Yesterday&Today Carting Hiking  


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Carting

 

These days more and more people are interested in carting. This activety is mainly practised for leisure by people who appreciate walking with their donkeys, but we have noticed a group of experienced people who are well-informed in donkey and cart techniques and who see a sport emerging in carting.

There are federations which organize competitions to reward who show the most aptitude in driving their cart and also for their technical skills which they display, such as driving through narrow tracks, in wet conditions... The criteria of evaluations are multiple and include amongst other things: your presentation, speed...

There are different techniques, but the two most common are:

  • Single cart with only one donkey harnessed
  • Double cart with two donkeys harnessed, one on each side of the principal axis called the tiller. This technique requires two donkeys of the same stature and colour trained for single carting. We write about single carting as followse.

Carriole for one
(extracted from Equip'Horse)


Carriole for two
(extracted fromEquip'Horse)



Single carting

It is difficult to summarize the techniques of carting and therefore we advise you to consult a professional, who will be able to show you how to harness a donkey correctly and to drive it in complete safety. You will thus avoid making errors which could result in wounding the donkey or putting yourself in danger.
If you have never driven before then it is better to educate your donkey first before yourself. The Asinerie du Bocage can provide this service. We would keep your donkey for one month to educate it in this discipline. (cf. activities)

Ideally, to begin with you will require a light cart in the style of the photograph below:

The donkey is harnessed with a breast plate most commonly used for leisure carting. The breast plate must always be connected to a swingle-bar so as not to rub on the donkey's breast which could cause inflammation.

In driving the collar can replace the breast plate, but this is usually used for heavy work.
Contrary to the breast plate, the tugs of the collar are not always connected to the swingle-bar.
The collar must be perfectly fit the donkey's stature.

 

The choice of the harness is very important for this discipline. It needs to be perfectly adjusted to your donkey's body without being to tight. Before buying the harness it is necessary to take the donkeys measurements.

So, we have prepared a document to show how to measure your donkey: Choosing the harness


 

 
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