Carriage shaft lengths

As I was looking at pictures from all the different shows this weekend I was struck by the many different carrages available.  I also noticed a wide variety of shaft lengths.  While I am by no means an expert I did want to pass on some resources that may help you choose the right shaft length for your horse.

The American Driving Society offers  a very nice table for getting started figuring out the correct shaft length for your horse.  The table didn't copy very well so please visit their site for more details but the basics are:

Table of Shaft Lengths and Widths for Traditional Style Vehicles
for Traditional Style Vehicles for Single Turnouts
Measurements in inches

Animal Height (in Hands) 17H 16H 15H 14H 13H 12H 11H 10H
Length of Shaft from Swingletree to Tip 85 80 75 70 65 60 55 50
Height from Ground under Shafts at Back-band Tugs 55 52 49 46 43 40 36 32
Width between Shafts at Back-band Tugs 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18
Width of Swingletree 36 34 31 30 28.5 27 25.5 24
Length from Back-band Tug to Shaft Tip 24 22 20.5 19 17.5 16 14 12
Length from Back-band Tug Stop to Trace Hook 56 53 50 47 44 41 38 35
Distance from Breeching Staple to Trace Hook 30.5 29 27.5 26 24.5 23 21.5 20
Wheels - Diameter 51 48 45 42 39 36 33 30

You should also keep in mind what it is that you will be doing with the carriage.  Combined Driving carriages have shorter shafts, which makes sense since you're asking for quicker turns.   You don't want your horse to be poked in the shoulder every time he turns.