
Witness the very famous Budweiser Clydesdales. Dray Horsesīeer has long since ceased to be transported on drays pulled by heavy horses but some breweries still use Shires and other breeds for promotional purposes. The RDA has been supporting carriage driving since 1975. Bennington Carriages have worked with the RDA for a long time producing vehicles specifically tailored to the needs of the disabled driver or passenger. Some of their carriages are bespoke to user needs and will accommodate a wheelchair.

It is sometimes a well-kept secret that the Riding for the Disabled, RDA, also offers carriage driving sessions to mentally and physically impaired people who may not be able to ride or who may derive more benefit from driving.

Sometimes, driving yards will run a business offering horse-drawn vehicles for these key events. Horse-drawn landaus or other traps are also popular for weddings. There has been a growing demand for horse-drawn hearses usually featuring a pair of smart black Friesians with purple plumes on their heads. Because horses are such a crucial part of man’s history and evolution, a programme or film does not have to be set very far back in time to require the assistance of professional carriage driving teams for period input. If the plethora of costume dramas on television and film are anything to go by, then a driving yard that can supply authentic horses and period carriages will never be out of work. It is certainly popular amongst those who have hung up their riding boots due to age or injury but, nevertheless, driving is most definitely not the exclusive domain of the middle-aged and older. Just as with riding, there is a hard core of leisure drivers who just drive because they love it. In the same way that some ladies choose to ride side-saddle, driving is a pursuit which has ardent enthusiasts and has never really fallen out of favour. But with the mechanisation of agriculture and the arrival of the motor car during the twentieth century, is the driving horse now firmly rooted in the past?ĭriving is alive and well, thriving in leisure, business, remedial and competitive areas.


Man has been driving horses since the Romans harnessed them to chariots and, even earlier.
