How to Train a Cart Horse

Training a horse or pony for driving a cart can be a rewarding experience and can make a horse more valuable. An enjoyable and safe cart ride depends on a steady, properly trained horse. A young, untrained horse can be broken to the cart as can a horse with years of riding experience. Starting with a horse with a calm disposition and good handling and manners will make the training process much easier and quicker.

Things You'll Need

  • Horse or pony
  • Cart harness
  • Small, lightweight cart
  • 30 ft lunge line or long reins
  • Saddle pad
  • Horse blankets
  • Bridle with detachable blinders
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Instructions

    • 1

      Expose the horse to as much stimulus as possible. Author Heike Bean recommends starting with this training. Let them experience car traffic, rolling plastic bags and other debris, and anything they might experience while pulling the cart. This will lower their chance of shying while pulling the cart.

    • 2

      Put an open bridle on the horse. Use a driving bit and only add the blinders onto the bridle after the horse has become used to pulling the cart while able to see it.

    • 3

      Acclimate the horse to running on a lunge line and following verbal commands. Once a horse responds to commands, attach two long lunging lines or a pair of cart reigns to their bridle. As explained by the experts at the Equi-Sense website, training horses to respond to the subtle tugs of rein direction in pen is known as ground driving.

    • 4

      Cover the horse with a saddle pad and various blankets regularly. This will make the horse more comfortable being covered by items, and decreases their nervousness and discomfort when you put the harness on them.

    • 5

      Add various pieces of the harness to the ground driving training, one piece at a time, until the horse is comfortable wearing the whole harness.

    • 6

      Introduce the horse to the cart. Let the horse smell the cart, and walk them around the whole cart so they can see every side of it. Have another cart horse pull it near them so they can become used to the noise and understand that it's not a threat. Jada Neubauer, of 3G Horse Ranch, recommends waiting until the horse is completely disinterested before hitching it to the harness.

    • 7

      Attach the harness to the cart. Start by simply letting the horse stand with the weight of the cart on the harness, allowing it to become used to the cart's poles rubbing against it's sides. Once the horse is comfortable enough, let him move forward a few feet, working up from there.