how is it dangerous? what if you put a cart connecter on? that would make it a 4 wheeled vehical.
There are many mini people that want to try to put a pair to a cart, and it is not an acceptable configuration in the driving world except with certain vehicles more designed to do it. But your average Easy Entry cart, even though the manufacturer makes a team pole for it, is not a safe vehicle. Apparently those manufacturers are only concerned about selling products that uneducated [about driving] people will purchase, and don't understand or care about the ramifications for the purchaser.
First of all, a cart is too light for a pair, especially bigger horses. If the vehicle is too light, the driver feels like a waterskier on the end of a string. It is not a good feeling, and the vehicle can be whipped around quite easily. That is true no matter what the size of the horses are (minis or Morgans, etc.)
Second, think of the mechanics involved in a pair put to an average cart. When a single is put to a cart, the cart is held up by the horse's back through the saddle and tugs, which is easier for the horse to balance. When a pair is put to a cart, it is held up by the horses' necks. The requirements of driving are asking a horse to carry its own weight on his hind end, but with the pole being attached to their collars, they can't possibly get even their own weight on their hinds. They are being dragged down from the front end where they already carry too much of their own weight, especially if they are green and/or not properly schooled in dressage. If one of those horses happens to trip and fall, the whole turnout will fall over. Turns are also very unstable. Whereas when put to a four-wheeled vehicle, the horses are only holding up the pole and are not balancing the vehicle at all. On our vehicle, they are not even holding up the pole because of how it is designed. The fifth wheel supports the turning of the vehicle and not the horses.
In the few tradtional carriages (carts) that were designed for a pair, they have a connector bar that holds up the vehicle from the horses' backs. Even so, those vehicles were few and far between because even in the 1800's, people realized that it was not the safest way to go. Again, one horse trips, and the whole kit and kaboodle goes over.
We have one mare that is "leaning away from the pole" because she is still trying to find her own balance with the vehicle attached. She is getting support from the vehicle. She needs more work in the single cart to learn to "hold herself up". But what that does is make her partner lean away, too, not to be pulled over. This is a pretty typical "problem" with pairs. I can't imagine dealing with that put to a cart. They would pull the whole thing right over!
Those "cart connector" trailers should be outlawed IMO. They are a bad idea right from the start. They make the turnout too heavy for one mini, and more unstable for a pair. Again, manufacturers making an uneducated buck. Have you ever seen a trailer for a big horse vehicle? No.
Just like I have harped on before, don't do anything with a mini that you wouldn't do with a big horse. Whatever you do contributes to the acceptance or rejection of minis and their drivers. (Written for the masses reading this post.)
Myrna
