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OK, I admit, I'm a city boy (So. Central L.A.) and know nothing about horses other than they are big. I am asking this question here because I figger there are some horsemen here and I don't dare ask it on any other forum;
I see a lot of Cowboy TV shows and movies and I see a stage coach or wagon being pulled by 2, 4, or 6 horses. I know the stage coaches are made of wood and may be heavy, but how does one determine how many horses are needed to pull a stage coach or wagon?
Mike
Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit...
I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...
Distance, weight, but mostly terrain. Flat terrain you can have fewer horses. When it becomes steep you need more to pull the wagon up. Not uncommon for passengers to get out and walk up some grades. Some passengers have been known to push at times.
Amazing what one can learn watching PBS. Oh and having a cousin that knows all things horse related.
Jeepnik AKA "Old Eyes"
"Go low, go slow and preferably in the dark" The old Sarge (he was maybe 24.
"Freedom is never more that a generation from extinction" Ronald Reagan
"Every man should have at least one good rifle and know how to use it" Dad
Draft animals are a science and skill and art unto itself...literally horse, mule or oxen power. You can ride a draft animal...but it's hard to pull a riding horse.
The various horse breeds have a lot to do with how many are used. Riding horses such as thoroughbreds are not bred for pulling power. Quarter horses(no I do not know what the other 3/4th is) are not great for the long distance runs or the pulling power, but they are able to turn on a dime and give you change while working long hours on little food. Appaloosa are bred to pull the teepee when broken down into a travois, and hunt long distances, and carry the warrior into battle as an instrument of war. Sort of the SUV of horses. Draft horses were bred to pull heavy loads, and often used to carry a knight into battle like a tank. Many breeds of horses, and many purposes. Morgan horses were a smaller horse for pulling a plow rather than a huge wagon, but they excelled at being used in teams for pulling stagecoaches.
You know if someone can truly ride if they can saddle and bridle their own horse.
D. Brian Casady
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Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
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jeepnik wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2017 3:15 pm
Distance, weight, but mostly terrain. Flat terrain you can have fewer horses. When it becomes steep you need more to pull the wagon up. Not uncommon for passengers to get out and walk up some grades. Some passengers have been known to push at times.
Amazing what one can learn watching PBS. Oh and having a cousin that knows all things horse related.
