Horse-Drawn Vehicles

Photograph of two men in a horse-drawn carriage in Indiana in 1910. Courtesy of: Indiana Memory

Black and white photograph of a logging railway with a wagon holding a log being pulled by 8 horses in California circa 1902. Courtesy of: The University of Southern California Library.

The late 17th to the early 20th century has been called by many historians the "Carriage Era." In the beginning horse-drawn vehicles were less common as they were expensive, hard to mantain, and road conditions made it difficult as well as uncomfortable to ride in a carriage or wagon. Indutrialization though improved the production and design of horse-drawn vehicles resulting in a variety of models and styles.

Some types of horse-drawn vehicles were:

Open or closed private carriages driven by professional drivers
Road wagons
Buggies
Pony carts
Horse omnibuses
Horse railway Cars
Stage coaches
Hansom cabs

Horse-drawn vehicles stood the test of time regardless of other inventions in transportation because they served a variety of uses, whether for basic transportation, recreation, or for labor.