carriage Horse-drawn History
Early modes of horse-drawn transportation consisted of basic wagons made of wood with rough-hewn solid wooden wheels and a skin-covered body. These early horse wagons were constructed in Mesopotamia as early as 3500 BC, during the Bronze Age. The two-wheeled chariot was developed around 2500 BC.
The first modern-style horse carriage was reportedly invented in Hungary in the 15th century to carry a princess to her wedding. This early horse carriage design had no steering and had to be dragged sideways by the horses to turn a corner. With further development, a front axle was eventually mounted on a turntable to provide steering and a bumpy ride; the suspension ride, generally made of leather straps, was developed around 2000 BC, making the ride a bit more comfortable. By the 19th century, improvements in road conditions and carriage design made horse-drawn vehicles a viable mode of transportation.
The horse is gradually switched from longeing in a circle to moving forward with the handler behind him. The horse should be comfortable with the lines on his back and sides before going forward. At times, a second handler at the horse’s head may be required until the horse relaxes.
The next step is to hitch the horse to a drag, which can simply be a tractor tire on a chain, a wooden skid or similar device. Most horses tolerate the drag quite well. Once the horse is pulling the drag comfortably, he is ready to move on to pulling a cart.
The shafts can present a problem — some horses are extremely sensitive to them in the beginning. They feel trapped and panic, so the best way to train a horse to shafts is to use two old shafts that are not attached to a carriage. Just let them drag the ground or have them held up by assistants. Most horses will become accustomed to the shafts quickly.
Introductions to the cart and harness follow this stage. Ongoing, slow, methodical training will result in a well-trained carriage horse.
Carriage Horses Today
horse carriage can be found in many cities and tourist destinations. One of the most interesting places for a horse carriage ride is Mackinac Island, Michigan, where automobiles have been banned for more than a century. Horses, whether ferrying passengers or cargo, supply most of the transportation. You can even rent your own carriage and drive it yourself after a short lesson. As a horse lover, there is nothing better than to hear the clip-clop of horse hooves in the streets below your hotel as you drift off to sleep and dream of a bygone era.
Carriage horses generally have a very good life. Many, like the carriage horses of royalty, including the Queen of England, and other royal families across Europe, live in luxurious splendor. They are attended by several “carriage men” and have more time off than they actually work. Horses such as the Budweiser Clydesdales that are used for parades and special events are equally well cared for and help educate the world about the lives of carriage horses and their place in history. Working horses, such as those used by the Amish, farmers, and city carriage horses, may be used on a daily basis, but most owners of such horses realize the value of their animals and treat them accordingly.
Most people are probably familiar with the horse carriage and horses in New York City. There are approximately 221 licensed horses, 293 drivers and 68 carriages. The carriages have been plying the streets of NYC around Central Park since the 1860s. After a recent series of accidents involving horse carriage , there have been heated debates over the carriage horses and their safety. An audit was conducted on June 27, 2007, largely brought on by the efforts of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Those who want to see the horse carriage banned feel that the horses are abused by not having adequate shelter, food and water during their working hours, and that the horses are worked too many hours, sometimes in adverse weather. The biggest concern is the proximity of automobile and pedestrian traffic to the horse-drawn carriages. Even though the horses and drivers are well trained, there are inevitably incidents in which a horse is spooked and runs off, creating an accident, or a car or bus hits a horse carriage .
Owners and drivers of the carriages in NYC feel they are getting an unfair rap. They claim their horses are properly stabled, fed, groomed, wormed and have routine veterinary care. If a horse gets ill or tired, he gets time off to recuperate. To the drivers, their horse is not only a financial partner, but also a friend.
The debate concerning horses and carriages in city environments, especially in New York City, will surely rage on in the coming months and years. Other cities with horse carriage will no doubt be watching with interest to see how it may affect their business.
Hopefully, an agreement can be made to keep the horses safe, yet save this longtime tradition and preserve a part of our heritage.
The Sarvonian Carriage Horse (also known informally as the “Wain Horse” or “Wagonhorse”) is one of the newer breeds of horses, developed as a light draught animal for pulling private conveyances. Big and sturdy, they are nevertheless not as heavy or expensive to feed as the Sarvonian Heavy Horse, which makes them more affordable as a carriage animal.
Appearance. Although the Carriage Horse was developed from the Southern Draught Horse, they are finer boned and not as big, due to the infusion of Centoraurian and Landesh blood. Around 1580 a.S., a Tharian breeder at the Nymersysian Draught Horse Farms took three mares culled from breedstock for their smaller than normal size, and put them to a Landesh stallion. The resulting offspring were two colts and a filly. The Tharian breeder then bribed an unscrupulous Centoraurian breeder to acquire three Centoraurian horses of the warhorse breed and bred them to his horses. The offspring of these animals became the foundation for the modern carriage horses.
Carriage Horses may be any of a wide range of colours; white, any shade of brown, bay or chestnut, black, dappled, piebald or skewbald, though solid colours are preferred, and bright bays with white blazes and socks are most common. Black (again with white blazes and socks) are also popular. The average Carriage Horse stands about 15-16 hands at the shoulder and weighs between 130 to 160 hebs. They are solid muscular animals, with small refined heads clearly marking their Centoraurian ancestry. Animals selected for breedstock typically have immensely powerful haunches and shoulders from their Landesh and Draught horse ancestry, but are clean limbed with strong sleek legs and large but elegantly formed feet with short lower legs and ankles. They have thick but long arched necks and heavy manes and tails, with sleek, short, and very fine hair on their hides. They have an attractive high stepping gait, which looks impressive when pulling a carriage but makes them poor choices as riding animals, since the gait is excessively jolting and painful to endure for long periods of time. This horse can travel at quite a pace and has a great deal of stamina and endurance.
Special Abilities. The Carriage Horse does not have any unique abilities, aside from the high stepping gait that has garnered them much attention as a private Carriage Horse.
Territory. Although a fairly recent breed (Carriage Horses have been around for less than 100 years) they have become extremely popular and demand has always been high. Thus, Carriage Horses may be found in larger towns or cities across the whole of Southern Sarvonia, usually pulling carriages/wagons for the nobility or wealthy people. There are several breeding farms in Southern Sarvonia now dedicated to the preservation and continuation of this attractive breed.
Habitat/Behaviour. By nature the Carriage Horse is a gentle animal, less high-strung and temperamental than its Centoraurian ancestors, though more spirited in behaviour than the heavy Draught Horses. When handled and trained well, these animals do not spook easily, and are unlikely to become runaways. They work well in teams and are quite friendly by nature, tending to be roughly affectionate with each other but rarely aggressive, even the stallions. They extend this behaviour to their grooms and caretakers with head butting, nuzzling and gentle shoving, accompanied by little whickering sounds and snorts such as those a mare might make to her foal.
Diet. Like most horses, the Carriage Horse eats grass, hay, oats, and whatever else its owner or caretaker may provide. Fodder for city animals is typically brought in from outlying areas by wagon and can be bought in any marketplace or by personal arrangement from an accommodating carter. Some nobles who live just outside the bigger cities have pasturing available on their estates, while others inside the city may choose to rent pasture space, use city stabling, or build their own stables. The Carriage Horse does not eat as much as the Draught Horse and thus is a more attractive and economical alternative if one is not using it for hard labour.
Mating. Since this is a man-developed breed, mating occurs under the supervision of humans. Mares in heat are put to the chosen stallion during their heat period as with most man-bred animals. When conception has occurred, the mares are looked after with special care. After the typical eleven-month gestation, a foal is born. For some reason, though twins are very rare in most horses, this breed tends to have them more often, and then the mare needs extra care to ensure her survival, so they are watched carefully throughout the pregnancy if twins are suspected. Twin foals are almost always identical and so can fetch a very high price if both survive and they are trained as a matched team. Training begins early, when the young horse is about a year old. It will usually be matched with another animal and put into harness with a very light wain, to get them used to the idea of pulling a load. As they get older, the load is increased and they gain experience going through city streets and being in noisier environments. By the time a carriage horse is three, it is usually well trained, used to working in tandem and ready to be sold (usually as part of a matched team, though not always).
By age four a carriage horse is sexually mature. The mares begin going into heat (about every six to eight weeks, for three or four days) and the stallions become interested in them. Typically carriage horses are geldings or mares. Stallions are kept only for breeding purposes, as they tend to be too temperamental to make docile carriage horses. Depending on the work load required of it, a Carriage Horse usually has a working life span of 15-20 years, and most live well into their 20s if allowed to live their full span and not heavily overworked.
Usages. As the name suggests, the primary use of this horse is for pulling carriages. Sometimes, the milk may be used in cheese-making as is the case with Draught Horses, but this is less commonly done. The hides of these animals may also be used for purposes such as leather making or as decorative fur accents in clothing. The tails may also be used decoratively, since they are long and thick. Although the meat of these animals is edible, it is tough and stringy, with little flavour, so horseflesh of this type would usually be fed to dogs or other carnivorous pets