Another person asked what we have in our barns for driving.  Here is my response with our past and current vehicles –

Our first sulky cart – got it with a 12 hh Hackney mare in 1997, Shown first w/ AJ in 1998.   Madira (our middle daughter) is driving in both pics.  It was refurbished once by someone who borrowed it from me for a year – the seat was redone, the whole cart was sanded/repainted black, new leather put on the shafts, wheels stripped of rust & repainted silver.

Later in ’98, ‘Dira took riding lessons on “AJ”

Then, shown here with our 40″ shetland mare, Bell in 2010 – 13 yrs after we got it used!  Mostly in storage from 2001 thru 2007 – when it came back into use.  Heavy use from this day 28 May 2010 forward to 2014.  Not hooked since we’ve been here (January 2015)…

Would love to know how old this cart is NOW!!

The same cart – having taken it up to Millersburg, OH in spring 2013 to be refurbished again – after Bit had a bucking fit and broke the circle bar in the fall of 2012.  It now also has a single tree, tug stops & footman’s loops on it for the first time.  Wish I’d had the shafts shortened AND the singletree put under the shaft for a lower draft.  The wheels also were replaced – they are now the no air type (however that makes a huge difference in the comfort of the ride for both driver and pony!)…  Only pics I have of it redone, so far…  Not sure why I didn’t get the windscreen redone…  Never occurred to me, I guess, LOL.

April 2013 – Flower’s first hitch to newly refurbished sulky cart

April 2013 – Flower’s first hitch to newly refurbished sulky cart

Our first EZ entry cart – yes – harness hooked up wrong, no breeching, daughter barefoot, 46″ shetland stallion doing ok for his first hook in 9 years. Bought the cart used in TX.  It was one of the last Frontier’s built (not the same as Frontier in MO)…

Sierra rode AJ in 2000 for her riding lessons when she was 7 yrs old, too big for that now!

Driving him now, Sierra’s first leadline ride on AJ was as a 22 month old toddler in June 1995 (12 yrs ago!!).

Vicki bought a no-name EZ entry for her ponies – only it was too small and the guy wouldn’t exchange it for a larger one.  So, since i had younger ponies and a few smaller than 40″, I traded the one above for this smaller one.  I didn’t like the metal shafts w/ no single tree, so when the sulky cart was redone, I had this one done, too.  Also got a heavier axle and no-air tires…  Hmm… should have redone those cheap springs, too!

Paula driving Kechi to a refurbished, no name, EZ Entry cart. 21 January 2013

This was our first wagon.  It was probably way too big for the Shets.  But it worked for us to start with.  The only problem? – it didn’t fit in the trailer w/ the ponies to go to any events (I used a 1969 Hale stock trailer for years for the ponies!  It’s narrower than current day horse or stock trailers by almost a full foot).  I could only use it locally or someone had to use a flatbed and haul it out for us.

19 March 2011 – Bell & Bit driven by Paula w/ 2 little passengers at the NC WHMA plow day at Richard Buchannon’s farm in Swan Station/Sanford, NC. This is their 4th hitch to the wagon as a pair. They pulled for a solid 1 1/2 hours.

Here is a pic of Koalah and Bell pulling it.  The green cooler is what passengers sat on (yea, o so safe! LOL).  The blue cooler on the ground is what we used to “mount” the wagon.  I later carried a bucket that I attached to a lead rope.  I dropped it to the ground to get down & also used it to get in.  Couldn’t do that now – not flexible enough, LOL.  O, & so safe as well, we know NOT.  It went to 3 events – one of which was the one I hauled it to for the new owners…

26 October 2011 – Paula drives Koalah & Bell to the “little red wagon” at LP Painted Ponys, Lillington, NC

1 November 2011 – Koalah & Bell making it look hard to pull the “little red wagon” @ LP Painted Ponys in Lillington, NC.

I like my wooden farm wagon made by Pioneer Manufacturing out of Ohio (Amish country, Holmes County).  I’ve had custom work done to it, it’s been heavily used and abused and needs to be reworked into a non-wood product (like the Pioneer Forecart).  Yes, those are working headlights and working turn signals on the wagon.  It has a marine battery under the drivers seat.  It also has a brake that can be set (the 40″ shetlands can drag the non-moving wheels thru the sand when they really feel like it…    )

Koalah & Bit, driven by PH & passengers Grace & Gwen, head up to Mt Olive Methodist Church to spend day giving rides

Bell & GG, w/ PH driving, give afternoon rides to folks @ at the Mt Olive Methodist Church

We have a Hafflinger sized Pioneer Forecart w/ a pony sized tongue, meant to be used with farm equipment.  So far, I’ve used it more often for trail driving and yes, to the issues mentioned above with a two wheel cart with the fact that this is a rather heavy cart.  I got the larger size as I have ponies that are larger, too.

4 May 2013 – Bit and Cassie driving as a pair at an NC WHMA Trail Ride/Drive event in Hamer, SC.

My girlfriend, Vicki from Pampered Pets Pharm, has the pony sized Forecart with the pony sized tongue and has used it more often with actual farm equipment.

13 June 2012 – Eclipse & Kreature pull disk w/ forecart

11 June 2012 – Eclipse & Kreature move broken cement pieces w/ Vicki, Jasmin & Laura.

13 October 2012 – Eclipse & Kreature disk the pasture @ Pamper Pets Pharm

The springtooth harrow & crumbler aren’t light. The ponies worked for their oats, today!

There are other builders of Mini Sized farm equipment and wagons – I have links to some – very few have websites, I go to Draft Horse

Events where I’ve gotten contacts and in 2014 Vicki, her husband James and I went to Horse Progress Days when it was held in OH.  White Horse Manufacturing is out of PA, EZ Trail is out of Indiana (all in Amish communities).  We haven’t been to any of the other HPG’s – they alternate states – Horse Progress Days.

Also, this year (2017), Vicki said that she used a 3 abreast hitch for the harrow and crumbler (if I heard her right?)…  No pics, unfortunately…  That is actually mine/Larry’s harrow & crumbler – but it’s lived at Vicki’s the last several years while we’ve tried to get things set on our new property…

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All of the Shetlands pictured above are about 40″ tall.  GG is 41″ now, Koalah’s knifey withers DO measure 43″, but her body is about the same as the 40″ shets…