carriage driving help

[mrsbloggett]

I'm a complete beginner when it comes to carriage driving, so advice much appreciated if anyone can help.

I've bought a secondhand gig for my newly broken to drive pony, and yesterday my hubby greased the swingletree as it was creaking abit. Now when we go down a steepish incline and as the traces slacken the swingletree bangs on the footplate / dash of the vehicle. Is there anything I need to adjust to stop it doing this or should I just pad the ends of the swingltree so it doesn't cause damage to the vehicle?
Thanks in anticipation

 

[Tallante]

The swingletree on my Bennington is padded with a rubber stopper..

 

[Donkeymad]

You may want to check that your traces are tight enough, but many swingletrees have blocks for the occasional bump protection.