A History of Carriage Animal Breeds and Why They Come to Pull Carriages

You may have noticed that many of the carriage horses are a similar breed. The animals that pull carriages have a long history of working alongside humans, and pulling carriages allows them to be able to continue that in our modern society, where technological innovations mean that horses are no longer needed for heavy farm labor. Let’s take a look at what kinds of animals pull carriages and where they come from.

Charleston’s carriage community uses a few different kinds of equines, including Belgian draft horses, Percheron draft horses, and mules. Belgian and Percheron draft horses were first introduced in the United States in the mid-19th century, when they were predominantly used for pulling ploughs and heavy farm work. Mules have been in North America since the 1490s but were popularized for farm work starting with George Washington in the late 1700s. 

Draft horses and mules have been used for centuries to assist with heavy labor, such as farm work or logging.

Since technological developments and the rise of commercial agriculture have diminished the need for working animals on farms, these horses are mostly found on Amish farms today. Like American farmers of the 19th century and European farmers before them, Amish farmers still use these horses to pull ploughs and heavy machinery that is often 5-6 times the horse’s body weight. Because of the demands of this physical labor and the expense of maintaining horses, farmers will typically retire the horses when they are still young. At this point, the horses can still work for many years, which is when they come to pull carriages! 

While 5-6 times the horse’s body weight sounds like a lot, these breeds of workhorses have worked with humans to do this kind of heavy pulling for hundreds of years. Consequently, they have evolved into athletes that must maintain high levels of physical exercise in order to stay healthy. Carriage tours do not require the same level of exertion from the animals that farm work does; a fully-loaded carriage is only about 2-3 times the horse’s bodyweight. Although it is less physically demanding work, carriage tours provide these animals with a “second career,” as it’s come to be called, that can keep them healthy for years to come.