Best Driving Horse Breeds for Pulling a Carriage

The American standardbred is a very popular driving breed for both harness racing and pleasure driving. A former racing standardbred can be retrained for pleasure driving. It may not be easy, but you can get a former racer to respond to rein controls.

The greatest benefit of retraining a retired racing standardbred is that it is already accustomed to the harness and pulling a vehicle. It is also familiar with frequent hands-on care, crowds, and motor vehicles. Many former racehorses are available for adoption, and they can be an economical choice if you are willing to spend the time retraining them.

Whether you have a 3-foot-tall "type A" Welsh pony (the smallest size category) pulling a tiny dog cart or a tall cob pulling a two-seater buggy, these equines make wonderful harness animals. A cob is a larger, horse-sized member of this Welsh pony family (usually type D). Not only are Welshes beautiful, but they are also hardy and easy to care for. They are equally comfortable being saddle-ridden or in a harness.

With its high-stepping action and elegant head carriage, it is hard to believe the hackney horse is on the endangered breeds list in some countries. This breed was initially bred for riding, but it was crossed with driving horse breeds and thoroughbreds to produce a horse that was fast and elegant. In its heyday before the introduction of automobiles, a well-performing hackney was valued much like an exotic sports car today. Despite the passing of time, the hackney is still an eye-catching sight with its snappy knee action and brisk gaits.

The Cleveland bay is a light draft horse used for driving and riding. It originated in the Cleveland district of Yorkshire, England. The term "bay" describes its coloring. Bays have a brown body with a black mane, tail, ear edges, and lower legs. It was primarily used for farm work and in teams to pull larger carriages. This breed also seems to be dwindling in numbers as its usefulness in daily life fades. Horse aficionado Queen Elizabeth II breeds Cleveland bays. Members of the royal family use this breed for competition driving.

Better known for their speed and talents as a riding horse, thoroughbreds are also used in driving, especially for events that require speed like combined driving, chuck wagon, and chariot races. Thoroughbreds are also used for pleasure driving. A racehorse requires extensive retraining for pleasure riding as well as for driving. Your biggest challenge will be to figure out the temperament of the retired racehorse. Determine whether the former sprinter can be retrained and if the time commitment is worth it to you.

Friesian horses are a Dutch horse that originated in Friesland, a northern section of the Netherlands. This old European breed was developed from warhorses from the Middle Ages that had carried armored knights. Comfortable being ridden or driven, this horse has showy high-stepping gaits and powerful, elegant self-carriage. This breed neared extinction when cars rolled around in the early 1900s, but it has experienced a resurgence in recent years. This breed was featured in movies like "The Lord of the Rings" series and the hit HBO show "The Game of Thrones," which have helped boost its popularity.

The official horse breed of Vermont, the Morgan, is a light workhorse that had been popular in colonial New England for working the fields. An all-purpose horse, the Morgan could plow the fields, be ridden during a hunt, and pull the family buggy around town. They are a good beginner horse and, even today, they are a great family horse under saddle and in harness.