Horse Economics

1.3. Horse economics

At the beginning of the nineteenth century horses were looked at as the main mean of transport. Back then, cities were functioning due to thousands of horses which have ensured transportation both for people and goods. Since there were no cars, people used to travel by road, on horseback, in horse-drawn vehicles or on foot. In order to travel long–distance, people used stagecoaches, while in towns, people used to travel by horse-drawn buses. The number of horses grew significant once with the development of the cities. Rightly, we can say that the nineteenth century was the golden age of the horse.

It is estimated that about 300,000 horses contributed to the wellbeing of Londoners in the Victorian era. We can only imagine how challenging was to provide food, shelter and proper care for this huge number of four-legged work force. Due to the large number of horses, large plots of land had to be worked to produce hay, and of course, there was also a constant need for land in order to build stables for horses. And then, there was the waste problem which required a great number of cleaners in the city. Their duty was to collect all the horse manure in order to prevent health problems but unfortunately, during those days, a large number of deads occurred caused by the waste remained on the streets of London.

On the other hand, there were the horse owners who had to spend a great deal of money to maintain a horse. They had to supply water and food for their horses, hire grooms and coachmen and they also had to buy equipment, which had to be cleaned and well maintained. Taking all these issues into consideration, I think that maintaining a car nowadays might be less expensive than maintaining a horse was, in nineteenth century.

Subcapitol in lucru!

1.3.1. Horse–drawn vehicles in Victorian era

Jane Smiley, a novelist who has also written books about horses, speaks about the horses’ impact on the world we live in. The author wants to emphasize that there were times when mankind depended on horses and without their contribution to the world’s progress we wouldn’t have come so far.

It's almost impossible for us to understand now that we have motorized vehicles all the things that horses did. Anything that had to be moved — no matter how heavy it was — was moved by a horse. They just performed every function in society … and society couldn't function without them. (Smiley qtd. in Norris)

In her article “Victorian transport”, Mandy Barrow, gives some example of the most popular vehicles which have made history during the Victorian times.

The most popular vehicle for eveyday use was The Brougham. It was a four-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse. Both aristocrats and the middle classes used to ride with these “machines”.

The ladies most favourite carriage, which was often seen in the parks, was called The Phaeton. The Phaeton was a four–wheeled open carriage, drawn by two horses.

The Landau carriage was the symbol of wealthy people as these carriages were very expensive in 1890. This carriage could be used as open or closed vehicle. Barrow

More often, people who lived in the countryside used to travel by wagons. This opened vehicles, were larger and heavier than carriages but slower than them. People also used these wagons to transport goods and animals.(Barrow)

Jane Smiley concluded that horses are better treated nowadays as they are no longer used as beasts of burden. When cars were invented horses became pets and companions and thus their lives changed to better.

The best thing that ever happened to horses was that they ceased to be the automobiles and trucks of their day. The automobile was invented and horses became pets, companion animals, leisure animals and so in general they became better treated. (Smiley qtd. in Norris)