biothane. I just don't like how it feels in my hands. Poor Mac had his eyes squished in by the blinders, so I ended up ground driving him in his normal bridle.