Monday, March 26, 2012

Dorsal Hitch - Circus Wagon

Lost photos...looking for them.
On the MiniHorseDriving, Yahoo list Susan M. posted photos of her mini team and a unique cart. Her is what she had to say:
Last weekend we were invited to share our minis with the crowd at the Carousel Horse Show held at West World in Scottsdale, AZ.It was a lot of fun and a great trial for the team. I've only gotten to drive them a few times since I finished their team harness, so this little exhibition was a needed trial run before this weeks mini show.As you can see from the pics, they did very well! And when the crowd went wild, clapping and cheering, my team didn't even bat an eye!So now I'm getting things ready for Touch of Class. And I am bound and determined to have a blast!
Of course I was extremely interested in the arched shaf to the "saddle." So I asked for more information. Her reply comes after the next photos.
Hi Susan, the gentleman I purchased this cart from had it custom built from old drawings of circus carts. These were made this way for use under the old big top tents as it allowed freer movement in the tight constraints of the circus rings. It also allowed the animals to perform tricks while hitched to the vehicle.This hitch can be dangerous as it does allow the horse/horses to turn completely 360°, at which point you have no control at all. And with the team, the horses must match hieght and stride or else it becomes very difficult for the horses.It connects with a wire hitch pin to a swivle on the pad for single, on the yoke for double.This isn't a hitch for anything other than level ground that is packed as the horse(s) pull from the saddle and brake from the saddle.
If you go back to some of my earlier posts such as:
he Modern Chariot (Part 1 and 2), you can see a less extreme, but similar idea.

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