Small changes

As I mentioned at the end of the last post there are a few small issues with the set up we had. I will start with one of the most glaring issues as it is the first thing Gary pointed out when I sent him the pics of this pony. 

Look at where the shaft is and how high up it is in relation to the traces and 'the line of draft' as it is called. I let Gary know that there is room to punch holes and drop the tugs some which will fix part of the issue but the cart could also use bigger wheels too which would bring it Up a little in the back, helping to level out the shafts. 

Problem #2 with this pic is the part of the shaft from the tug stop to the tip.  The tug stop is typically closer to the tug so this tells me I may be able to let out the traces a few holes and forgo the trace extenders. Wahoo!  But if the shaft and cart come forward where they should be, then the length of this part of the shaft comes into question. Not a problem. The tips are a little rough for my taste and I had gotten rubber stoppers to cram in them before. Trimming them off a little is not a problem.... They are also incredibly straight. The length and straightness both add to the problem of poking into the pony's neck when she tries to turn. Bigger sweeping turns aren't so bad, but smaller circles and tighter turns will be a problem. 

Shaft level and line of draft seems to be an issue with me. Lol 😆 This was from the show in Luling a couple years ago. I had swapped out the marathon shafts for the straighter, more traditional shafts for the show- and forgot to drop the tugs on the harness to accommodate this. My bad! 

See how high up the shafts are in relation to the traces. This is also making the hold back straps on the breeching look a bit awkward. I took the harness home and punched a couple holes on both sides and dropped the tugs.  Easy enough...

The tugs have come down into a better position. There may still be another hole that I can drop them again. I need to check, but I have since brought the cart home for the other changes. 

From a distance though it already presents a nicer look with things being more level and even.  As for the length and the lack of curve, both easily remedied by a trip to Lowe's for a pipe bender. I already had the pipe cutter and it didn't take much to measure from the tug stop out 12" and mark the shafts for cutting. Put the cutter on, spin it around a few times and done. File the edges smooth of the new cut, popped out the old plugs from the scrap ends and of course they won't fit damn the luck. No big deal because I wanted to bend the tips out and thought I may have to heat things up - which would melt the plugs anyways so this worked out. Another trip to Lowe's for the next size bigger plugs and some other things. 

I also found some Pale Sage paint that caught my eye so before I heated up the pipe to make bending them easier, I busted out the sander and some 80 grit to take off the layers of paint where it was chipping off anyways.... 

I measured 6" in from the tip ends, bent the ends with the pipe bender and gave it a couple light coats of paint. Lucky for me I didn't have to heat up anything and was able to get it done. 

I still need to remove the wheels and seat to finish the paint job, but theres no rush. Funny thing is, the cart was originally close to this same color when I got it several years ago. It was also bright red too at some time in the past. The sage seems to go nicely with the vinyl on the new seat. Now all that's left is finding new/ different/ bigger spoked wheels instead of the pneumatic wheels on it. Once you move up out of training level, pneumatic wheels are no longer allowed. But then there's always something more to consider...