How to Make Horse-Drawn Carts

Riding in a horse-driven cart is a fun and pleasurable experience that only a few people are lucky enough to have on a regular basis. If you have a horse that is trained to drive as well as be ridden, building a small cart for the horse is a fun project and an economical means of driving a horse. This cart seats two adults and can be drawn by one horse.

Things You'll Need

  • Welding machine
  • Saw
  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil
  • Several large pieces of plywood
  • Foam padding
  • Vinyl or cloth
  • Staple gun
  • Industrial staples
  • 4 large sheets of industrial grade aluminum
  • 12 bolts
  • 1 long piece of 1-inch thick steel pipe
  • 2 metal-spoked rubber wheels (bicycle wheels will work)
  • 2 long 2-inch pieces of PVC pipe
  • Electric drill
  • 4 eye hooks
  • Grinder
  • Sandpaper
  • Waterproof paint
  • Paint brush
  • Wood and metal sealant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure the width of all the people who will be using the cart. For safety concerns, if the cart is designed for children, there should be enough room to fit at least one adult and two children into the cart. For adults, space for two people will be the most that a single horse can pull. The width should be measured by having all people sitting side by side. Also measure the distance from their bent knees to the floor. Add six inches to each side of the seat area to give extra comfort to passengers. Add an extra 16 inches to the distance from the front of the passengers' feet and the cart floor. Lastly, add two inches to the back of the seat to accommodate the widths of the building materials.

    • 2

      Build a square frame using 1-by-2 inch pieces of rectangular steel that have been cut to the specifications from the previous step. Attach the steel pieces together by drilling holes for bolts, attaching them together with the bolts and then welding the pieces together. Cut your piece of plywood to the measurements that you took for the seat; covering the plywood with padding and a waterproof fabric will make your cart more comfortable to ride in as well as more durable. Staple on the fabric and the padding so it is firmly attached to the seat. Attach the bolts for mounting to the bottom of the seat; attach metal bracing to the seat to make it stronger and safer. Bolt your seat to the square frame you built. Make sure that the seat is firmly and evenly attached to the frame.

    • 3

      Build the body of the cart using pieces of industrial grade aluminum that are welded together. The body of the cart should be rectangular in shape and only as wide as the seat you built. You will be attaching your seat, a floor board and the wheel axle to the frame. Cut out a piece of the plywood to the width and length of the cart to fashion your floorboard. Mount the seat and the floor board to your frame. Measure and cut a steel pipe to the exact width of your cart plus six inches; mount the pieces of pipe to your axle mount on the frame of the cart, and attach your wheels to the ends of the pipe.

    • 4

      Cut the PVC pipes to the length of your horse plus five feet to make the drive shafts. Screw the eye-bolts into the pipe so that they will line up with your horse's harness. The shafts must lie parallel to the horse's stomach and the pipes should extend one or two feet past the horse's shoulders, and two to three feet behind the horse. Attach the drive shafts to the harness.

    • 5

      Smooth all of your attachments and welding joints with a grinder to make sure there are no sharp edges or rough surfaces; do the same with the wood of your cart by sanding down the surface. This is important so that you do not accidentally hurt yourself, your passengers or your horse. Paint the cart a color that you like and then add a sealant to the wood and metal portions to make sure that your cart lasts longer.