horse carriage : 17th century AD
Throughout the Middle Ages, when Europe’s roads are little more than tracks, wheeled vehicles are used only for the laborious process of carting goods from place to place. When going on a journey, the able-bodied ride; the infirm are carried in a litter.
This changes in the 17th century, when there is some improvement in the paving of roads. Carriages are available for hire in the streets of London from 1605. By the second half of the century there are traffic jams. Samuel Pepys, conscious of rising in the world, considers it embarrassing in 1667 to be seen in London in a common hackney carriage which anyone can hire. The next year he happily acquires a coach and a liveried coachman of his own.
Coaches gradually become more comfortable. The most common design, developed in Germany in about 1660, is known as the berlin. The compartment for the travellers has the shape of a shallow U, with a protective roof above. There is a door on each side and the coach can seat four people, in pairs facing each other. The coachman, driving the horses, sits above the front wheels.
From 1680 glass windows keep out the weather, where previously there were only blinds. The first simple suspension, protecting the occupants against the bumps of the road, consists of leather straps on which the compartment hangs from the framework. The berlin introduces curved metal springs, which absorb the shocks more effectively.
A much lightier and racier two-wheeled vehicle, the gig, is introduced in Paris during the late 17th century. Relatively cheap, pulled by a single sprightly horse, driven by its owner and alarmingly easy to overturn, the gig is the first type of carriage to make driving an enjoyable activity.
At the other extreme from the gig, the more sedate citizen in 17th-century European capitals often uses human rather than animal power for short journeys. He hails a sedan chair and is carried, in elegant comfort behind glass windows, to his next destination. A sedan with wheels, known in Paris as a brouette, is pulled through the streets in the same way as a rickshaw in the east today.
The sedan chair soon goes out of fashion, but the carriages introduced in the 17th century evolve into the wide range of vehicles - many of them extremely beautiful - which are familiar on the streets of Europe and America until they are finally replaced in the 20th century by the car.
Among the best-known of such vehicles, featuring as they do in so many prints of the era, are the lumbering stage coach and its more effective successor, the mail coach.
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.
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.
No matter how heavy the traffic in modern Vienna, there always is room for the horsedrawn cab known as the Fiaker. The German word ” Fiaker”refer to both the two-horse cab itself and to the cabby, who is generally dressed in pepita-check trousers, a velvet jacket and derby hat.
Once the fiakers were Vienna taxi transport, but today they are mostly popular for special ceremonial use and as a tourist attraction. Fiaker ranks are near the Imperial Palace, the State Opera and beside St. Stephen Cathedral. The well-kept vehicles and their picturesque drivers add an attractive bit of color to the Vienna street scene.
The fiaker cabs have a long history, which is recorded in the Fiakerhaus, a building that has belonged to the profession for a century. It now houses the fiaker museum and is located at Veronikagasse 12 in the 18th district.
The fiaker cabby has long been a respected person. In the museum, for instance, there is an oil painting showing the famous Aschenbrunner driving Czar Nicholas I of Russia through the gates of the Ballhausplatz in a fiaker.
The name fiaker actually comes from Paris, where cabs for hire were lined up outside the Auberge Saint Fiacre, an inn whose portal was decorated with a painting of the Irish monk, St. Fiacrius.
The system of putting cabs for hire was introduced there in the 17th century by Nicole Sauvage, and before long, cabs were plying for trade in cities all over the Continent. Elsewhere, other names were developed for cabs, but in Vienna they have always been called fiaker.
The first Viennese fiaker license was issued in 1693 during the reign of Leopold I. It specifically forbade cabbies to undertake journeys of more than four miles out of the city. Not until 1822 was this strange restriction lifted, but even then, no traveler could hire a cab without presenting proof of identity. There were other rules too. For instance, no passenger was permitted to carry a torch or lamp through a town or forest unless it was extinguished.
Every applicant for a fiaker license had to show that he had been in the transport trade for several years and that he knew how to drive. He also had to own a reasonable amount of property and be of good character. At the same time, he was not permitted to be associated with any other form of commerce, and he was exempted from military service. Clearly, driving a cab was considered a position of great responsibility and importance. Widows of cabbies were permitted to carry on their late husbands?business, to which they could take full title.
If a cab owner refused to accept a fare, he was liable to 48 hours behind bars. An employee was punished ten lashes with a birch branch. Smoking during a journey was forbidden. Overcharging was punishable by confiscation of the fee plus a 5-guilder fine or by 24 hours in jail for a cab owner - or a birch whipping of an employee.
Until the introduction of fiaker cabs in Vienna, the normal way of carrying Viennese who did not own a carriage was by sedan chair. The traditional cry of ” Trag ma Euer Gnaden? ” ( ” May I carry you, Sir “) is still the fiaker driver抯 announcement of the availability of his cab.
Since a ride by a fiaker was anything but cheap, it was seldom used by ordinary Viennese. Realizing this, an enterprising citizen named Zeisel put covered coaches with benches for 20 people into service. Three coaches were inevitably nicknamed ” Zeiserlwagen ” and represented the first attempt to provide a means of mass transport for the public. Eventually, these were replaced by horse-drawn and then electric streetcars.
Today, a traditional use of the fiaker by the Viennese is at Confirmation, when youngsters are brought from St. Stephen抯 to the Prater amusement park by horse-drawn cabs. They are frequently used to transport wedding parties.
A fiaker ride is almost obligatory for the visitor to Vienna. Each cabby is well-versed in local history and is always delighted to tell visitors stories of the buildings they pass on their horse-drawn tour of his beloved city.
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
How to buy driving harness for horse carriage
Safety is of the utmost importance; a harness should be in good condition and fit your animal. A breast collar rather than full collar and harness is easier to fit and more suitable for recreational driving. Buy a harness with a breeching (this acts as brakes when going downhill) and use it. Look for leather that is supple, has no cracks, and is not worn out at stress points. Straps should be solid and stitched not stapled. Racing and fine show harnesses are not suitable or strong enough for the vehicles and terrain you are going to use. Most harness hardware is brass, which requires polishing, but chrome is also available and easier to maintain. Inspect buckles and other hardware on used harness to make sure it is serviceable. Get a bit that will keep your horse under control; horse carriage runaways can be a lot more disastrous than riding runaways.
One of the most popular driving bits is called aLiverpool; it can be set to be quite gentle or severe enough to discourage a runaway horse. Use reins that are of a size appropriate for the size of your hands. Women often need narrower reins in order to have more comfortable control over the animal. While most harnesses are made of leather, some modern harnesses are made out of plastic and/or nylon. Purists may frown on these but they are a worthwhile option. They are light and require little maintenance other than a good rinsing after use. The fact that they will not break can be an advantage or a disadvantage in a difficult situation. Harnesses can be purchased from the same sources as vehicles, and again, expert advice could save you troubles and money. You should also invest a few dollars in a driving whip. Always drive with a whip in your hand; it takes the place of your legs. A driving whip should have a lash long enough to reach the shoulder of the animal.
Do you want to know how to build a horse carriage ? Most people want to know that . In fact ,Most farm build their own horse carriage or Horse buggy ago.But now we could find more nanufacturer make the carriage by bulk quantity .
First you need is basic knowledge. Here is the best advice:
Buying a horse carriage is a great addition to any farm or horse carriage lover. A horse carriage can offer hours of fun and relaxation. It can also provide an added source of income when hired out for events like weddings and parties ,other events. Competitions for horse carriage also give drivers a chance to show off their skills and horsemanship.
First :
Decide what your horse carriage will be used for. There are different carriages for racing, dressage competitions and for simple additions to your horses.
Second:
Look for used horse carriages from quality vendors. This can be done on the Internet as well as through auctions.You could our horse carriage: http://www.horse-carriages.net
Third:
Purchase a horse from a breeder or horse farm that is trained for pulling a carriage. These horses can range in price from a few hundred dollars for an older horse to over $20,000 for a thoroughbred competition horse.
Next 4th :
Buy a pony for carriage pulling instead of a full size horse depending on the kind ofhorse carriage riding you want to do.
Next 5th:
Look for horse carriages that are the right size for your horse or pony. New pony and horse carriages can cost one to two thousand dollars or more, so consider buying used.
Next 6th:
Add the appropriate tack for the horse carriage you purchase. You will need driving bits, a harness for work or show and a driving whip.
The last :
Consider transportation for your horse carriage. To get your horse carriage to special events, races and fairs, you’ll need a trailer.
The Driver/Groom/Navigator Check For:
1. Whip
2. Gloves
3. Apron
3. Helmet(s) if required. (Strongly recommended)
4. Proper Attire: Standing navigators need to wear appropriately grippy shoes (rubber soles are better than leather most of the time).
5. Control (Do you feel your horse/pony is sufficiently trained for the competition?)
horse carriage competition Vehicle Check For
1. Wheels: (Are they solid with all hub bolts present?)
2. King bolts and singletree bolts (Should be in good condition)
3. Shafts/pole/singletree: (Should be in good condition?
4. Shaft couplings/pole housings: (Should be secure)
5. Brakes: (If applicable, Are they working properly? Have you checked the brake fluid?
6. Bolts (Should be tight, check for missing bolts)
7. Harness: (Check for any unattached harness or improper hitching)
8. Balance: (Is carriage balanced correctly?
9. Shafts: (Are shafts proper length)
10. Distance between horse and carriage.
11. Slow Moving Vehicle Sign (If required, is it securely attached to the vehicle?)
12. Required Spares at the Training and Preliminary Levels
a. Trace or splice
b. Rein or splice
c. Hole punch if using splices
d. Spare whiffle tree if pair and carriage has no roller bolts
For Teams:
a. Lead rein or wheel rein
b. Lead trace or wheel trace
c. Lead bar or main bar