In a message dated 11/16/2006 11:03:59 PM Pacific Standard Time, ecartis@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: > I was surprised to see > when some these pairs came through the hazards their fixed poles were > bouncing anywhere from 2-4 feet in the air! There needs to be some give > and take on a fixed pole to allow for movement and terrain but I felt this > > was dangerous. Absolutely. I don't see any modern marathon carriages anymore with fixed poles.They all have "swing" poles. Those that don't are inferior, but one can still see them on the lower levels. > > Question: By using that kind of yolk, wouldn't that put the inside horse, > on a turn, back a bit too far toward the carriage causing him to bang his > hocks? No, then you would be hitched too closely. And since you are going forward in the turn and the outside horse has to cover more ground anyhow, it really doesn't happen in practice when hitched correctly. A good measure to check if you are hitched too closely is to stand, and then back up. If the horses can back the carriage without hitting their hocks, then you usualy are far enough away. But just as extra precaution, I put insulating foam over my single trees, so in case there ever should be some contact by mistake, it's soft and cushioned - same as I do with the pole. Hardy > > I > _________________________________________________________ To Unsubscribe, change to Digest or Vacation mode go to: http://www.drivingpairs.com/index.php?pg=2 `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````