Hi Jean,  Don't be too hard on yourself, there are probably many carting 
fanciers around who have had a close encounter such as that.  I used to have 
a 2-year old gelding I simply loved and I also loved spectating the carting 
classes at the A-rated shows, which led to my desire for he and I to learn to 
cart (for pleasure of course) (smile!).  We were in training
approximately 60 days and the training did wonders for both of us in many 
ways.  Anyway my X provided a training cart (Xmas present)
for us and 1 evening we decided to test it out.  My gelding was accustomed to 
all the apparatus including blinders, but had never heard the sounds the 
fenders began making, and consequently he was skiddish, so my X felt he 
should test-drive me just to get him used to the rattling.  Well, 15 seconds 
after they began my X bailed out because the cart was about to tip over, and 
consequently my gelding was "on his own".  Long and short, when we found him 
he had flipped the cart over himself and he was laying in a mound of dirt on 
his side.  I worried that surely he must be severely injured, but I spoke 
calmly to him (scared as I was), and he allowed me to unstrap the contraption 
and he stood up.  My X was miffed at him, so I hurried my boy away who only 
sustained a little lameness for 1 day.  After it was over, I fell apart.  But 
he and my X survived and we later went on to cart in some amateur classes and 
earned a few blues.  He's the colt who was born on Mother's Day, and he's 14 
years old and is owned by a couple who got their 1st horse at age 50.  He is 
their baby!  This gelding and I had some real learning experiences.  Boy the 
stuff they go thru for us!  Nice chatting!
--- SLMAIL v4.0a  (#0304)
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