Riding horses that are in harness

[jen judkins]

I was watching a movie a week or so ago….a period piece, not sure what. Anyway, there was a carriage drawn by four horses, and each time I saw this carriage, there was a groomsman riding one of the front horses.

Does anyone know why? I’m simply curious. Thanks.

[Lane Linnenkohl]

History… that was the way it was done in the 18th century and earlier. They would ride the lead horse, and the rest of the team would follow along. I have many 18th century period images that illustrate this.

In fact, early freighters, horse drawn freight wagons, would drive a team of 4 or 6 horses with just one line to the near lead horse and would ride the near wheel horse, or sit on the lazy board, a board that slid out to the left of the wagon, in front of the rear wheel.

[Ronnie Tucker]

when i work four mules to the log cart i ride the near wheeler and drive the lead team with one line ronnie tucker tn logger

[jen judkins]

@drybranchfarm 6476 wrote:

In fact, early freighters, horse drawn freight wagons, would drive a team of 4 or 6 horses with just one line to the near lead horse and would ride the near wheel horse, or sit on the lazy board, a board that slid out to the left of the wagon, in front of the rear wheel.

I don’t understand this description (though I appreciate it nonetheless). Might as well get all my questions about multiple hitches answered.

Which is the near horse? the wheel horse? I always thought the wheel horses were closest to the carriage. But that doesn’t coincide with what I saw in the film.

Pressing on…how do you decide how to put horses in a big hitch? Are there horse characteristics that make a team better in front or close to the cart? Do you put the bravest horses in the lead, stongest near the rig? Just guessing here…

[Plowboy]

The wheel team is closest to the implement or wagon. To put horses in a big hitch the faster more upheaded go up in the lead to keep everything tight. If they are slow the wheel team may walk up on them. You would want stout wheelers to hold back a heavy load because the wheel team is all you have to hold back. There is a fair amount of linesmanship involved in tandem driving. For plowing we use the Pioneer rope and pulley hitch you have to hold the wheelers in and let the leaders out to keep the neckyoke in place and keep everyone working evenly. It is a game of give and take and the only way to learn is to hold those lines in your hands. My Dad and I are self taught driving 4up on a wagon after milking one summer. I would get home from work and harness 4 horses so we could play when he got done for an hr. Someone told us if one person drives the leaders and the other drives the wheelers it is a good way to learn. The first night we tried it and it was a disaster the horses dogtracked terrible. After the second trip around the field
I asked for the second set of lines and drove all four a while and then handed them over to my Dad. We weren’t great at it but we got better each time we went out. At present he’s not as comfortable driving tandems in front of people as I am but he’s certainly capable. We were going to try for a 12 horse this spring but I think some of the horses we were going to use are going to be sold the month before. I have never driven 3 seperate teams as in 2-2-2 or 3-3-3 or 4-4-4 only 2-2 or 3-3 or 4-4. I’m sure if we make it happen it will be a learning experience to handle that extra set of lines and get the feel of it but if I set myself on it I’m confident I could get it done with the local teamster network we have locally and the guy that did it near her 20 yrs ago as a co-pilot. Jen I get the sneeking suspicion you have big hitch driving in your future??
As far as riding one of the horses the freight teams used to ride a wheel horse and drive with a jerk line to a leader. One jerk meant one direction and two meant the other. I can’t remember which. A gentleman named Lapp a belgian man used to do a six up this way for exhibitions until just before he passed away. I’m sure that to drive this way you would also depend largely on voice commands to bring them around where you want them.

[near horse]

Jen, i am the near horse :o.

Near or nigh means on the left as you’re looking at their rearends. “Off” is opposite of “near”. As I recall the names came from the same period as “mounting on the left side of the horse” did.

Single rein driving is diagrammed in Steve Bowers book. Lots of good stuff in there.

As far as old carriages in film go, the best has to be the Hansom Cab seen in Sherlock Holmes and such w/ the driver in a seat up at the back edge of the cab. Very cool. No riding of the horses though.

[jen judkins]

OK, you guys are awesome! I’m getting a picture!

But in the movie the rider was on the nigh lead horse, not the wheel horse (he was not doing any driving)….perhaps this is an error on the part of the film maker?

Plowboy…I seem to be accumulating miniature horses..probably a curse that befell me when I proclaimed to Carl that minis were under represented at NEAPFD last year. In any case, yes, I am thinking of a 4 up hitch. Its kind of cheating, I know, but would be good practice for the big boys:p

[jen judkins]

@Ronnie Tucker 6478 wrote:

when i work four mules to the log cart i ride the near wheeler and drive the lead team with one line ronnie tucker tn logger

So Ronnie, I am assuming (I hope correctly) that there is no one else on the cart….just you on the near wheeler? Why do you do it this way?

See I like that concept. I would much rather be on one of their backs than in the cart. Why is this better? Or is it just a preference?

[Plowboy]

Jen we have a good friend that shows and we crew for him at his hometown fair in Fonda N.Y. He shows a 6up of Percherons and partners with his buddy for a 6up of Haflingers and then he shows 6up of minis. We have 18 horses harnessed hitched and standing quietly all at one time. He comes thundering back to the barn, the headers grab the horses and he goes and jumps on the next wagon. It takes coordination and communication to pull it all off. We joke with him because he seems to have the most fun with the minis even though he’s a Percheron man. This year he was showing off with the minis and the judge went to walk across the ring. He called out to him,”stay where you are”. He went over and spun circles around the judge with 6 minis like he was circling the wagons. He has the best team of minis I’ve ever seen for leaders they spin up dirt pulling if the swing team can’t keep up. Good luck with your venture. If you want to see it in person he will be at Fonda fair on Labor day and we will be there helping. Good luck with your 4 up but you better not ride any of those, your feet will drag and slow them down.

[jen judkins]

@Plowboy 6488 wrote:

Good luck with your 4 up but you better not ride any of those, your feet will drag and slow them down.

duh!!!:D:p:D

[sanhestar]

Hi,

it’s not only history, it’s safety, also. And it’s still done. If you find footage of the Queens birthday parades, you will see that some carriages still have the additional rider

http://unterhaltung.t-online.de/t.gif

In German the near horse is also called “saddle horse” because it was the horse the rider would sit on.

Carriages/transportation without a seat for the driver would also ask for riding one horse.

[Plowboy]

Jen if you Pm me your email I can send you a bunch of working mini photos. Hauling corn and even plowing with a plow beam from an old gravely walk behind garden tractor mounted on a little forecart. I still haven’t figured out how to post pictures on the photo page. We can’t seem to shrink them enough. I posted some last week but my space for that particular option is used up. I might have to use a photo page again and just post the link.

[Ronnie Tucker]

no one is on the log cart you use a saddle on the near wheel mule the off wheel mules hitch rein is tied to the mule i am riding if the saddle mule needs any attention i use the bridle rein now to the lead team i have 1 line to the lead mule which is the one on the left if you use this method instead of check lines you have your right hand to use on the wheel team or to work the brake rope if you are using a wagon i have drove four mules with lines on all of them but never in the woods and not by choice i normally carry a whip on my shoulder it is mainly used as encouragemrnt if need be i once drove 14 with one line we were just p[laying we were going to try twenty but my freind jack strode did not make it with with his 3 teams so i drove 14 if you break your mules like they should be driving with one line is not that hard and by the way you can break a horse this way as well ronnie tucker tn logger

[Lane Linnenkohl]

As stated, the early American freighters (i.e. conestoga wagoners) would ride the wheel horse and drive with the jerk line. Horses would be tied in with jockey sticks and sometimes buckbacks. The lead horse would be the one selected for the near lead, the one driven with the jerk line. Horse nature and training would be that the rest of the team would follow the leader. Also as stated, the stoutest were typically selected for the wheel team. I posted a phot of what this looks like. The man on the horse is driving with the jerkline. The man on the wagon is an assistant and is sitting on the lazy board working the brake. Not all had assistants, so the wagoner would often ride on the lazy board and both drive and work the brake if in hilly terrain.

Here’s a bit of history, the consetoga freighters would always drive from the left side of the team or wagon. Easiest for the teamster to see if he passed oncoming horse traffic on the right. Thus, the American custom of driving on the right hand side of the road originated with the conestoga freighters.

The custom of riding a horse in the lead team seems to be more specific for carriges and similar vehicles, and from what I can tell, was more common in Europe. That custom didn’t seem to take hold in America, or it died out rather early.

[CharlyBonifaz]

what’s the rectangular beams (?) atop the withers?
elke

[Author]

Posts