How to choose cart/harness?

There are pros and cons to doing pre work before sending him to a trainer.   If you do it correctly and discipline hime fine.  If not the trainer will have more work getting him to do it right.  Talk to your potential trainer and see how they would prefer.
 
As to carts, yes you can get them to go both ways.  A friend of mine had a meadowbrook that would.  Depending upon how "fancy" you want to go, I have a Pioneer forecart that goes both ways.  It is a good sturdy rig for everyday use but not something for going to shows and such.
 
 

Thanks for the information! 
 
I don't want anything fancy for shows - just something fun that I can take out on the back roads around here.  I love that cart you have in the picture.

It is a Pioneer forecart.  About $900.  Has brakes and can go single or double.  Good and heavy and strong.

I really can't help put say that I think forecarts are the ugliest things on wheels. I really don't like car tires, or pnuematic tires in general, actually. What's up with the rail in the front? Certainly not for taking turns to fast! haha!  Also, brakes on a two wheeler is extremely dangerous. And two horses put to a cart can never be balanced right.

You can get one of those easy entry carts for like $500, nothing fancy, but you said you aren't doing shows anyway.

Care to explain a few things for me since you brought them up?  Why are brakes on a 2 wheeler extremely dangerous?  And why can't two horses put to a cart never be balanced right? 
 
Yeah, I've been looking at the easy entry carts and the meadowbrook carts as well.  Maybe I will get a fancy little cinderella pumpkin-type carriage.  LOL. http://www.buggy.com/minipumpkindisplay.html

okay first up - I LOVE ANYTHING MADE BY JUSTIN CARRIAGE WORKS!
Here's a photo of me in about... 2002 (?) taking my gramma and mom for a drive. This is one of their carriages in normal size.


I've been looking into getting one in pony size. They said that I should be able to just put the one I have on pony wheels. I'm contemplating that, but changing it back and forth from horse to pony wouldn't be worth the time and savings.

There seems to be some controversy over whether brakes are good or bad on a 2-wheeled vehicle. Personally, I've never had them on ours and never felt we needed them. I don't think I know anyone in this very horsey area that DOES have brakes on a 2 wheeler, come to think of it. They just really have no purpose. If the vehicle is too heavy and you need brakes because the britchen will push the horse under.. then you need a lighter vehicle or bigger horses.

They're just VERY VERY dangerous and much easier to get it wrong and cause the vehicle to tip up than to get it right. Brakes simply just don't come on good quality 2 wheeler vehicles. You can buy some cheap vehicles with them - NOT built by true specialist carriage companies and I've spent a bit of time recovering and doing remedial training of horses and drivers that have disastrous experience!

I do believe that have a purpose on on four wheelers though. My turnout looks a great deal fancier. They're also great for going downhill in my fourwheeler whilst driving my minis. With the weight of the marathon vehicle, myself and my groom, we by far outweigh the minis and could take them out!!

I find that people believe that it's just an instrument to be used to be able to skip the training where you teach a horse to hold back weight with the britchen, and that's never a great idea.

Thanks for the info.  What a pretty photo!  However, for what I am looking at - I think a very basic cart will end up working best.  I love looking at some of the fancier things they have available, though.
 
 

 i'm not pleasd with the new look of the forum!!  Off topic, I know.

Newfoundland - as usual you are opinionated and don't know what you are talking about.  That is a forecart, a work vehicle.  No one that uses them cares what they look like.  The rail in front is so you can stand up and lean against it.  Some WORK you do causes you have to stand up to see what is going on.  As for brakes they are not to stop the forecart as you can lock the brakes and most teams would just drag it.  They are there so you can #1 as in all rigs, have safer entry and exit, #2 so you can tie the lines back and walk away from the horses to do what you have to do.   Well broke teams are trained to stand tied back to their load while you are off doing something else (are yours broke that well?).  If you are going to be gone a real long time you unhook the tugs and if the horses try to go the neck yoke will come off of the pole and the lines will hold them back if the brakes are set.