Donkeys to cart

Hi, Is there anyone out there that would be able to help me put my donkey
to a cart? He is doing well with the long reining, but I am not able to manage on my
own actually putting him to the cart.
I dont really know what I am doing, have donkey in one hand and book in the other.
Any help at all would be much appreciated.
I am near Torigni sur Vire.
Many thanks

i don't know where you are but i have a few tips for you.

start off getting your donkey to pull a big car tyre or several normal ones tied to the traces on long ropes (SAFETY KNOTS!!), put another rope on the tyres which you hold to guide them, as donkey pulls them along to get the feel of resistance you need to pull the tyres round so they follow in the donkeys tracks and don't let the ropes catch his legs , it is easier if someone else helps but it is not impossible alone if the long reining is good, YOU CAN ALSO USE TIP 2 to get the tyre thing started too

(2) next once you get to the stage of standing donkey in the shafts for the maiden voyage in the cart, put a bucket of feed under his nose, let him get a nibble then walk away with the feed bucket a few steps, call him forward/lead & let him nibble again, and so on, this way he has pulled the cart forward to get to the feed.... keep at it and he will forget the cart exists! (also works when backing small ponies with kids as riders )

whoever said bribery does not work does not know animals and kids! or husbands ???

so far i personally have never used blinkers for driving, they say they are to stop the animal thinking the cart is chasing them and running away???? well either i have had exceptionally logical ponies....or its a load of b*llocks you decide , my ponies used to turn an eye and ear to following traffic with no fear because they could see what it was same as when they were hacked out,


here i must add:- driving i have not done loads of it and probable not to any great standard, but i have
used and seen used tips 1 & 2 done very successfully.
pretty please with flowers on....PICS MORE PICS THEN MORE PICS!! BYE

I can come and hold the book for you .
Seriously though, if you would like some help just say. I don't work and I'm only a few kilometers from you.
A couple of years ago I broke my shetland in to pulling a cart but we had a mishap on the road with a motorbike coming round the corner on the wrong side on a quiet Sunday and to cut a long story short we have two buckled wheels and it rather put me off. When I find out where I can get more wheels I will try again but I'll wait until the shetland is older I think. I was doing so well too. I was like you too holding the book in one hand !

re the busted wheels on the cart, depending on what kind of cart you buckled the wheels on (4 wheel 2 wheel or wooden wheel) for a small pony cart either 2 matching front wheels from a small motorbike/moped or the back wheels from an old wheel chair are up to the job,

my guy - an experienced vehicle engineer- was going to make a pony cart for a friends mini shet with wheelchair wheels, they usually have a weight rating far over what you would expect.

bye

I know the little man's had problems recently, but had you made any progress?
Pen

HI,
Sorry been away. Havent had chance to start anything yet, what with holidays
and weather being far too hot. When it cools down a bit will start again then.