Horse Carts
A cart is a vehicle or device, using two wheels and normally one horse, designed for transport. A dray or wagon is a heavy transport vehicle with four wheels and normally at least two horses. Other animals such as oxen, zebu cattle or donkeys are sometimes used instead of a horse. A handcart is pulled or pushed by a person.
Carts have been mentioned in literature as far back as the second millennium B.C. The Indian sacred book Rigveda states that men and women are as equal as two wheels of a cart. Hand-carts pushed by humans have been used around the world. In the 19th century, for instance, some Mormons travelling across the plains of the United States between 1856 and 1860 used handcarts.
Carts were often used for judicial punishments, both to transport the condemned - a public humiliation in itself (in Ancient Rome defeated leaders were often carried in the victorious general's triumph) - and even, in England until its substitution by the whipping post under Queen Elizabeth I, to tie the condemned to the cart-tail and administer him or her a public whipping.
Larger carts may be drawn by animals, such as horses, mules, or oxen. They have been in continuous use since the invention of the wheel, in the 5th millennium BC. Carts may be named for the animal that pulls them, such as horsecarts or oxcarts. In modern times, horsecarts are used in competition while draft horse showing. A dogcart, however, is usually a cart designed to carry hunting dogs: an open cart with two cross-seats back to back; the dogs could be penned between the rear-facing seat and the back end.
An animal-drawn cart can bear the archaic name of wain (from the Old English and German root-word for wagon), for example a haywain, and the builders of such vehicles became known as "cartwrights" or "wainwrights". These terms survive as surnames of families descended from those practising these trades; also note the surname "Carter".
Carts have been mentioned in literature as far back as the second millennium B.C. The Indian sacred book Rigveda states that men and women are as equal as two wheels of a cart. Hand-carts pushed by humans have been used around the world. In the 19th century, for instance, some Mormons travelling across the plains of the United States between 1856 and 1860 used handcarts.
Carts were often used for judicial punishments, both to transport the condemned - a public humiliation in itself (in Ancient Rome defeated leaders were often carried in the victorious general's triumph) - and even, in England until its substitution by the whipping post under Queen Elizabeth I, to tie the condemned to the cart-tail and administer him or her a public whipping.
Larger carts may be drawn by animals, such as horses, mules, or oxen. They have been in continuous use since the invention of the wheel, in the 5th millennium BC. Carts may be named for the animal that pulls them, such as horsecarts or oxcarts. In modern times, horsecarts are used in competition while draft horse showing. A dogcart, however, is usually a cart designed to carry hunting dogs: an open cart with two cross-seats back to back; the dogs could be penned between the rear-facing seat and the back end.
An animal-drawn cart can bear the archaic name of wain (from the Old English and German root-word for wagon), for example a haywain, and the builders of such vehicles became known as "cartwrights" or "wainwrights". These terms survive as surnames of families descended from those practising these trades; also note the surname "Carter".
Horse Cart Safety: Driving Do's and Don't's
By: Ann Varley
The driver must always be first in/last out of the vehicle. NEVER drive from the ground - if your horse misbehaves, he can easily get loose with the vehicle and run out of control. Get into the carriage at once.
Check regularly that your vehicle and harness are safe.
Event drivers use crash hats, back protectors and suitable footwear for everyone on their marathon carriage. You should do the same when you are working at home as well as when you go out on the road. For any competition involving speed through hazards, hard hats are mandatory for driver and grooms and any passengers.
Don't drive too fast. Concentrate first on your own turnout - but be aware of others at all times.
Drive correctly - coachman style if possible and with the whip in your hand.
Keep to the left on the roads unless the road is very narrow, when being in the centre may prevent impatient motorists trying to overtake when it is not safe.
Make cycling hand signals, which other road users can understand, to show what you intend to do (see the Highway Code). Whip signals should only be used in convoys where all drivers understand the conventions.
At events of any kind, whether National or local, be courteous to helpers - both your own and those of the organisation. Bad language and unsportsmanlike behaviour are inexcusable at any time. Secretaries are empowered to ask offenders to leave the field or refuse future entries to competitions.
Try always to give a good impression of our sport. Thank people who make your life easier when you are driving - walkers who stand back off the road, motorists who slow down, cyclists who dismount, bikers who turn off engines and headlamps. A smile goes a long way, costs nothing and does you good!
Do not permit a horse to get into bad habits through your own laziness or thoughtlessness. Ask for skilled help with problems before they become too much for you to cope with, particularly if they always happen when you are away from home.
Do not attempt disciplines which are new to you and/or difficult without skilled advice and training, both for the horse and for you. The Driving Club is your first resource - ask us for advice and to be directed to suitable teachers.
Check regularly that your vehicle and harness are safe.
Event drivers use crash hats, back protectors and suitable footwear for everyone on their marathon carriage. You should do the same when you are working at home as well as when you go out on the road. For any competition involving speed through hazards, hard hats are mandatory for driver and grooms and any passengers.
Don't drive too fast. Concentrate first on your own turnout - but be aware of others at all times.
Drive correctly - coachman style if possible and with the whip in your hand.
Keep to the left on the roads unless the road is very narrow, when being in the centre may prevent impatient motorists trying to overtake when it is not safe.
Make cycling hand signals, which other road users can understand, to show what you intend to do (see the Highway Code). Whip signals should only be used in convoys where all drivers understand the conventions.
At events of any kind, whether National or local, be courteous to helpers - both your own and those of the organisation. Bad language and unsportsmanlike behaviour are inexcusable at any time. Secretaries are empowered to ask offenders to leave the field or refuse future entries to competitions.
Try always to give a good impression of our sport. Thank people who make your life easier when you are driving - walkers who stand back off the road, motorists who slow down, cyclists who dismount, bikers who turn off engines and headlamps. A smile goes a long way, costs nothing and does you good!
Do not permit a horse to get into bad habits through your own laziness or thoughtlessness. Ask for skilled help with problems before they become too much for you to cope with, particularly if they always happen when you are away from home.
Do not attempt disciplines which are new to you and/or difficult without skilled advice and training, both for the horse and for you. The Driving Club is your first resource - ask us for advice and to be directed to suitable teachers.
Article Source: http://www.northwest.f9.co.uk/safety.htm#do,dont
About the Source: The North West Driving Club exists to foster good horsemanship and friendship amongst all drivers of harnessed horses and ponies in the North West of the UK.
We have always had a large membership which contains the whole range of driving interests, from those much-appreciated helpers who sit all day at hazards or at obscure gates on a cross country course, to the pleasure drivers, the novice competitors in shows and competitions, the seasoned drivers, and the national and international competitors.
About the Source: The North West Driving Club exists to foster good horsemanship and friendship amongst all drivers of harnessed horses and ponies in the North West of the UK.
We have always had a large membership which contains the whole range of driving interests, from those much-appreciated helpers who sit all day at hazards or at obscure gates on a cross country course, to the pleasure drivers, the novice competitors in shows and competitions, the seasoned drivers, and the national and international competitors.
Wisconsin Public Transportation: Horse Carts to Electric Railways
Only the largest of Wisconsin's cities could afford a public transportation system. Before the automobile, city life was largely pedestrian, but in major urban centers streetcars provided the necessary mobility until their replacement by buses following World War II.
George Walker started Milwaukee's first public transportation system in 1859, when he established a horse drawn street railway that served a limited number of neighborhoods. Soon other promoters opened routes expanding the transportation grid. Through a number of mergers and business charters, railroad tycoon Henry Villard formed the Milwaukee Street Railway Company in 1890. In 1896 this company consolidated as the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (TMER&L). Emerging at the same time was the Milwaukee Light, Heat and Traction Company (MLH&T), which provided services outside of the city. Together these two companies provided a rail system that had 232 miles of track by 1909.
Streetcars were an essential feature of suburban living, allowing people to live well away from the city in planned communities such as Washington Highlands in Wauwatosa, which was placed at the terminus of a street car line. Milwaukee's interurban railway network ultimately stretched south to Kenosha, west to Watertown and north to Sheboygan. The Public Service Building in downtown Milwaukee served as the interurban hub and central office. Interurban service in Milwaukee continued into the 1950s despite cuts due to the increase in automobile use.
Madison began the electrification of its lines in 1889, slowly replacing its earlier system of slow, mule pulled cars. The western line of 1892 and its extension in 1897 opened over 1800 acres for additional housing, resulting in the development of the Wingra Park, West Lawn, and University Heights neighborhoods. Another rail line extended east, servicing new neighborhoods along Winnebago Street and Fair Oaks Avenue. The present day shopping areas on Monroe Street near Camp Randall, and Schenk's Corners at the end of Williamson Street were both developed at the terminus of street car lines. No new lines were added after 1919, when it was realized that newly platted areas could not provide the density or absorb the construction cost. After an ice storm in 1935 damaged many of the overhead lines, buses were substituted for the streetcars. These substitutions became permanent replacements.
Other cities in Wisconsin with street railway systems included Appleton, Ashland, Beloit, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, La Crosse, Manitowoc, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Superior, and Wausau. In the majority of cases, these cities established rail service in the 1880s and 1890s; most streetcar service was discontinued about 1930.
George Walker started Milwaukee's first public transportation system in 1859, when he established a horse drawn street railway that served a limited number of neighborhoods. Soon other promoters opened routes expanding the transportation grid. Through a number of mergers and business charters, railroad tycoon Henry Villard formed the Milwaukee Street Railway Company in 1890. In 1896 this company consolidated as the Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company (TMER&L). Emerging at the same time was the Milwaukee Light, Heat and Traction Company (MLH&T), which provided services outside of the city. Together these two companies provided a rail system that had 232 miles of track by 1909.
Streetcars were an essential feature of suburban living, allowing people to live well away from the city in planned communities such as Washington Highlands in Wauwatosa, which was placed at the terminus of a street car line. Milwaukee's interurban railway network ultimately stretched south to Kenosha, west to Watertown and north to Sheboygan. The Public Service Building in downtown Milwaukee served as the interurban hub and central office. Interurban service in Milwaukee continued into the 1950s despite cuts due to the increase in automobile use.
Madison began the electrification of its lines in 1889, slowly replacing its earlier system of slow, mule pulled cars. The western line of 1892 and its extension in 1897 opened over 1800 acres for additional housing, resulting in the development of the Wingra Park, West Lawn, and University Heights neighborhoods. Another rail line extended east, servicing new neighborhoods along Winnebago Street and Fair Oaks Avenue. The present day shopping areas on Monroe Street near Camp Randall, and Schenk's Corners at the end of Williamson Street were both developed at the terminus of street car lines. No new lines were added after 1919, when it was realized that newly platted areas could not provide the density or absorb the construction cost. After an ice storm in 1935 damaged many of the overhead lines, buses were substituted for the streetcars. These substitutions became permanent replacements.
Other cities in Wisconsin with street railway systems included Appleton, Ashland, Beloit, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Janesville, La Crosse, Manitowoc, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Superior, and Wausau. In the majority of cases, these cities established rail service in the 1880s and 1890s; most streetcar service was discontinued about 1930.
Source: Wisconsin Historical Society 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706-1417 http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/ archstories/suburbs/ publictransportation.asp
