Horse and Buggy Transportation — Real Alternative Transportation!

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If you can't manage new harness, there's plenty of old tack abandoned in barns. Ask around. I've had a lot of harness given to me, and have bought complete sets for $5.00. Depending on your luck with the old farmers in your area, you can put your tack together for next to nothing.

It's useful to know, when you poke around in a dusty shed, that a single work harness can be cut down to fit a driving horse. I found one old set and made it functional by ripping out the weak parts and replacing them with stronger pieces from odds and ends I'd gathered in several barns. After it's been dipped in oil to restore flexibility, such used leather is fine. I've yet to see any break. (In case a worn spot should snap, keep a box of copper rivets available for temporary mending until you can get the strap restitched or replaced.)

Any harness—old or not—needs an oil dip twice a year to waterproof and thereby preserve it. This treatment also keeps the leather flexible and easy to buckle and unbuckle. Even so, I still dislike getting Handy's new gear wet, and I immediately wiped it dry the time my mischievous daughter "accidentally" drenched his harness with a garden hose. And remember: when all that leather is removed from the horse it should be hung on a ceiling hook away from any damp surface so that air can circulate around every strap and line. Good harness will last more than a lifetime if you care for it properly.

BUGGIES

Buggy hunting is your next project . . . and, since such vehicles are as diverse and unique as breeds of horses, you should take care to select one that's right for you.

First ask yourself how much space you need and what you plan to carry in the way of people and supplies. The weight of your horse must also be considered, and the buggy scaled to his size. Why tire the critter with a large, heavy rig when a lighter one will do? I ended up buying a hundred-year-old, open, wicker-seated carriage which gives me the same space as a top buggy but weighs much less. This allows Handy to work more efficiently.

Price is another factor you'll have to think about. New top buggies run upwards of $500, a figure that sends people prospecting for old vehicles . . . and even they are skyrocketing in cost. I paid $100 for my carriage, and—after $40.00 worth of repairs and the addition of a $75.00 hand-built top—I've been offered four times the original investment on several occasions! Ironically, the folks who're driving prices up are interested only in a toy to use for weekend entertainment . . . or to load with geranium pots and display on the front lawn.

Nevertheless, there are still many old rigs discarded in barns . . . usually draped with abandoned harness. Auctions and farm sales quite often list driving vehicles, and antique dealers will recall seeing buggies and sleighs. Ask around.

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