More cart questions from the newby!

[wendyluvsminis]

Me again! I think I am going to need to get a separate harness for my 29 inch driver. Thankfully, we live close to a Mennonite harness maker, who is reasonable and very good. I have an A size harness (betathane, with some blue patent leather...rather wild, by some standards!) , but it is on the tightest hole for every adjustment, and Fancy Pants has a heavy, winter coat. Should I have the harness metal made up in brass or stainless? I am going to get the cart that everyone recommended--a little black show cart, (kinda like a "little black dress" but for horses!) with wire wheels. Are wire wheels always silver colored, therefore requiring stainless on the harness? I have been told that it is correct to match metals on cart and harness. And what about the color of the shafts? Black with pinstripping or wood colored? Is it a matter of preference or is one more preferable? Fancy Pants is a blue roan, so what would look best on him? I probably will not show this little guy ADS, since he is so small--unless one of my skinny, little daughters wants to show him!

 

[ruffian]

It's all a matter of preference, but with a blue Roan I would get the metal stainless. I have one wood grain cart, the rest are black with pinstripes. I think the black is more formal,

 

[RhineStone]

Should I have the harness metal made up in brass or stainless? I am going to get the cart that everyone recommended--a little black show cart, (kinda like a "little black dress" but for horses!) with wire wheels. Are wire wheels always silver colored, therefore requiring stainless on the harness? I have been told that it is correct to match metals on cart and harness.

Yes, it is correct to match metals, even on your jewelry/buttons. It probably wouldn't matter as much for a breed show as an ADS show, but it does show that you are "finished". However, wheels don't "count" as do bits either. You can use a brass harness with silver wheels. Bits are always stainless, as brass is too soft for bit material.

And what about the color of the shafts? Black with pinstripping or wood colored? Fancy Pants is a blue roan, so what would look best on him? I probably will not show this little guy ADS, since he is so small--unless one of my skinny, little daughters wants to show him!

The nice thing about a stained vehicle is that it is easy to touch up when you scratch it (not if, because you WILL scratch it!

) But painted vehicles are a bit more "classy".

Isn't he a stallion? In ADS shows, your daughters would have to be 18 to show a stallion regardless of what size he is.

Myrna

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Thanks for the good info! What if I get a cart that is stained black? Would that look fancy, but be easier to touch up? I am most likely getting a cart from Silver Penny. Am I allowed to say that? Very similar to other carts, but hundreds of dollars less expensive!

 

[RhineStone]

What if I get a cart that is stained black?

We have done Ebony stain on carts. You just have to make sure that the builder uses enough stain. I have seen some that were ordered to be stained black, and the builder only used one coat. So when it arrived, it had more of a "green" look than black.

Myrna

 

[wendyluvsminis]

We have done Ebony stain on carts. You just have to make sure that the builder uses enough stain. I have seen some that were ordered to be stained black, and the builder only used one coat. So when it arrived, it had more of a "green" look than black.

Myrna

Oh, my! Did you have pin-stripes put on top of the stain? Or does that make it harder to maintain? If we did go with pin-stripping, what color would be pretty with a blue roan? Thanks!

 

[RhineStone]

The people that had that cart did commission me to put on pinstripes, but we didn't put the finish on. I think we used black stripes, which showed up OK. The seat was gray.

Stripes on a stained vehicle aren't any worse than a painted one. If you are going with a stainless harness, a black vehicle with silver stripes might be nice.

Myrna

 

[wendyluvsminis]

The people that had that cart did commission me to put on pinstripes, but we didn't put the finish on. I think we used black stripes, which showed up OK. The seat was gray.

Stripes on a stained vehicle aren't any worse than a painted one. If you are going with a stainless harness, a black vehicle with silver stripes might be nice.

Myrna

Silver stripes sound pretty and would look nice with his grey/blue/black coloring! Are you speaking of stripes on the cart, shafts or both? I will have to put on big sign on my back when showing--"-this rig coordinated by LB Mini Driving Forum! "

 

[Sandee]

Blue Roan - black cart with silver pinstriping...very nice! The black finish (on a wood cart) can be touched up (all those little nicks from loading, unloading etc.) with a small black car paint that you can get at Walmart. It is in the auto section and is about the size of a marker and comes with both a metal tip (like a pen) and a small brush (like for nail polish). The silver color (and others) come that way too. I have touched up many many times on different carts with this. Of course "fixing" those pinstripes is murder!

Stainlesss hardware on the harness. - those are my "votes".

Oh, and in AMHR (and AMHA) 13 yr and over can drive stallions.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

Blue Roan - black cart with silver pinstriping...very nice! The black finish (on a wood cart) can be touched up (all those little nicks from loading, unloading etc.) with a small black car paint that you can get at Walmart. It is in the auto section and is about the size of a marker and comes with both a metal tip (like a pen) and a small brush (like for nail polish). The silver color (and others) come that way too. I have touched up many many times on different carts with this. Of course "fixing" those pinstripes is murder!

Stainlesss hardware on the harness. - those are my "votes".

Oh, and in AMHR (and AMHA) 13 yr and over can drive stallions.

Great! I would love to go the shiney painted route! I probably would not be able to bribe my daughters to drive in the ring! Showing Fancy will just have to be my prize for losing weight!

 

[ssshowhorses]

We showed a horse last year. He is a blue roan stallion. In the pictures he is wearing a black harness with silver hardware. We we`re going to get him a black cart with silver pinstripping but we wanted something more neutral that we could use on a horse that had a brass harness as well. So we opted for a natural wood cart with black pinstripping, silver hardware. If we could do it over again I would get a slightly darker stain (they usually call ir mohogany or something) but I dont regret getting the natural wood at all. You can see how sharp it looks on him!!

http://i917.photobuc...ses/johnny1.png

http://i917.photobuc...ses/johnny2.png

 

[MiLo Minis]

If, as you said, you are not going to show ADS but breed ring only with your horse you also have to consider what class he will show in when you choose your cart colours. If you are going to show pleasure class a natural finish vehicle is not as competitive as a black painted vehicle would be although a darker stain can work. Natural finishes are more correct for country or western classes. I think the black paint and silver pinstriping would be lovely with your blue roan and that could be used successfully in any class including roadster. Pinstriping is generally put on the shafts, singletree, splinter bar and on the metal on the sides.

 

[wendyluvsminis]

We showed a horse last year. He is a blue roan stallion. In the pictures he is wearing a black harness with silver hardware. We we`re going to get him a black cart with silver pinstripping but we wanted something more neutral that we could use on a horse that had a brass harness as well. So we opted for a natural wood cart with black pinstripping, silver hardware. If we could do it over again I would get a slightly darker stain (they usually call ir mohogany or something) but I dont regret getting the natural wood at all. You can see how sharp it looks on him!!

http://i917.photobuc...ses/johnny1.png

http://i917.photobuc...ses/johnny2.png

What a beautiful stallion! He looks so elegant hitched to your cart! I really like your color combinations! The natural wood does look great with him! Thank you so much for sharing him!

 

[wendyluvsminis]

If, as you said, you are not going to show ADS but breed ring only with your horse you also have to consider what class he will show in when you choose your cart colours. If you are going to show pleasure class a natural finish vehicle is not as competitive as a black painted vehicle would be although a darker stain can work. Natural finishes are more correct for country or western classes. I think the black paint and silver pinstriping would be lovely with your blue roan and that could be used successfully in any class including roadster. Pinstriping is generally put on the shafts, singletree, splinter bar and on the metal on the sides.

Thank you for the color/class clarification! I'm not sure at this point which division he will go in. Being so tiny and not having the leg length of other "under" horses, perhaps country pleasure would be the place to start. Then, I could wear a cool hat! LOL!