why do we dress as we do in driving?

[Cartfall]

Okay, I had someone ask me a question about why we dress the way we do in driving–the brown gloves, the hat (when we don;t wear hats today) jackets, apron etc for pleasure driving.

Of course I understand that we have a “tradition” but just exactly what is that tradition?

I was told once we are not wearing costumes. I know the apron goes back to a need for covering one’s good clothes from the mud and dirt of the road.

I am doing a driving demonstratin at a local horse function that is fund raiser for a local VFW home. ONe of the things they ask me to explain in my script was why we dress the way we do. I am at a loss.

Help as I have to submit a script tomorrow!!!

[2tempe]

As I think back on my driving days, and how I dressed for a show, the idea was to be dressed neatly and in clothing consistent with the style of your vehicle. So with a natural wood, country type vehicle, you could wear less formal clothes. With a fancy gig (for driving around town, you would wear a dressier clothes. The hats are to protect from sun, wind, etc. Gloves because they protect your hands. Those driving the 4 in hands had big fancy coaches, thus top hats, and formal coachman’s type clothing for the “staff”.

Read the following:http://www.rideanddrive.co.uk/access/pages/wear.htm

[goodhors]

Along with the above reply, I think of dressing up a bit like going to visit friends as a “social call”. You are showing they are worth your taking time, making an effort, to dress nicely. A bit old-fashioned, like we did when I was a kid or now, when going to church, showing respect for those you visit or show under.

The other parts are practical. Gloves to protect your soft hands working the reins, brown so you don’t get black hands if you sweat or get the gloves wet. Apron protects your nicer clothing from rein oil/conditioner. Hat is to keep your hair covered from dust, protected to stay nice looking. Ladies NEVER remove their hats when driving, visiting or out of the house!! Hat was part of their “fashion statement” in dressing up. Hat also prevents your delicate complexion from tanning or burning. In the past years, a LADY was known for her white skin, which was very fashionable. Tans were “common” meaning undesireable, worn by people forced to work outside like the hired help. There were no sun screen protection lotions, sunglasses, so everyone wore hats to prevent burns, shade their eyes on bright days.

The clothing would vary in the past, since it needed to be suitable to the wearer’s final destination as well as the vehicle they drive. So a bit fancier if going to visit other ladies socially, to Church, or attending a dance. Would be plainer if going on a family picnic or to clean the church with the Altar Society!

So modern clothing used in driving shows, would be similarly nice for a social visit, or attending Church. Dressing nicely is showing respect in the care taken, when you “dressed up” to compete or visit with people.

Traditional, means the social rules used in the past for our behaviour, standards of clothing needed in an activity. Might be hard on kids because we so seldom think Traditionally any more. Most social activities are very casual, jeans and polo shirts acceptable almost any place! Weddings are still done “by the book” in many instances. So Traditional is a set of rules to work within regarding clothing for all the Wedding participants, guests, activities in the Ceremony and Reception. Traditional can be comforting, you KNOW you are doing it right, using the list of “rules”!! The social rules were written by the rich, “back then” and covered almost everything they did. The rigid rules might be somewhat odd to us now, in all the great detail of being perfectly attired for a situation. However it is what was done THEN, when folks actually USED horses and carriages in their daily lives, so it is the base we work from to design our present appearances in the ring.

We are fashionable now in the modern sense, using present day clothing along with traditional accessories like hats, gloves and laprobes or aprons for their original purposes of protection. No one wears dusters, heavy veiling when traveling, like you see in photos from the early 1900’s. Not being modern, they would appear as costumes now. Fashion has changed since then, with those items not needed anymore.

[elysian_fields_farm1]

I was wondering about what to wear while driving, too. I’m very new at it and only drive around town-- I do not show.

I was wondering about the apron I see mentioned in my books about driving (most of which assume that you are driving at a show). One of the books said that since the lines are always russet or brown leather, the gloves should be brown to match.

Where do you get these “aprons”? Do you have to wear one when you are actually just driving around town running errands? Can you substitute a light throw instead- to protect yourself from any possible road dust? What about wearing a “duster” like people did in the early open automobiles?

I have several hats, but they are practical for keeping the sun off my face and out of my eyes. I usually just wear jeans and a shirt. I guess I would dress in “church clothes” if I were to drive to church on Sunday, which I am considering doing in a couple of weeks for Easter (if it is a clear day).

I keep a full length poncho on board in case of any sudden rain, because even with the top up, I imagine that you would get wet in a buggy during a rain.

[Thomas_1]

![](f you’re not showing then you wear what is practical and comfortable for whatever it is you are doing.

When I drive out for pleasure I don’t wear an apron and not even gloves either. (I said in another post I don’t really like gloves as I like to feel the reins in my hand)

But I’d never dream of doing anything formal or proper or even just going where other drivers might see (and judge) me not properly attired.

So for pleasure driving I wear slacks (and often even just jeans) and a shirt or top appropriate to the weather. I always wear my steel toe capped market boots for driving and a hard hat. I do change the hard hat for a top hat or bowler hat for formal commercial work or competition.

When I do go formal I am a bit of a stickler for tradition and in fact most of my driving livery (coats, jackets, hats, whips, aprons, even 3 pairs of gloves!) is original and from mid 19th century.

I’d never ever wear other than brown gloves.

I have made quite a few aprons and they’re very easy to make. I have also got some bought ones and again they’re not too difficult to buy new ones from driving suppliers… well not difficult over here anyway!

And here’s a US one:

http://www.drivingessentials.com/aprons.htm

You don’t have to wear one at all but they’re very good for keeping you warm and dry and for stopping you getting your trouser legs grubby from oil in the reins. Also if you’re a lady and wearing a skirt to drive it protects your modesty!

I personally would never advise a throw for driving. For passengers maybe but not for the driver. It’s going to be darned awkward to get on and off and when you mount and dismount. You’ll run the risk of getting it tucked up and uncomfortable or of it flapping about.

Rugs are properly used for passengers when driving though. Because they can sit and tuck them in… They’re not responsible for the horse/s

I’d never recommend a poncho for rain. You need a coat with arms if you’re driving. You can’t have your arms underneath a poncho with the reins in hand.

I’ve traditional driving coats made out of box cloth wool and also modern long riding coats with caped shoulders to keep the rein from running down your arms to your hands and in both gore-tex or wax.

Same as this:

http://www.colemancroft.com/Details.cfm?ProdID=816

Here’s me just doing every day stuff:

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/flodden_edge/Driving/gilb.jpg)

and a little more “proper”

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/flodden_edge/Driving/DSCF0042-1.jpg)

[Drive_NJ]

“back in the day” isn’t really all that far back, especially depending on where you lived. The problem is we in the US have gotten SO casual about clothes that just about any attempt at more than a t-shirt and jeans looks costumy to some.

When I was young, much of what we wore to school and certainly most church clothes would be just fine in today’s show ring - well… probably not the actual style, but…

My cousins from Texas were expected to where gloves when shopping etc.

[elysian_fields_farm1]

Loved the photos with your post

[QUOTE=Thomas_1;4764591]
If you’re not showing then you wear what is practical and comfortable for whatever it is you are doing.

When I do go formal I am a bit of a stickler for tradition and in fact most of my driving livery (coats, jackets, hats, whips, aprons, even 3 pairs of gloves!) is original and from mid 19th century.

I’d never ever wear other than brown gloves.

I have made quite a few aprons and they’re very easy to make. I have also got some bought ones and again they’re not too difficult to buy new ones from driving suppliers… well not difficult over here anyway!

And here’s a US one:

http://www.drivingessentials.com/aprons.htm

You don’t have to wear one at all but they’re very good for keeping you warm and dry and for stopping you getting your trouser legs grubby from oil in the reins. Also if you’re a lady and wearing a skirt to drive it protects your modesty!

I’d never recommend a poncho for rain. You need a coat with arms if you’re driving. You can’t have your arms underneath a poncho with the reins in hand.

I’ve traditional driving coats made out of box cloth wool and also modern long riding coats with caped shoulders to keep the rein from running down your arms to your hands and in both gore-tex or wax."

Thomas_1 Thank you for your very informative and interesting reply to my question about everyday wear for driving.

I went to the site you suggested and saw that the first two “aprons” look like they are just very large triangles of fabric. Is that correct? Do you fasten the wide edge around your waist, and then let the pointed edge drape down over your legs?

If you do wear one, do you put it on after you are in the buggy, or before you get in?

I wear ankle or tea length skirts and dresses, so I don’t think modesty would be a problem, but I would like to keep dust off my lighter colored clothes.

Where you live Thomas, it is probably very cold most of the time – or at least chilly, so I can understand all the wool coats, etc.

I live in Louisiana, which is the Deep South. Right now the daytime temps have been in the mid to upper 70s F in the day and have plunged to the high 40s low 50s F at night.

In another month, our daytime temps will hover in the 80s to low 90s. Once summer is full upon us, our day temps will be in the mid to high 90s all the way through at least mid-Sept.

In other words, it is hot here-- way too hot to go around in wool.

I usually wear only linen and/or cotton from about mid-March through Sept. I have some woolen clothes, and coats that I usually wear beginning in Nov. through Feb, when it is cold enough.

The poncho I have has snaps down the side that sort of make “sleeves” but I could just as easily carry a rain suit-- though I usually don’t even consider driving if the weather looks threatening. I am definitely a “fair weather” driver.

I see that you wear a hard hat for pleasure driving. I guess I should get one of those – just in case. I have worn one for jumping, but not for regular Tennessee Walking Horse shows-- and not for just going riding around the place or on a trail ride. Even when I was child and took lessons, we never wore hard hats unless we were jumping-- but then we didn’t wear helmets to ride our bikes either-- I guess it is just a miracle that so many of us baby boomers survived childhood.:lol:

In Europe it is probably easy to find things from the mid-19th century. Here in the good not-so-old USA, I think maybe you could find a whip in an antique shop every once and awhile. I don’t think you could find wearable gloves, jackets, etc. And I doubt if I could find any antique ladies’ driving habits or riding habits.

Most ladies in the South wealthy enough to have a buggy, probably had a servant to drive it for them-- at least before the War Between the States, so a lady probably just wore whatever outfit was proper for where she was going or whom she was visiting.

I drove around town last week to run some errands – stopped at the drug store, returned some books to the library, and stopped for some ice tea at a local restaurant across from the courthouse. AND- this week a photo of me, my horse and buggy appeared in the local newspaper. That is how unusual the editor thought it was to see a buggy in town- she believed we were newsworthy.

I also had to look for “creative” ways to tie my horse. There are not any “hitching posts” around town any more. At the drug store, I tied up to the town bandstand in the lot next door. At the library, I found a handy Crape Myrtle tree, and while at Josephines, I tied up to one of the columns that support the gallery in front (at the suggestion and with permission of the manager.)

On the way home, a local attorney, who lives on my street, stopped me to let me know that I had at last earned the coveted “title” of “eccentric” since being seen around town driving a horse and buggy. Well, that is a TRUE compliment.;)Most Southerners value eccentricity.

I am glad to find out that it will be just fine for me to drive around town in my regular clothes. If just driving a buggy has earned me the title of eccentric, imagine what people would think if I went around dressed “formally” to drive? They would have to come up with something more formally eccentric to describe my behavior. :eek:

I enjoyed seeing the photos you linked to your post. What breed of horses are those? What are those red things your horses are wearing on their ears and foreheads? Are they some kind of knitted fly screen? If so, where did you get them? Are they antique too, or can new ones be bought? Flies are such a problem here for most of the year.

[hitchinmygetalong]

The driving apron photo that Thomas linked to only showed the monogram corner.

Here is a better photo of what a driving apron can look like:

http://www.smuckersharness.com/pg49.html (scroll down a bit)

It is essentially a FASTENABLE “apron” to keep your clothes clean. You put it on BEFORE you get in your vehicle. After you put it on, you take one corner of it and tuck it up under the waistband, mount your carriage, and then untuck it so it lays across your lap and legs. They come in many different fabrics including linen so you should be able to find something suitable, or you can easily make one yourself.

In Europe it is probably easy to find things from the mid-19th century. Here in the good not-so-old USA, I think maybe you could find a whip in an antique shop every once and awhile. I don’t think you could find wearable gloves, jackets, etc. And I doubt if I could find any antique ladies’ driving habits or riding habits.

You don’t need “antique” anything. There are many places you can get reproduction versions of driving wear. If you are handy with a needle and thread, I’m sure there are patterns out there. If you are just “doing your thing” then there are certainly no restrictions on what you wear. If you are charging for rides then I hope you would want to look professional and therefore have yourself tidied up. Perhaps nice slacks and boots with a neat shirt and gloves.

I don’t understand your statement about finding a whip in an antique shop. Where did you get the one you are currently using?

Helmets are a bit controversial. Thomas clearly illustrates that he uses one for training but he also clearly illustrates that they don’t fit in with a traditional turnout. It’s a dilemma for me because I don’t know if I would ever feel comfortable driving without one. It’s a personal choice and my choice is to wear one. I don’t show (yet!) and I guess I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it.

I am intrigued by what you said about tying your horse while running errands. Exactly how do you do that?

[Drive_NJ]

One way to wear a helmet and dress it up too

http://www.hideahelmet.com/

I know there was another one
thought it was English and sota remembered a name like hattrick but I cant locate it just now

[elysian_fields_farm1]

Antique whips, etc & tying my horse while in the store

[QUOTE=hitchinmygetalong;4769433]

I don’t understand your statement about finding a whip in an antique shop. Where did you get the one you are currently using?

Helmets are a bit controversial. Thomas clearly illustrates that he uses one for training but he also clearly illustrates that they don’t fit in with a traditional turnout. It’s a dilemma for me because I don’t know if I would ever feel comfortable driving without one. It’s a personal choice and my choice is to wear one. I don’t show (yet!) and I guess I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it.

I am intrigued by what you said about tying your horse while running errands. Exactly how do you do that?[/QUOTE]

In his post, Thomas said that all his whips, gloves, jackets were mid-19th century, and I was just remarking that it would probably be harder to find such things here in the USA where innovation is the word, and many of these things were probably just thrown out once they were no longer needed (after the auto became common.)

The whip I have is a “nothing special” black fiberglass and woven nylon thing with a black rubber handle that I bought at the Pioneer Equipment display in Richton, MS during last year’s Pecan Festival. I have two of these- one is 5 ft and one is 6 ft.

As for tying my horse while doing errands, Well, I just can’t leave Betty loose on the street, and the hitching posts and rings that were common here in Clinton until the early 1940s have long been taken up and discarded.

I keep a nylon halter on Betty under her driving bridle. It is blue to match the interior of the buggy. I have a matching nylon lead rope that I keep in the buggy. When I stop to go into a store, I attach the lead to her halter and tie her off with a safety knot to the nearest substantial structure I can find, or to a tree. I am very lucky in that Betty is a very well-trained work and buggy horse about 12 years old. She is a little horse, about 14.2. She has been trained to pull all sorts of farm equipment and she pulls single or double. She was also used as a “road” horse so she is used to traffic, and she responds to verbal commands as well as cues.

She was sent to auction when her first owner died and was bought from a dealer at the sale by the gentleman who later sold her to me. He farms with horses and goes on wagon rides. He hates to see horses bought for slaughter, and buys them out of pity when he can. He was going to keep her to help with training young horses to harness, but later realized that she was not as fast as the walking horses he breeds and trains to ride and drive.

She is just perfect for me, and he let her go at a very fair price. He often goes to sales in his area to “pick up” driving and farm horses the Amish and Mennonites send to auction. He operates a sort of one-man small “rescue” on the side-- his main interests are horse farming and breeding spotted saddlehorses. He often sells horses for way less than the “adoption” fees charged by some of the non-profit rescues that advertise on the Internet. I am sure that if he had not bought her from the kill buyer that already had her in his pen, she would have gone for meat.

Anyway, about tying Betty diuring errands, The drug store is located next to a paved lot that has a bandstand near the front of it. The bandstand is used during the monthly Market Day when we have live music on the main street of town. The bandstand is a substantial wooden structure with a roof held up by six sturdy posts. I tie Betty to one of the posts.

At the library on Lawyers’ Row, there are Crape Myrtles planted in front. These trees are about 40 years old and very substantial. I tie Betty to one in front of the library building. If you go to my website, you can see a photo of historic Lawyers’ Row taken during a rare snowfall December 2008. You can see the trees I’m talking about. (There is a live link in my signature at the bottom of my posts)

The six Greek Revival buildings on that block that face the courthouse square on its north side were all once occupied by law offices in the 19th century. Three are still used as offices by a local judge and several attorneys. One has become the library; one is now a dentist’s office; and one is the administrative office for our rural health care climic.

At one time, many of the essential businesses in Clinton were on the four blocks that surround the Courthouse square. In the 19th century the lawyers occupied the entire north block, while general stores, a livery stable, a blacksmith’s shop, a hotel, and factors’ offices could be found on the other three.

Later the livery stable and blacksmith’s were replaced by a gas station and auto repair shop. When I lived in Clinton during the 1970s, there was still a gas station and auto repair shop as well as the Clinton Infirmary (a privately owned small hospital) a bank, a grocery store, a TV repair shop and two of the historic general store buildings (then closed) still there. (And of course the law offices.)

Now the old Clinton Infirmary on the east side is a “boot camp” residential school for troubled boys. The bank bought and tore down three historic store buildings and occupies the entire south block. And the District Attorney’s office and probation office occupies three remodeled general or hardware stores on the west side.

The only active commercial enterprise on the whole square is Josephine’s restaurant (if you don’t count the lawyers and dentist as “commercial”.)

The drug store, a caterer, and an upscale clothing store and art gallery, and a furniture store, a “variety” store and a discount clothing store are the only commercial establishments still in the old down town, but they are on the main street, not the courthouse square.

Like many of the buildings and homes in Clinton, Josephine’s has a front gallery, veranda or porch. When I stop for lunch or some tea, I tie Betty to one of the gallery columns.

I have seen the portable buggy weights sometimes offered for sale on eBay, but they are expensive, and I’m not sure that tying up to a mere 20-25 lb. weight would keep Betty exactly where I left her.

I do try to tie her where I can see her, to avoid anyone trying to take a “joy ride” in my buggy. I am lucky in that almost everything – except the one grocery store and the Chinese restaurant – in Clinton is within a mile of my house and on town roads. The aforementioned businesses, unfortunately, are on a 4-lane state highway with a 40 mph speed zone, just within the town limits, so they are not safe to go to in a buggy. All the streets within the town limits, except LA HWY 67 have maximum 25 mph limits and are just two lane.

I have only driven out a few times on errands, and have not tried to use the drive-in lane at the bank yet-- but one never knows.

Sorry this post turned into a sort of tour of Clinton, but the important thing is that I believe the town is ideal for the use of buggys or carriages to get around because the original part was laid out in 1824 when most people used horseback or horse-drawn vehicles to get around.

Eventually, I will be giving rides and charging for them during Market Day once a month. But first I have to finish repainting the used vis-a-vis carriage. The Percheron gelding that came with it was in such a poor state, he probably would have qualified as a “rescue.” He still has to regain all his weight, and get used to the Clinton streets. His name is Barney.

Barney has been progressing, but he still is not at a normal weight. One of the first things my vet did was do a fecal exam and tell me which wormers to use. I was able to heal up all of his open belly sores within a month or so of getting him, but he has been slow to regain weight. My vet has given me a diet to follow designed to help him back to health. His teeth were floated when he first arrived the last week in Oct., but he is probably about 18-20 years old so things have been going slowly. I have just begun to hitch him to my forecart to drive around in one of the pastures for about a half hour a few times a week to begin his conditioning.

Once I am ready to charge for rides, I was not going to go for the traditional coachman’s “look” since I am female. I thought that I could wear one of my nice linen outfits, some sort of hat and gloves – though I prefer to drive without gloves to better feel the lines. I can’t imagine trying to climb up into the seat of the vis-a-vis wearing either a skirt or one of those aprons. When I offer rides, I plan to have an assistant who holds the horses, etc. The people I got the carriage from just had a driver. But they just did rides to and from the parking area of their farm and their arena.

Though I am new to driving, I have ridden and shown horses all my life. My late husband and I also bred naturally gaited old-time TWHs. I realize that each “discipline” has its own rules and dress conventions. My experience is with ASBs and Tennessee Walking Horses- mainly under saddle. I showed saddleseat and Western pleasure, and wore the appropriate clothes for these classes.

I also participated in the Versatility program and the heydays where I entered all kinds of classes including pleasure driving, pole bending, walkers over fences, barrel racing, trail class and the water glass class. For each class, I wore the appropriate habit or style of clothing. Except for the “over fences” class, none of these require helmets, so I am not used to wearing helmets to ride horses.

Because I’m not used to using a helmet, I don’t really “miss” wearing one while driving, but I understand where someone who is used to wearing a helmet would miss it.

As far as show driving, my experience is limited to mainly watching the few driving classes that are sprinkled in among the many, many riding classes at such shows. I might have shown in a TWH pleasure driving class only about six or seven times, and since there were always only about two or three entries in these classes, I always came away with a ribbon.

I have never been to a show that consisted of all driving classes like the ones I’ve seen ads for in Draft Horse Journal, etc.

[Thomas_1]

I went to the site you suggested and saw that the first two “aprons” look like they are just very large triangles of fabric. Is that correct? Do you fasten the wide edge around your waist, and then let the pointed edge drape down over your legs?
No they’re just folded so you can see the mongram. They’re an oblong with leather straps and buckles. They’re fastened high on the waist with the straps and they should be long enough to touch the footwell and cover your legs when seated.

If you do wear one, do you put it on after you are in the buggy, or before you get in?
You put it on before you mount and you take the diagonal corner and lift it and place it in the waistband so that it doesn’t wrap about your legs as you mount and dismount.

I wear ankle or tea length skirts and dresses, so I don’t think modesty would be a problem, but I would like to keep dust off my lighter colored clothes.
Ladies aren’t supposed to show leg other than the merest glimpse of ankle … Other than that would be considered very improper

Where you live Thomas, it is probably very cold most of the time – or at least chilly, so I can understand all the wool coats, etc.
We do have summers too albeit I’m sure not as hot as you! In fact I have a range of wool livery coats of different weight.

They come heavy, really heavy and weighs a ton! They actually though keep you cool in summer too because the natural fibre wool keeps the sun from penetrating through. Linen is often worn by ladies here too especially in the likes of concours d’elegance classes.

I see that you wear a hard hat for pleasure driving. I guess I should get one of those – just in case.
In fact I always wear a hard hat other than for formal driving classes or the likes of driving for period film work or special formal driving occasions.

Even when I was child and took lessons, we never wore hard hats unless we were jumping-- but then we didn’t wear helmets to ride our bikes either-- I guess it is just a miracle that so many of us baby boomers survived childhood.:lol:
I posted recently on another thread about hats for riding saying I got my first riding safety hat when I was about 10 in the 1950’s! Till then I wore a cap stuffed for protection! :eek:

In Europe it is probably easy to find things from the mid-19th century.
Not really but I’m not young and my mother showed hackney horses in harness and my father drove a a coach and 4. I’ve a lot of stuff that was left to me by parents and their friends and about 40 years ago I started buying up anything and everything I found at auction. I keep what I want and sold on what I didn’t have space to hang on to!

I also had to look for “creative” ways to tie my horse. There are not any “hitching posts” around town any more.
:eek: You’re clearly a lot braver than I am! (I don’t really mean that!) You should never tie a driving horse when it’s put to and you should never leave one unattended. I never ever ever ever ever ever would!

I enjoyed seeing the photos you linked to your post. What breed of horses are those?
15.3 hands high Welsh section D x connemara. Full brothers. Purpose bred to be a driving pair and they’re ride and drive.

What are those red things your horses are wearing on their ears and foreheads? Are they some kind of knitted fly screen? If so, where did you get them? Are they antique too, or can new ones be bought? Flies are such a problem here for most of the year.
yes and I’ve a mass of them old and new. They’re traditional carriage horse ear covers.

These have been used for nearly 200 years. First in the busy city streets of London and in the days when there was no sewage system and effluent was thrown into the street and that, coupled with piles of horse muck meant the place was humming!!!

The last thing you need with a carriage horse is a fly in its ear driving it bonkers… great way to lose control! So cart drivers put either their gloves or socks on the horse’s ears to protect them. Then in time driving became more of a gentleman’s activity and commercial drivers wanted to attract rich people to their vehicles and so ladies started to crochet ear covers to match the equipage and in either the same colour as the livery or carriage.

They’re no different to those used in modern times by many show jumpers.

[elysian_fields_farm1]

[QUOTE= :eek: You’re clearly a lot braver than I am! (I don’t really mean that!) You should never tie a driving horse when it’s put to and you should never leave one unattended. I never ever ever ever ever ever would!

15.3 hands high Welsh section D x connemara. Full brothers. Purpose bred to be a driving pair and they’re ride and drive.

yes and I’ve a mass of them old and new. They’re traditional carriage horse ear covers.

[/QUOTE]

Thomas-- Have you ever seen the photos of the Wal-Mart stores in Amish country with their “special parking for buggys section”? There are buggys or buggies parked all in a row while the Amish are in the Wal-Mart. There is no one pictured as staying with each vehicle or anyone at all in the photos. I am figuring that you all have Wal-Marts in the UK, so you know that these are huge discount stores. Photographers love to take these “ironic” photos showing how this giant chain has accomodated the “plain folk” in order to get their business.

Anyway, if you are alone, and want to use your buggy, what are you supposed to do? Do you just leave your horse “parked” on the street like a car and hope it doesn’t decide to go home without you?

The first time I went downtown, I was interrupted by on-lookers while I was trying to tie Betty, and I forgot to make the “locking” loop in the safety tie. I looked back to see Betty following along the behind me like a dog-- buggy and all. She had only moved forward about six feet from where I had thought I had tied her. But I could just imagine her trying to follow me into the drug store- buggy and all. She had untied herself because I had forgotten the locking loop.

Betty is one smart horse. She also responds to voice commands to go (step up), stop (whoa), turn right (gee) or left (haw), speed up (walk on) or slow down (easy). I think this is because she was used as a work horse, too. She even understands the spoken word “over” as a signal to move right or left without going forward. If you are on her left and say “over” she moves to the right. You have to be on her right to get her to mover “over” to the left.

My late mother-in-law used to tell me interesting stories about growing up in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana at her grandparent’s house. Her grandfather was a doctor who also was the town’s only pharmacist. He used a “doctor’s buggy” which is very like the one I drive. Anyway, her grandfather would often doze off when driving between the house and his office going home for lunch and back after. The horse knew the way, and would just continue on, either until he got to the house (if they were going home for lunch) or to the office (if they were heading back after lunch). When the horse got to its destination, she would wake her grandfather up to let him know they had arrived.

Now this was in the early 1900s, before WWI and there were very few automobiles on the roads. Almost everyone in “Cajun” country rode horseback or had a horse-drawn vehicle of some type. The French-speaking Cajuns kept their horse and buggy ways longer than most other Louisianians. They did not fully embrace engine powered transportation until after WWII.

And even in the 1950’s, you could still see buggys parked outside of the many Catholic Churches on Sundays. There is even one small town near Breaux Bridge that has an annual Buggy Festival and parade to celebrate the importance of horse-drawn transportation to the “prairie” area of Louisiana.

I am careful not to be gone very long, and I keep my eye on Betty through the windows while I’m completing my errands. I am more afraid of someone bothering her than I am of her cutting up. What do people in the UK do if they use a buggy while running errands or visiting friends? Do they all hire someone to come along and hold the horse while they visit? Or do they un-hitch the horse and tie it up?

I know you must have seen at least a couple of US Westerns, so you must be familiar with the idea of tying a horse to a hitching post or rail while visiting the local saloon? (Though I would never tie my horse using my reins, if I had ridden to the saloon or elsewhere. I would bring along a halter and lead rope for that purpose.)

I grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and one of the quaint things there were the remaining hitching posts- they were cast iron posts with horses heads. There were iron rings through the horses’ mouths for tying up horses. Sometime in the 1970s the city decided to remove most of the remaining ones, viewing them as possible “road hazards.”

There are carriage rides still operating in the French Quarter, but the drivers stay with their horses while waiting at designated areas near Jackson Square for customers. They no longer use horses to pull these carriages as they did when I was a child. Now all the carriage companies use “draft mules” because mules can take the sub-tropical summer heat better.

You are lucky that you were able to come into possession of so many driving accessories. I have a riding crop that belonged to my great great-grandmother, but I would never use it. It is in fragile condition.

I am definitely going to get some of those ear covers. I have seen photos that show horses wearing what looks like full body coverings of multible “strings” of leather or some kind of twine designed to scare off flies. Most of these are also wearing white crochet ear covers, too. But I don’t think these “full-body” covers are made any more.

I am glad to find out that these ear covers are available today and in colors too. But in truth, Betty mostly well ignores flies. She is pretty stoic.

[Thomas_1]

Yes I’ve done a bit of travelling in the USA and Canada and around the Mennonite/Amish communities. I’ve also read the horror stories about what goes wrong when horse meets modern society and road rage!

Personally speaking I never ever drive out alone.

[elysian_fields_farm1]

I try not to let life pass me by because I’m alone

[QUOTE=Thomas_1;4770406]
Yes I’ve done a bit of travelling in the USA and Canada and around the Mennonite/Amish communities. I’ve also read the horror stories about what goes wrong when horse meets modern society and road rage!

Personally speaking I never ever drive out alone.[/QUOTE]

I can certainly understand your feelings and reasons about not driving out alone. But soon after I was widowed (20 years ago this past March 13), I realized that if I shrank from going places or doing things because I was now alone, I would miss out on lots of fun and interesting experiences.

It would be nice if I had someone to drive out with or go riding, but most of my friends still work 9-5 jobs-- and they have family obligations. I have two grown children – one- my son- lives next door but also works construction so he doesn’t have much free time at all; the other, my daughter lives more than an hour away and has a husband to consider.

I handle all of the daily chores of tending to my horses, and feeding them by myself. I also take care of all my tack myself. When the weather permits, and I have time to go for a ride or a drive- I do.

I keep in mind that drriving in my truck is probably the most dangerous thing I do. I have had two very serious accidents- neither my fault - and one happened on the Interstate and the other on a US (national) highway. One was within two blocks of my appartment in the city, and the other was literally in front of our home six months before my husband’s fatal heart attack.

I try to be very careful and don’t drive when the crazies are trying to get to and from work or school. Clinton is such a small town, that there is not very much traffic of any kind (other than on that highway at the edge of town) except for between 7-8 am and 3-6 pm. Most of the drivers at other times tend to be older people-- older than myself even-- who tend to drive more slowly anyway.

If it doesn’t rain tomorrow morning, I am hoping to get Betty ready in time for me to drive to church as a test run for Easter Sunday. It will have taken me more time to groom, and harness Betty than the trip to and from church combined takes.

St. Andrew’s is just four blocks from my home-- long country blocks, but a drive of about 7 minutes each way-- at a walk. If I’d let her trot, the drive would be much quicker.

I keep hoping I will get faster the more I harness and unharness her. I am also stil having trouble with a four-part braid-- which is how I understand mane rolls are done. I am really good at a regular three-part braid since those kind of braids are used on walkers and ASBs. The mane roll is more complicated.