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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Swedish heritage and horse-drawn sleighs
HENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
Years ago, a horse-drawn sleigh was the only way to travel in the winter if you lived in a snowy climate. Some sleighs could be pulled by one horse, but others were so heavy they required a team of horses to move them across the frozen ground.
Handling lively horses hitched to a sleigh is no easy task. It requires knowledge and experience. For one thing, you can’t back up a sleigh. If you do, the runners, sticking straight out in the back, can dig into the deep, soft snow. If the horse keeps backing when this happens, the pressure can lift the front end of the sleigh off the ground and break the runners. You also must remember to turn wide corners in a sleigh or else the whole thing will easily upset.
The front panel of a sleigh is typically curled down to protect riders from getting pelted with the snow and ice that can ball up under the horses’ hooves. It doesn’t, however, stop those frozen clumps from occasionally hitting and cracking loudly against the sleigh itself. Otherwise, a sleigh ride is a very quiet way to travel.
This is why sleigh bells are attached to the horses’ harness. The jingling sound warns others that you’re coming through, and this is important because it is impossible to quickly stop a sleigh. The bells give pedestrians and other riders time to get out of their way. The bells themselves come in different sizes and make different sounds. Swedish bells are a larger kind of sleigh bell, about two or three inches around. They make a deeper sound because of their size. They’re also notable due to the three slits cut along its body, but Swedish bells are usually hung down the horse’s back or hips.
In addition to decking out the team, the passengers riding “over the river and through the woods” in a sleigh need some special gear too. You must wear very warm clothes, of course. You also need a lap robe, which is a heavy blanket usually made of wool, horsehair, leather, or fur. And last but not least, heated bricks or soapstone on the floor of the sleigh help keep everyone’s feet warm.
