I thought this topic was very intresting and fun. I picked this topic because I wanted to know more than I already knew and I did.  This topic tought me alot about the 17th century and how they lived back then. Even though it was tough to get some of the information that I needed I kept looking and finnally I finnised. So here is my blog on the Horses Of The 17th Century.

Country Living

Farming

Farming in the 17th century was for the poor. They had to farm to grow products or produce to sell. The people needed the money to pay for the land if they didn’t own it and to fix things. Sometimes the stable or the house would break down and let rain in. Sometimes it was the equipment. The poor needed to fix things to live in the country.

Equipment

The equiptment consisted of basicly plows, and harnneses. The average harnness was easy to hook up but not everyone could do it. Lots of animals particulary the oxen were used to plow fields in the 17th and 18th century. They used oxen more because they were easily kept and the expense of the horse was to much for some people. Alough there was'nt much information that I could find on this subject because horses were not used very often.

Equipment

Lots of the carriages had a simple design, if it was one horse or many in single file there was two shafts or poles that went on either side. If it was a pair or many pairs, a team, a pole attaches between the pair. That pole, is attached to another pole, which attaches on one side of the horse. There is another design which made the second pole go in front of the horse. The driver can steer the horses using two reins or leather things which run down the middle. The reins attach to rings which run along the harness. The collar is a big leather thing shaped like a rain drop. The collar goes over the horses head and has attachments that connect from horse to horse. The rest of the harness is pretty simple. There are more leather pieces coming from the collar which attaches underneath the driver. Lots of horses need special training to be able to have a haness put on them even a simple designed one.

Stabling

Stabling in the 17th century could make you rich or poor depending on how many boarders you had. Some stables changed over time and some stayed the same. Kings back then had stables right at their castle so that if there was a invasion the could get out quickly. Lots of the castles had secret passeges leading from their castles into their stable. Lots of poor familys who only had one horse kept them at home instead of stabling well the rich kept them at a stable and visited once or twice a week.
Copenhagen Stable
The Copenhagen Stable had a zigzag shape and was very complex. This stable was important because it was built for the king and could house all his horses and carriages. In 1690 this stable held 52 horses and very few staff. At the end of the 17th Century this stable held 170 horses and 152 staff. As new kings entered the thrown the stable was reconstructed. As a certain King entered the thrown he had reconstructed it so that it would have a rectangular riding ring so he could ride his horses and not be hurt. There was not a lot of information out there but this what I could find on stabling in the 17th Century because people did not have the money to start up stables

Horses in the 17th Century

                                                          

                                   


                                         Carriages
 In the sixteenth century the roads,especially in London, were little more than tracks. As we went on into the 17th century the roads were improved with paving and were able to have horse drawn carriages on them. In 1605 carriages were available for hire in the streets of London. One the of the first types of carriages was called the Hackney. A Hackney was drawn by two horses but did not have a roof or suspension. Samual Pepys was a well known and wealthy man who said , '' It is an embarrasment to be seen in a Hackney carriage, as for anyone can hire''. 

The Berlin carriage was created in 1660 by the Germans and was a more common design and was made to be  more comfortable. It acquired a roof which was not found on the previous carriages. The  Berlin also could seat four, in pairs facing each other and had a door on either side. In 1680 the Berlin acquired glass windows and a suspension, which made it a more comfortable ride then a Hackney carriage. The addition of these features came at a price making the Berlin the choice of the middle class.
                                                              a gig with the driver at back
The Gig was introduced in the 1700's by Paris. This carriage was lighter than the previous carriages. The Gig had two wheels which made it very easy to overturn. The Gig was especially interesting because the driver was positioned at in the front instead of the back. The Gig was also  fancier than the Hackney even though it was pulled by one horse. This made the Gig a very enjoyable activity for the average family who could only afford one horse. The Gig also had features that came at a price so like the Berlin it was more middle class.
                                                            Stage Coach
The stage coach was introduced in the 17th and 18th century and was used to go between citys. The Stagecoach was alot more cumbersome than the other carriages and was slower because it was heavier.  The stage coach could fit eight people  comfortably in the cab, usually these were the middle class people. The poor sat on the top of the carriage with their luggage and a hand rail. The top of the stage coach could fit five people. There was also a private section in the back for the most privileged. This carriage would come down the dirt roads at four miles per hour. The carriage was pulled by either four or six horses depending on how heavy it was and how many passengers it had. Even now we still have carriages. There fancier than what we had in the 16th 17th and 18th century. Today there are trot carriages and chariot pony carriages. My horse was a chariot pony intill i bought him. Today we race on racing tracks instead of roads.