Jane, I HAVE ordered a Bennington, and no, I don't expect to be disappointed...I have viewed it from every angle in quite a number of photos, and am well aware of the height of the seat. One of the things I haven't liked about virtully ALL of the carts I have driven,put to minis, is that the driver generally sits so LOW; Linda Fairbanks, a respected American ADS judge, instructor, and clinician, is on record as stating that one should sit at about the height of the horse's back-and though I do think it may take a bit of getting used to at first, I am looking forward to that higher position! (I have "tried out"the feel of it, by briefly sitting on the back rest of my easy entry, actually....) The new Bennington does have a 'dash' of sorts, which I don't have in my Frontier(which I have driven the most, as it is my 'everyday', and training, vehicle);I did have a dash in the Meadowbrook, and do have in my Pequea road cart-the Pequea, BTW, sits higher, and is very comfortable. I can certainly understand that people may have their personal preferences-but I look forward to not having to artificially hold my forearms up to keep the reins off of the horse's rump! I wanted this cart to put to horses from 32" up to my full 38"(last hair, not withers measurements) mare; ordered the smaller size, as I felt I did not want to have the cart be on the "low" end of a size made for (ponies)up to 2 hands taller.
I do agree that a Governess cart,though they are "cute", especially in wicker, would NOT be suitable to the uses Kim wants(can't imagine it being very comfy to drive while seated sideways, either....!) One of the biggest "issues" with vehicles for minis is INDEED the overall weight of the vehicle-and it is going to be a 'bigger' issue if people want to drive the under 30" ones. A couple of North American builders are doing very light weight, sulky/sulky-type vehicles; personally, I think if you want to drive a "tiny", that is/should be, about your only choice(and with all due respect, it is my belief that there IS a lower limit on size for driving--common sense 'should' prevail, but doesn't, always, IMO.) I have driven (GENUINELY)33-34" horses since 1985; I got the bigger mare this year because I really wanted the additional power-not for the show ring, but for driving around the country, and with my local driving club. There has frequently been discussion on here of how much weight a horse can pull-I wouldn't presume to try to say, because I don't know--but again, common sense and close observation should prevail. I do think one is generally better of with the larger-end minis, for all-around driving, at least. It IS a challenge to find vehicles that REALLY 'fit', and are suitable/comfortable for, both miniature horse and driver. There are a couple of American builders whose products I like(from what I can see on the internet)-however, what they are building are NOT the 'usually-seen' show carts, but more of an all-around/marathon-type vehicle. One is so busy with orders that getting one could take virtually FOREVER(he IS building a cute, very small single seater cart that might work for a really small mini, and might even be "accepted" in the show ring-PM me if you want to know who this is);the other has acquired a rep for not getting the job done....another is just a Frontier "clone", albeit, upgraded in ride comfort. As far as I have been able to see, there is still a good deal of room for improvement in the designs/implementations of vehicles for minis-especially for the single horse. Hopefully, research and development WILL continue!
(There ARE some cute vehicles on the Kateland site-however, be prepared to wait a long time for the pics to load!!(or maybe, it's just MY computer??
)The "ADS-Kateland" is basically a road cart; you will notice that because it has straight shafts, going "all the way back" , there will be the same, if not a "larger", issue of climbing in and out as there is with the Jeralds and others. The Pequea and Country Carriages road carts have a drop heel shaft, which makes the mount/dismount a good bit easier. A "genuine" design Meadowbrook, which has rear entry/fold-down seats, is a plus in this department-as I said, I didn't care for the low seat position of the Meadowbrook. It's all in what YOU like/ don't like, and what YOU will/won't accept- IMO, there's always SOME kind of trade-off.
Oh-and Jerald will make a nice little "obstacle cart". It has a minimal basket, is very small and light(I'd guess, around 35-40 lbs.,with the basket removed), sits right up close to the horse, can have roadster stirrups installed(though they have to be removed to put the basket on-it's an 'either/or" setup! ) However, it doesn't come with a singletree-which I see as a minus.... It is special order, and costs about as much as the 'standard' pleasure cart!
) decided on the natural wood cart. She already has 3 closed wheel show carts and a roadster cart, so we wanted a more "country" cart.
I swear it was a gift because we took in the littel black mare for a lady so she bought me a cart....and whats pequea? does ith ave a site?
