This Stallion Cart or gig was not in great condition when first purchased at auction in 2001. It had to be fully restored, and now is one of many different examples of gigs on display at the Coach House Museum.
When bought it needed major restoration work which included new wheel spokes, new shafts and new footwell, along with other woodwork repairs. This was carried out by long-time Museum supporters and wheelwrights Ali and Greg Lang of Greytown.
A gig is a light, two-wheeled sprung cart pulled by one horse. It is more formal that a village cart as the driver’s seat is positioned higher than the shafts.
A stallion cart, pulled by a sometimes feisty stallion, has longer shafts than normal. If the stallion was to kick with his rear legs, the driver is protected by being further back from this action.
This gig donated by Ron Gray, is one of many fine gigs on display at the Coach House Museum.